Summary
PC gamers are more than familiar with using their keyboard as a controller. It’s similarly common to use it when chatting in multiplayer games, like MMORPGs or party games likeJackbox.Much rarer are games that use the keyboard mechanically in a way that creatively controls gameplay while still feeling like traditional typing.
When a game uses the entire keyboard, especially when it requires the typing of actual words, it forces the player to familiarize themselves with key placements andimprove their typing, even subconsciously. Then, this newfound efficiency can translate outside of gaming and into all aspects of keyboard use.
Inspired by old Japanesefirst-person dungeon crawlers,this pixelated RPG has players climb a massive tower filled with NPCs to save, puzzles to solve, and monsters to kill. The player moves through the isometric tower room by room, until they encounter an event or a creature that wants to eat them.
Then, all the combat is played out by typing out words and phrases as fast as possible with errors counting against the character. This core gameplay loop takes the player through an absurd campaign and hopefully makes them a better typer along the way.
The only game on this list that is technically an educational game,Mario Teaches Typingis a 90s gem and a classic for a reason. Many players credit their early typing skills to the game and, with it now being free to play online, it’s still a great option for younger audiences that want to get better at using a keyboard.
Players choose betweenMario, Luigi, and Peachand then set their goal of words per minute. The player’s chosen character will run a classic Mario level until they encounter an obstacle, which they can only clear if the player correctly and quickly types the corresponding word.
TheCook, Serve, Deliciousseries is made up of chaotic single or multiplayer cooking games where players cook thousands of different meals as fast as possible via minigames. Unlikesimilar games likeOvercooked,instead of fully controlling a character, players do all their cooking from a fixed fist-person camera angle by hitting the correct keyboard combinations.
Even though it doesn’t involve typing words in the traditional sense, the cooking minigames use nearly every key on the keyboard and require fast, accurate typing, forcing players to become more than familiar with where keys are and how most efficiently to hit them.
InDuskers,players control drones tasked with exploring derelict ships stranded inthe farthest reaches of space. The ships are procedurally generated, isolated, and sometimes dangerous. Exploration is handled entirely using the drones' radar systems, and the player often has to open a command line and type out commands to control them.
While it may seem simple or limited in typing at first, players will eventually be opening the command line during high-stress situations requiring them to type commands perfectly in seconds.
This self-proclaimed “type-em-up” is a brutal bullet-hell shooter where the player takes on demons by typing out exorcisms. A true multitasking experience, the player must navigate dodging a flurry of incoming fire that covers nearly the whole screen while simultaneously typing out lengthy phrases to complete their exorcism and kill the demons shooting at them.
Every boss has its own unique typing mechanics and the whole thing is launched at the player via vibrant 2D sprite graphics. As such, the game looks great, and forces players to hone their typing skills quickly if they want to survive.
A gorgeous, full-3D typing adventure. The main character rides a giant red wolf through an origami world, unfolding as they progress on their quest. The player controls movement, solves puzzles, and engages in combat all via their keyboard.
The beautiful paper world ofEpistoryis under attack by evil supernatural insects, and the player can blow them away with powerful attacks by typing out the words that float above their heads.
The spiritual successor toEpistory,the newer entry in theTyping Chroniclesseries improves upon its predecessor in nearly every way. More refined visuals, more gameplay variety, and a longer campaign make this feel like a true sequel and not just a rehash designed to continue the typing gimmick.
This time,there is a new focus on magic, with typing providing a plethora of spells to be used in battle or while solving puzzles. Typing the sequnce prompts or words can open doors, move features around the map, or annilhilate enemies.
3Grey Hack
9/10 on Steam
Most MMORPGS would fit onto this list, due to the amount of social typing typically required to play them to the fullest, butGrey Hackis an MMORPG built around literal computer typing. This hacking game and simulator turns the player into a hacker in a world of dark web agents.
Players will hack their way through infinite procedurally generated websites as they are tasked with typing code, entering search terms, and doing a multitude of other eerily convincing computer tasks. All in the name of internet espionage.
Town of Salem 2is an ultra-popular game of social deduction and mob mentality chaos. Thismultiplayer party gamegives players roles in a small puritanical town where treachery is afoot. By day, players discuss tasks and alibis, then at night, spying and murdering are a guarantee.
Like similar deceit games, the best part of a round is almost always a group discussion where players who are still alive discuss who to trust and who to, well, kick out of town, so to speak. Players will be typing consistently, conversationally, and, if they don’t want to be next on the chopping block, convincingly.
This bizarre spin on the classicHouse of the Deadseries takes levels that were originally part of a light-gun arcade shooter and turns them into a game unlike anything else on the market. Aszombies storm towards the screen, they are assigned words.
Then, as the player types the letters of the words, their gun fires at the zombie. It’s oddly satisfying to blow a zombie away with words, and as swarms grow larger and faster, players will need to utilize some seriously quick typing to keep from being overrun.
