Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2022
Letters - a written adventure
Developer 5am Games GmbH
Letters is a fun word puzzle game about friendship, growing up and finding your place in life. Follow Sarah, a shy girl from Switzerland, by moving through her pen pal letters and chat messages. Use the power of words to solve riddles, interact with her friends and decide who she will grow up to be. From the Steam store page
182 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Sep 20, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
89
LovedLoved
160 positive · 19 negative
95% range 84–93%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 160 | 19 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
3 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
269 of 294 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 182 · most liked firstA very cute lovely jaunt, and if you allow yourself to open up towards the game, is can really make you feel empathy for Sarah. The core gameplay mechanic works surprisingly well, even though I am ESL I rarely had trouble getting through the puzzles, and the hint mechanic is spectacularly unobtrusive. The story is heartfelt, and it took me no time at all to get lost in the letters and text messages. However I do feel that my Sarah, the one that resulted from my playthrough, isn't really my…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think the concept is cute. But for $15-10, I just don't see the pull of it. This could have just as easily been a visual novel with clickable options. But instead, you waste time jumping from the top of the map to the bottom of the map grabbing words. It's the most mind-numbing gameplay I've seen in such a highly rated game. The gameplay should add to the game, not detract from it. And forcing the player to just go up and down a map, with zero challenge or platforming, is just a time…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was impressed by the demo 5 years ago but this is just your generic 'emotional story' told via barely any gameplay not done particularly well. and as usual, the trigger warning spoils a bunch of plot points before the game even starts. put it behind an extra button press, not in everybody's face. what's worse, there's no mid-level saving. if you want to quit, the game kindly tells you how much progress you will lose instead of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ saving it. don't be fooled by the 'writing in the diary'…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sometimes you play a game not because it has a cool story, not for the challenge, nor for really anything. Sometimes you play it just because it has a neat mechanic you haven't seen before. This is one of those games. You play it as a neat little break between longer games because it's new, and different, and not really difficult. I can't remember anything of the story, who the main characters were or what they wanted from when I played, but I can tell you I had fun running around as a little…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think it is a very unique game that tells its story in a different way through letters and messages. I really like how I follow Sarah’s life step by step, almost like I am reading her personal diary while also helping her by solving small word puzzles. The gameplay is simple but creative because I actually move and change words to progress. I scan through letters, chat messages, emails, and even websites to find the right words, then use them to solve puzzles. Sometimes I can even break words…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It was kinda cute, the gameplay is fine too. I don't like how my choices didn't really affect the ending all that much. There's not a lot of variety when it comes to choices, and it was kinda underwhelming. The timeskip between the last stage and the epilogue was wayyyy too much. It feels like my "Sarah" developed as a person and made major life progress without any input from me. It was an okay play, but I probably wouldn't have bought it if I knew my choices wouldn't actually matter all…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Letters - a written adventure is a very good little game where you can choose your story by playing with words. There's so many choices, the story is beautiful, the graphics are original and the ambiant is relaxing. I highly recommend it!!! 💗💗💗
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It is a cute - and sometimes creepy - game filled with all kinds of little secrets and a LOT of nerd things, while playing with words!. It is short, but it has enormous replayability value due to different choices you can make and just to seee what all the words can do. Nick is absolutely best guy and I have no idea how I'm supposed to not chose to go with him. It is also a very relatable journey if you grew up with the early internet. Oh Tacky and Vinewire. RIP.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I recommend this for patient people who want a mellow, low stress game, but can also handle a story that ends well but has some sad moments. The 'platforming' is easy, but so much wandering back and forth, and the grabbing and use of words is clever. One run through was 90 minutes as a fast reader, and I could see two plays being interesting.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, I certainly enjoyed throwing words at the drawings! XD This was a fun and a unique idea. I had no qualms with it or the story or the changes that took place. Everything was nice n fluffy and... Well, the only thing was... I wish it was a bit longer? But you know what... For what it was and the ending I got? It was still entertaining. It might not be liked by everyone (then again... what is?), but you can still have fun throwing words! Orrrrr... smashing your paper airplane…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I thoroughly enjoyed this. I thought the gameplay style was unique and not something I'd seen before. A really cute premise that was fun to interact with. I do think there could've been a better tutorial in the beginning about what exactly you should/need to do as it wasn't apparent upfront. You quickly get the hang of it though. I am thankful for their hint system as I had to use it generously, especially in the beginning. The dialogue was cute and genuine, IMO. It didn't feel overly cringe,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it's pretty cute <3 also lesbians !!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →11/10 would stack cats again! Just one of the fun and cute things you can find and do. You can also: - Let your Valkyrie spin - Glow up a Virus - Annoy others in chat saying strange things - Teach a tower swiss german - Add bugs to software - And read A LOT of puns! (And have others not understand them XD)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really enjoyed the riddles and the story! It tells a compelling sincere story about growing up with a lot of humour and nostalgia, not shying away from the ups and downs. It's very cute and just hits the right notes for me in visuals and sounds, making it feel very comfy and cozy!!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Appleseed's Indie Game Of The Day! Day 86) Letters: A Written Adventure by 5am Games GmbH A coming of age story where you play as a girl named Sarah exchanging letters with her pen pal, You use words to solve riddles, talk with her friends, and shape the story the way you want it.
unlabelledView post →I found a 💌 in my Chuchichäschtli and following was written: "❣️❣️❣️❣️ this game — it gave me ¹Tr0j4nH0rs3.exe" ... but I had figured myself it was a false positive and a w0️⃣‿0️⃣dy version 🤠 "You've got a friend in me!" 👍🎚️ ¹Hope this one gets a ✅ from the ACCS 🛡️ ...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A pretty interesting game which has multiple branch. While the core game remains the same, you can change the dream she will pursue and thus her carreer. The characters aren't perfect, they have their own issues and no matter who you decide to live with, issues will arise in a different ways as you become an adult. So give it multiple tries as things will change with any "orange" decision you"ll take.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While I enjoy character customization, it didn't really feel like the different skin tones and hair colors you could choose for Sarah and Alex changed who they were as people. My parents and Maddie look the same regardless of if I choose a dark skinned character, it makes Sarah seem like the odd one out. The longer pages became a drag to walk up and down eventually, I wish the mouse drag and drop ability was available for those papers. I felt like the story moved too quickly, jumping from a 10…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very beautiful game with an unusual gameplay, which immediately sunk into my soul. I have never seen such interesting and original mechanics anywhere before. Moreover, the game still has a very tender and touching plot, it is very easy to imagine yourself in the place of the main character. The search for words and solutions to emerging riddles is addictive, and it is always solved in a very funny or touching way. In general, the maximum score is for originality and for an excellent…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm a fan of this game ever since it was a prototype. Waited for a long time to finally play it and I'm loving it so far! It has very cute puzzles, a branching story and lots of nerdy jokes. Can't wait to see what my decisions will result in!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A cozy, wholesome narrative game with a neat concept. Occasionally hits some pretty hard feels too. Well worth checking out for the price.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →cute game based on a girl's journal growing up, you can use certain words to change the story or reactions of ppl in the illustrations. little to no instructions throughout, so working out what word you needed to kick/throw to progress was hard at times
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Too expensive... and I guess for a younger audience
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →pros: ✰ absolutely loved our main girl sarah, i felt like i could relate to her in so many occasions ✰ well written characters amongst the cast ✰ funny dialogue!!! ✰ gameplay is simple and straight forward ✰ if you get stuck, it's okay!!! the game helps you a lot ✰ SO MANY GREAT PUNS THROUGHOUT ✰ i loved that for your love interest you could pick a girl or a boy :') thank you ✰ so much talk about self love UGH cons: ✰ this game made me cry ✰ i need a sequel overall, letters is a fantastic…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The storytelling has got a unique character, you really see how the devs put a lot of love into it! It's worth a buy if you are looking for a game to chill with lots of small puzzles that keep you at ease.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I remember seeing the very first prototype of this game at the local gamedev university a few years back. I'm very impressed with how far the team pushed the idea and put all this time and love into this game. I can wholeheartedly recommend this game to everyone who likes either cute / wholesome / story / casual / text-puzzle games. I wish the devs all the best and I'm looking forward to their next project.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's not an enjoyable game at all, the story is boring and predicdible, the gameplay is very slow and the MC looks like a very personal character, so, unless you are much like them, you can really relate. I really tried to like this, I was excited for years to play this, but honestly I wanted to quit at the first 30min, but forced my self to 4h, yet not worth it
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a nice and cute game in general and in the end, but I didn't like it much. Probably, it's just not for me. I was literally waiting for it to end even though it is quite short. I guess I had some expectations about this game after watching the trailers, but it turned out to be not what I had expected.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is great if you like puzzles and interesting life stories. I love that this game isn't afraid to tackle things like mental health. Despite the fact that I love this game there still isn't much to do in it, I've completed it twice and played for 3.4 hours at this point, its a great wind-down game but if your looking for something to stop your boredom I'd say this game probably isn't it. Overall great game and I've very much enjoyed this relaxing written adventure.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is very well done & creative. The price might be a little high for the playtime so wait for a sale. I really loved it though. Remember that this is a choices matter game so choose to be gay. Always choose to be gay.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was impressed with the artwork of the game which had tons of puzzles to solve, choices to make, and I had a big smile when I saw the instant messenger gameplay! Words are powerful and can be used to our advantage or disadvantage. Choose your path & you better stack those cats in chapter 7 ❀
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game reminds me of reading the Amelia's Notebook series as a kid. A very charming and well crafted little one-sitting game, with enough variety in choice to enjoy twice.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Indie game collective Member here :) Letters is a fun word puzzle game about friendship, growing up and finding your place in life. Follow Sarah, a shy girl from Switzerland, by moving through her pen pal letters and chat messages. This is one of the most beautiful, unique games I've ever seen. It's stunning and creative, with so much love in the details. A rollercoaster full of emotions. I was hooked from the moment I started The game includes some very light puzzling however this is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A short little story game with some genuinely fun choices throughout. I liked both the mechanics and the story, and the way the game presents everything helped keep it engaging the whole way through. It’s not super long or life-changing, but it’s charming and easy to enjoy for what it is. I’d say it’s definitely worth picking up if you can get it for under $5.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is so precious and gorgeous. I found it randomly and the design made me curious. I am so glad I bought it. Wonderful game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →fun game about finding words between words. Cute graphics and game play is nice, i like how the girl moves between the text lines.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An innovative way to tell a story, and the gameplay works really well with the narrative. It would have been a masterpiece if it covers a much longer period of the protagonist's life. It truly has the potential to be five times longer than it is now and be truly moving. It's a pity that the game simply ends when the story's just about to get serious. As if all the real challenges in the protagonist's life are just minor nuisances and can be overcome automatically. Still a good game though.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A short game telling about dealing with depression and caring for people around you. The puzzle is unique and not difficult to solve. My favorite thing is you can make a decision in some parts of the story which changes the aftermath you'll get. I'd recommend this if you like a chill word game that can be played through in 2 hours. However, the story is a bit repeating and falling off for me. Writing about depression can be very sensitive, but the jump skip into epilogue is too sudden. Most…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty fun, short game with interesting story paths. I absolutley adore the style of the game and the characters in them. My only complaint is the game mechanic. Jumping is pretty annoying after a while. SInce the game is so short it is fine though. Also love how you can change the looks of so many things! Super creative! I understand that there is a ton of coding and artwork in there but 15 bucks feels still a bit hefty to me. So I reccomend getting this when it goes on sale :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros - Looks pretty, really nice presentation. - Controls are fine (there is basically two buttons) - Game-play is pretty basic but still engaging. Essentially its the same puzzle over and over with very little variation. Your typically moving (platforming) through the words/lines of a diary page and there are occasionally illustrations blocking your path so you need to pluck words out of the diary and use them on the illustrations. In one section you are trying to find words to replace missing…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is so cute, I do love the art style. It's a simple, short and good little game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love this game. The experience I went through was quite nice. The story was rather simple, but I enjoyed my time going through it and seeing the main character, Sarah, growing up and her relationships develop in her life. I found the background music to be nothing special, but it was pleasant enough that I didn't mind while playing. The art direction is good, but I did find a few moments where I wasn't too sure I liked the direction of a character or a particular scene. I found the puzzles…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an ideal indie game experience. A short, fun game with interesting game mechanics and a great story. For people who like games like the Emily is Away series or Left on Read, this is a must-play!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's a good idea somewhere in here... is what I'd like to say, but to be honest, I'm not even sure. What I am sure of is that there are many bad design decisions in the game and even though the plot definitely kept me curious, literally everything else was unpleasant. Except maybe the art, that is really nice as well. The main issue is the gameplay. I know, it's the game's selling point, Letters doesn't pretend that it's something it's not. But I expected the "line platforming and word…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢿⠟⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⠛⠛⠿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠛⣿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⢿⣿⣿⣄⠄⣼⣿⡿⠋⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠛⣿⣿⠄⢀⣤⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣷⣤⣸⣿⠛⡛⢛⣿⠋⠄⠄⢀⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠘⣿⣿⡿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠁⠄⠁⠈⠄⠄⠄⠄⣿⡀⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠓⠸⠏⠄⢹⣿⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⢠⠿⠿⢻⣦⣤⣠⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠈⠻⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⡿⠁⠄⠄⠄⠄⠈⠄⠄⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢭⡛⡀⠄⠄⠨⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⠁⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠻⣧⡀⣈⣿⣿⠟⠄⠄⠠⢇⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣿⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⡁⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⢀⢀⣉⡉⠉⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠰⠂⠄⠄⠄⠄⢹⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⡇⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣿⠿⠁⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠘⣿⣿ ⣿⣿⣿⣶⣤⣤⣄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄⣼⣿⣿
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it's boring. no ♥♥♥♥
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I loved this game! the art is beautiful, and I really enjoyed playing with the words, it also has nice achievements. Just think it could have more hours of gameplay, you really grow on the characters and the story is emotional!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Letters is a really cute and well made game! I had so much fun streaming this and solving the riddles. The help system is great because the game never gets frustrating because of it. This is fantastic because there is not much that I don't enjoy less then being stuck on a riddle while I stream. The only thing I would criticize is that the ending feels very rushed. I thought I had 1 or 2 more hours to go but then the rest of Sarah's story was just told though some letters, journals and chat…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Letters: A Written Adventure is an award-winning word-based puzzle-platformer about friendship and growing up by all-female development team 5am Games. Players take on the role of Sarah Frei as she navigates the content of years of communication with her pen pal, overcoming obstacles and making tough decisions that will be instrumental to Sarah and her future. Overall, it is a fun and moving game that will captivate players with its emotional and branching narrative design and its unique blend…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very heartful, punny and nostalgic game with gorgeous artwork (and gorgeous cats!!!) and a nice message about self love, if a bit short (although there are choices and thus replayability). A very memorable experience overall.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Small but very nice story with a unique gameplay.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A lovely game that tells a surprisingly deep story in a playful way with unique word-based platform-puzzling. I enjoyed the couple hours I spent playing this game a lot and now want to see the other choices as well (replayability!). A lot of love and polish was put into this game, alongside with some self-inserts and nostalgia. Funny little jokes that you'll only see if you pay attention and read more than just words. Would definitely recommend to any millenial for a good dose of nostalgia,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoyed the game’s unique atmosphere, the clever puzzles and being able to make my own choices in the story. Can definitely recommend this to anyone who’s into these type of games!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great and i love the art style and adventure
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short but fun little casual game. (full playthrough + 100% achievements under 3 h) Entertaining and creative gameplay mechanics, very easy to learn/play. Kinda like a 2D platformer with an slightly emotional story and small word puzzles. A bit of a nostalgia trip for y2k ppl 4/5 ****
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"Letters - a written adventure" is a fun word puzzle game about friendship, growing up and finding your place in life. You follow Sarah, a shy girl from Switzerland, by moving through her pen pal letters and chat messages. You use the power of words to solve riddles, interact with her friends and decide who she will grow up to be. The Artstyle was amazing and i liked the music and sounds. The game mechanics were very simple and easy to understand. You can also get help with using "H". You also…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a good story. The gameplay is fairly limited, but the story changes depending on your choices, so that's fun.I like that it lets you choose a male or female love interest. It's also really short, so it's good for if you only want to kill an hour or two.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wow, this was definitely something new and original! I think it was since the days of Baba is you that I wasn't this amazed by new dynamics in a game! I have to say this game might not be for everyone; it can be sometimes slow and you need to have a keen eye for details, but it is a delighting experience with an adorable and quite deep/relatable plot and cool characters. Of course, being a fan of word games helps to enjoy this cute game :) Kudos for the whole endeavour, this nice gem is a true…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a really cute game. I like the story and the puzzles but there is a huge issue with the controls, especially with using a controller. Even tho it says it has full support and should work great with my controller, it doesn't.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cute and fun little game. Definitely recommend this to get on sale.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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