Turning Off Autocorrect

At is heart, Typoman Revised is a word-based puzzle platformer that is basically Limbo but with the addition of word puzzles. Originally released on PC and the Wii U eShop, Typoman is now available on Xbox One and PS4 with the “Revised” tag embedded in the official name.

Set in a dark and bleak world, the player controls a stick figure character composed of letters of the alphabet. The gimmick behind Typoman is most actions require putting letters together to form appropriate words. This is sort of difficult to explain but is best demonstrated through an example. In an early segment, the player will encounter a hallway filled with green gas. The literal word “G-A-S” appears before the player. In order to get through this hazard, the player adds the letter “P” so the word now spells “G-A-S-P” so your stick figure man can breathe through the poison fog. There are other platforms and conveyor belts in which the player needs to spell “S-T-O-P”, “O-N”, or “R-A-I-S-E” in order to get from Point A to Point B, for example.

This game has so much in common with Limbo it can almost be seen as a direct sequel, which is definitely not a bad thing. Both games are set in a moody environment, the puzzle platforming and jump mechanics are nearly identical, and each puzzle is tricky but is completed with an “ah-ha” moment. Like Limbo, Typoman can also be finished in just a few hours, contains optional out-of-the-way secrets that unlocks some additional content and Achievements, and plays with a simple control scheme. There are also a couple of unlockable mini games once the main quest is completed but they won’t hold your attention for more than a few minutes.

Here is my Let’s Play of Typoman Revised:

While some puzzles can be figured out instantly, some will take several trial-and-error attempts. Just watch my embedded stream and you can see a couple examples in which I get stuck but eventually figure it out with some tenacity (and with the help of my stream viewers). A part of me wishes there was some type of hint system to avoid these moments of frustration but each puzzle is designed well enough to avoid rage quitting but keep players guessing until the end.

I did encounter a few glitches when playing through my quest. In trying to get the “spell 300 words” Achievement, I put together the word “R-I-P” and a tombstone fell from the sky and instantly killed me. There are words like this that generate an Easter egg of sorts which is a nice touch (spell the word H-A-T to unlock another Achievement) but the falling tombstone got stuck in an endless loop and was instantly killed over and over upon restarting. Also, there was a time the right letters didn’t pop up and had me stuck for half an hour. It wasn’t until I watched a YouTube walk-through that I realized that I needed to do a full restart – sure enough, the right letters appeared when I did this. Typoman also wants you to make the word “L-I-E” often, which creates this little gremlin character that eats bad guys in your way. I didn’t really fully understand this mechanic until the end of the game as I watched more YouTube walkthroughs after getting stuck for long periods of time, making me wish for some type of onboard hint system.

Typoman might have a goofy and even dismissible outer appearance but should be acknowledged for being creative with a high level of production values, approachable, and surprisingly entertaining. There is even this overtone of good versus evil, right and wrong, throughout the entire quest; it is unique seeing such a strong theme being presented so hard in almost every aspect of gameplay, story, visuals, and soundtracks. As a big fan of Limbo, I felt right at home with Typoman. While it won’t make you a better typist, it will undoubtedly entertain you for a few hours and is well worth the price of admission.

SCORE: 8/10

Makes Me Want: a new Typing of the Dead
Better Than: most other ID@Xbox games
Also Try: Scrabble

By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz

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