There are puzzle platformers… and then there’s A Difficult Game About Letters, a game that sounds like a joke until you realise it’s absolutely serious.
Now available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S for £4.19, this quirky little release asks a simple question: what if the alphabet itself was your moveset?
It’s weird. It’s clever. And it might just tie your brain in knots before you’ve even reached B.
At A Glance
- Game: A Difficult Game About Letters
- Developer/Publisher: Abelix Games
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Price: £4.19
- Game Type: Puzzle Platformer
Turning The Alphabet Into Gameplay
At its core, A Difficult Game About Letters is built around a deceptively simple idea – you don’t just control a character, you become letters. All 26 of them.
Each one brings its own physical quirks into play. A curved “O” rolls. A jagged “V” helps you leap gaps. A sturdy “H” can brace against pressure. Suddenly, what looks like a basic platforming challenge becomes a puzzle about shape, physics, and a bit of lateral thinking.
It’s the kind of concept that sounds gimmicky on paper… until you’re mid-level, frantically switching between letters just to stay alive.
Not Just Spelling – Problem Solving
And you should forget forming words like you’ve been doing in the brilliant Beyond Words, as this isn’t about vocabulary. It’s about how letters behave.
Levels are designed like playgrounds of obstacles, each asking you to interpret the alphabet in a completely different way. Need to hook onto something? Think L or T. Trying to squeeze through a tight gap? O or C might be your best bet.
The result is a constant loop of experimentation. You’re not memorising solutions; you’re discovering them, one oddly-shaped letter at a time.
Small Price, Big Brain Teasers
At just £4.19, this is very much one of those smaller, experimental titles that thrives on a single, strong idea. A bit like the superb Thomas Was Alone, perhaps? And credit where it’s due, it commits fully to that concept.
A Difficult Game About Letters (available through the Xbox Store) isn’t going to be for everyone. It’s a focused, slightly odd, and surprisingly inventive puzzle platformer. So it all depends on whether that is your bag.
Just don’t be surprised if you start looking at the alphabet a little differently afterwards.
You’ll find the game on Steam and Nintendo Switch too.
