Knowing an unusual word could be the difference between victory and defeat in Towers of Babble. Frank Lantz, the creator of the paperclip factory simulator Universal Paperclips, has returned with another unconventional gaming concept. His latest project combines vocabulary, resource management and tower defense.
However, its most ambitious feature goes beyond protecting buildings from enemies. An enormous collection of 121,683 levels connects individual achievements with a challenge shared by the entire community.
Towers of Babble turns vocabulary into a strategic resource
Developed and published by Everybody House Games, Towers of Babble replaces conventional building selection with a spelling mechanic. Every noun becomes a structure that players can position on the map. Some buildings gather resources, while others provide protection against successive waves of enemies.
Interestingly, the meaning behind each word influences the properties of its corresponding building. According to the official Steam store page, several familiar words demonstrate how this system works:
- AXE: Creates a harvester responsible for collecting wood.
- FORT: Produces a defensive tower with additional health and armor.
- DOCTOR: Generates a relatively weak tower capable of healing surrounding buildings through an aura.
Additionally, adjectives and verbs produce modifiers that can be attached to existing structures. These modifications improve statistics or introduce additional abilities.
Consequently, having an extensive vocabulary is only part of the challenge. Understanding how different buildings complement one another becomes equally important when organizing defenses.
Every new word brings another challenge to overcome
Spelling nouns serves a second purpose beyond constructing buildings. Each noun corresponds to an individual level featuring procedurally generated elements. The longer the word, the harder the level.
Completing a level adds its associated word to a personal collection. Furthermore, players can incorporate its building into their starting inventory for subsequent challenges.
This progression system gives vocabulary discovery a practical purpose. Instead of collecting words purely for completion, players can gradually expand their strategic options. A successful attempt today could provide a useful advantage in future battles.
Competition also plays an important role. The first person to complete a level earns permanent recognition through an inscription bearing their name. Meanwhile, holding its high score provides a statistical bonus to the corresponding building.
Towers of Babble gives its community an enormous shared mission
Despite encouraging competition, the game also presents a collective objective. Players must work together to complete every available level across eight difficulty tiers.
Participants become Librarians within the mysterious Library of Babble. Their mission involves recovering words that an angry god scattered into the void. By restoring this lost vocabulary, the Librarians intend to reconstruct a linguistic structure capable of reaching heaven.
Among the main features of this unusual strategy game are:
- 121,683 levels: Individual challenges associated with different nouns.
- Eight difficulty tiers: Increasingly demanding encounters featuring tougher enemies and puzzles.
- Procedural generation: Individually generated level features.
- Building customization: Modifiers created by spelling adjectives and verbs.
- Persistent progression: Collected words expand the selection of buildings available for future challenges.
- Competitive rewards: Permanent recognition for first completions and building bonuses for high-score holders.
- Community-wide cooperation: A collective effort to complete the entire collection of levels.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect is how personal ambitions complement the larger mission. Even players chasing records contribute towards an objective that extends beyond their individual collections.
Frank Lantz returns to Steam with an exceptionally positive reception
Everybody House Games released the title on November 10, 2026, following a minor delay. Its original launch was scheduled for November 9.
According to the studio, an unusually high volume of game submissions overwhelmed Steam’s build review queue. Consequently, the developers had been waiting for almost a month.
Nevertheless, the initial reception has been encouraging. As of November 15, 99% of its 147 Steam user reviews were positive, earning a Very Positive rating.
Other unconventional indie releases have enjoyed successful debuts recently. Examples include the classroom mischief of Worst Class Ever and the cyberpunk shopkeeping simulator Probably Stolen. However, positive reviews alone do not establish comparable commercial performance.
Towers of Babble is available for Windows, Mac and Linux, with English as its only supported language. Its standard price is $8.99, although a 20% introductory discount reduces it to $7.19 until November 24.
Additionally, a free demo remains available following its participation in October’s Steam Next Fest.
Ultimately, Towers of Babble offers an unusual reason to expand a player’s vocabulary. Discovering an unfamiliar noun might unlock a valuable building while bringing an entire community closer to its ultimate goal.
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