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TYPOMAN
review | WII U
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Publisher: Brainseed Factory.
Developer: Brainseed Factory. Released: November 2015. Genre: Puzzle-platformer. Posted 29th August 2025. By Shane Battams © 2025 |
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Typoman, part of an indie initiative from Nintendo seeing several games announced at E3 2015, certainly proved a distinctive entity amongst those nine titles. Even amid the likes of Freedom Planet, there was something about this game that stirred a sense of intrigue. Meshing the worlds of typography and platforming, Brainseed Factory’s effort is likely to please those looking for a captivating yet dark adventure. It’s just a shame that while it mostly burns bright, it doesn’t burn for long enough.
After being discarded amongst other typography, HERO reforms their body and begins a quest to escape this ruin of letters, while also reclaiming their lost arm. However, dangers are aplenty as an evil force and numerous monstrosities try to stop them, though the presence of a helpful outsider does even the odds at a few points. It’s a minimalistic, yet beautifully conveyed story which feels haunting despite not a single line of dialogue being uttered. Analysing the harm of suppressing words while showing the damage hostile writing can cause, there’s some interesting messaging beneath a simple escape journey, and those who dig deeper may uncover more than you’d think.
Beneath its simple veneer, Typoman is a fascinating and unique platformer
Typoman is a puzzle-platformer which makes use of the GamePad. Divided into several chapters, you navigate HERO from a side-scrolling perspective. Most of the game is made up of puzzles that require you to manipulate letters in intelligent ways. Some need simple words to operate, such as “On”, while others contain more letters and complex words to assemble. The scrambler works well on the Wii U pad, allowing you to remove and reorganise words with ease. There are some devious puzzles, though a hint system can grant aid to those struggling with an initial cryptic clue followed by a highlighted word revealing the solution. It’s more satisfying to complete these yourself, of course, and cracking a brainteaser and seeing the gameplay results is fun.
Outside of that, traditional platforming sees you leaping over pits or swinging from ropes. There are also a few chase sequences which feel intense. Deaths can be quite frequent, as a majority of hazards can kill you instantly. Whether falling to your doom, being ripped apart by chasing creatures or succumbing to a trap, poor HERO gets pasted. But it never slides into unfair territory. The physics feel weighty yet responsive and controls feel accurate, able to handle the faster segments without breaking a sweat. This means cheap deaths aren’t a factor, rather a learning curve towards overcoming an obstacle. Respawns are also near instant, meaning there’s little downtime to getting back in there.
Outside of that, traditional platforming sees you leaping over pits or swinging from ropes. There are also a few chase sequences which feel intense. Deaths can be quite frequent, as a majority of hazards can kill you instantly. Whether falling to your doom, being ripped apart by chasing creatures or succumbing to a trap, poor HERO gets pasted. But it never slides into unfair territory. The physics feel weighty yet responsive and controls feel accurate, able to handle the faster segments without breaking a sweat. This means cheap deaths aren’t a factor, rather a learning curve towards overcoming an obstacle. Respawns are also near instant, meaning there’s little downtime to getting back in there.
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Typoman boasts an attractive setting and world, with lovely hand-painted backdrops accompanied by novel use of typography. Outside of the solid ground, environmental objects are cleverly made up with text, such as ladders formed from a line of Hs, and it also helps with environmental storytelling. The animations for both HERO and the monsters around you feel fluid and emotive, conveying aspects such as pain without spoken dialogue. It’s a shame there are some frame rate dips here and there, though they’re not severe enough to negatively impact the gameplay. The audio is also strong, with an effective soundtrack that adds to the melancholy tone and unsettling sound effects such as the crushing sounds of machinery.
Two major issues make recommending Typoman a bit trickier. There are a handful of moments where bugs rear their ugly head, such as seeing HERO getting stuck and being unable to move, which required closing the software. Checkpoints appear frequently at least, so little progress is lost, but it’s still a noticeable qualm. A more severe issue is that it’s a very short game. With four acts in total, you can likely best this one in around four hours, and using hints to clear harder puzzles could speed this up even further. There’s nothing in the way of extra modes or unlockables either, leaving it feeling mighty short on replayability.
Two major issues make recommending Typoman a bit trickier. There are a handful of moments where bugs rear their ugly head, such as seeing HERO getting stuck and being unable to move, which required closing the software. Checkpoints appear frequently at least, so little progress is lost, but it’s still a noticeable qualm. A more severe issue is that it’s a very short game. With four acts in total, you can likely best this one in around four hours, and using hints to clear harder puzzles could speed this up even further. There’s nothing in the way of extra modes or unlockables either, leaving it feeling mighty short on replayability.
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Typoman proves a distinctive, enjoyable platformer that captivates through its unique story, setting and mechanics, but leaves you wishing there was more. Not every game has to last dozens of hours, but being able to clear it in an afternoon with no real extra content makes this feel one-and-done. That being said, it’s still a rather compelling experience, and those who can look past its brevity and some technical woes might still find themselves hooked. If you’re after a Wii U platformer that offers a dark alternative to the heavy-hitters, this one might be worth checking out.
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VERDICT"Typoman proves a distinctive, enjoyable platformer which captivates through its unique story, setting and mechanics, but will leave you wanting more due to a lack of content." OVERALL: 6/10 |
OTHER LEFTFIELD & INDIE PLATFORMERS REVIEWED
Limbo (2011, PC)
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Shiny (2018, PlayStation 4)
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