Leximan Review

 Leximan is a puzzle adventure game developed by Knights of Borria and published by Marvelous Europe. Initially created for Global Game Jam 2020 under the name Leximan the Leximancer in the Dungeon of Despair and Doom, it is now a full game full of magic, wonder, and desperately trying to remember what words are possible in the English language. I hope you don’t have Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia, because this is going be a wild ride.

No, swears are not a valid spell.

On a cold and rainy night, you and your lexicon have arrived at the famous Academy Elementinia, headed by the legendary Elementine. Are you here to learn? To become a great wizard? Or because you are currently dying from the cold and you have nowhere else to go? It doesn't matter, you are (reluctantly) accepted. However, your brand of magic is slightly more unique than other wizards, as you cast spells by assembling random fragments of letters into cohesive words with… less-than-cohesive effects. Despite the amount of chaos you bring and how much everyone but the other basement dwellers hate you, you’ll soon find yourself on an adventure that will prove even small words have great power.

Okay, let’s get this out of the way, Leximan can get seriously weird and funny, yet at the same time can be very honest and heartwarming too. The writing is really damn good here, with every character being lovable in their own way. It’s great.

...Well, screw you.

But it’s not all jokes and jests. At times, you’ll be going against someone who needs to be neutralised or there’s something in the way. Luckily, there’s nothing magic can’t do… as long as you have the right letters. As already mentioned, you’ll be assembling words to cast spells in order to solve the current problem. Fire dragon in the way? Spell “Waterbomb”. Need some help? Spell “Dave”. Want to put out Dave who was set on fire by that dragon? Erm… the only word you can get has “flame” in it and uh… oh no, he’s even more on fire. Maybe a water bucket would’ve been better here…

While not every letter combination will work out in your favour, with some words just not being part of the game’s lexicon, there are still quite a few solutions to every encounter, with tons of amusing dialogue to make you laugh at and just how absurd the outcomes can become. It’s fun to figure out what you can spell and what will happen.

I don't remember what I did here.

However, there’s rarely a dull moment in Leximan. There are tons of minigames and genre switches that can really throw you through a loop, so you won’t find yourself doing something twice. From a bullet haven, to a classic RPG, to, uh… serving coffee. The only thing you’ll do across every act is assembling words, but there is definitely great variety here if that mechanic gets old. It’s really fun, with all the twists, turns, and fourth wall breaking that the game will throw at you.

I do have a few issues here or there. I noticed some issues with sprites and collisions at times, being able to walk through walls (assuredly without a spell). I’ve also noticed that some Steam achievements didn’t get unlocked despite knowing that I completed them. Finally, ironically enough, there were also issues with the dialogue and writing. I spotted a few misspellings, missing letters, and I was referred to as “Leximan” despite having a different name. This was all before the official release, so maybe things will change when the game is in your hands.

Wizard Rule No. 1: Do not invoke duck.

Leximan is a pretty short adventure, clocking in at around 7-8 hours, but it’s a great one nonetheless. Its humour and wit never failed to make me smile and laugh, and everything that it threw at you is fun in its own way. It’s a great time, just make sure you brush up on your spelling.