Letters: A Written Adventure

About

Letters: A Written Adventure is a puzzle platformer where you navigate a story-driven world made of text. You play as a small version of Sarah, moving through letters she writes to her pen pal over decades. The challenge lies in rearranging words by removing letters to form new ones, like pulling “wing” from “drawing”, then throwing them at obstacles to progress. Each decision shifts the narrative, altering Sarah’s personality and life path. The gameplay blends casual exploration with wordplay that feels intuitive yet clever, set to a gentle rhythm that lets you linger on stories and solutions. The game’s charm comes from its cozy, nostalgic art style and the way it weaves puzzles into a heartfelt coming-of-age tale. Player choices create branching outcomes, with 24 achievements hinting at diverse paths, though the rarest, “Confusing your Friends,” sits at just 8.6% unlocked. Available on multiple platforms, it’s a short but cozy experience that balances whimsy with quiet emotional beats. The word mechanics never overwhelm, making it easy to get lost in Sarah’s world of doodles, messages, and growing up.

Storyline

Letters begins in 1998 as Sarah, an eleven-year-old girl from Switzerland, writes the first letter to Katya, her new pen pal from Russia. Through letters and online messengers, they continue to stay in touch over many years. They become good friends and share their dreams, worries and everyday life with each other. Sarah’s story is relatable and still one of a kind. Especially because you get to chose how it plays out. You take on the role of a tiny Sarah, moving through letters and messages. Along the way, you have to make decisions for her that will impact her life and change the person she grows up to be. The game world is inhabited by Sarah’s drawings in the letters and images on her computer screen that block your way. To get past them, you can pick up words from the text and throw them at these characters who will change accordingly and hopefully, make way. Most of the time, there is no right word available so you have to create your own. By removing some letters from a word, you can uncover a new one. You can, for example, get the word “wing” from “drawing” and use it to give flight to a wingless bird. But be careful when you choose a word to throw at a drawing. All of the characters have their own personalities and might even represent real people in Sarah’s life. How you interact with them has an impact on the rest of the letter, and sometimes even beyond. The gameplay is pleasantly relaxed, allowing you to concentrate on the riddles and enjoy all the quirky characters and beautiful art. The visuals are charming and nostalgic, taking you on a journey through time with messy children’s desks full of toys, colorful drawings, and enchanting memories.