Poems & Codes
Poems & Codes
Game
Game2022
Prose & Codes
Developer Hero Game Co LLC
Explore the wonderful world of books through deceptively simple cryptograms. 10% of every purchase benefits Project Gutenberg, an online library of over 60,000 free ebooks. From the Steam store page
199 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 3, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
99
LovedLoved
188 positive · 1 negative
95% range 97–100%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 188 | 1 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
298 of 300 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
99% recommend · 186 yes, 1 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 187 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (339 of 343 positive).
Players praise Prose & Codes for its relaxing cryptogram puzzles that feature literary quotes. [1][2][3] Many appreciate the game's support for Project Gutenberg, with links to free books. [4][5][6] Some find it addictive and a great way to discover new books to read. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [1]
I found Prose & Codes a great little game to dip in and out of in between more intense games. It is good for when you only have 10 to 15 minutes to spare. Prose & Codes is a game of Literary Ciphers and 10% of every sale goes to the Gutenberg Project - an online library of over 60,000 free ebooks. There are over 400 literary excerpts from classic books as well as lesser known tomes. There are 8 varied topics which …
- [3]
Fantastic game! Cryptograms and classic books are a great combination. Very entertaining and relaxing. It's also great that part of the money goes to Project Gutenberg.
- [6]
I love cracking codes and I love books. This game is about diciphering short passages of more or less famous literature. After you decipher you get to know the book and a synopsis. The clue is you can read all of these books for free on project Gutenberg, so if you find something that fancies your interest you can instantly start to read. Another plus is that this game supports Project Gutenberg. So totally …
- [9]
Quite simple and quite addicting too. But also educational – like what do you mean there is a play that introduced the word "robot" to the English language and because of that play Isaac Asimov came up with the Three Laws of Robotics? What do you mean there is a Chinese novel that is so long and complex that a whole field of knowledge was created to study it?? And what do you mean there is an espionage thriller that …
- [2]
Solve quotes using cryptograms. Prose & Codes is a relaxing word game developed by Hero Game Co. Beautifully presented gathering of 400 quotes, with the graphic appeal of an old world aesthetic with typewriter lettering and cursive writing on aged, brown parchment paper. Quotes are separated into 8 categories with 55 quotes in each category: - Adventure - Great Thinkers - Children - Sci-fi - Drama - Notable - …
Summarised from 34 of the 197 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Prose & Codes sits at 99% positive across 189 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Reactions
60 of 199 · most liked firstBack to the classics In the beginning there was a word .... um, a letter? or maybe nothing at all (it depends on the difficulty setting). Meh, let's start again! I haven't written a review on this site in almost two years (damn!), so in place of a bombastic opening, let's take it easy. After such a long hiatus, and many games put on hold, why this game? When you're unable to completely immerse yourself into the Dreaming (that sweet oblivion strange worlds of games bring), because the Waking…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I found Prose & Codes a great little game to dip in and out of in between more intense games. It is good for when you only have 10 to 15 minutes to spare. Prose & Codes is a game of Literary Ciphers and 10% of every sale goes to the Gutenberg Project - an online library of over 60,000 free ebooks. There are over 400 literary excerpts from classic books as well as lesser known tomes. There are 8 varied topics which have 55 quotes in each. Difficulty ranges from very easy to difficult and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A solid cypher game that supports one of the last important spots on the Internet, Project Gutenberg. If you like a quote that you solve, you can read that book for free via Project Gutenberg. If you notice Project Gutenberg timing out repeatedly, it's because they're being assaulted by ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ generative AI web scrapers that use their collection of classics to train slopbots to speak better when they misinform you and encourage your delusions. Now's a good time to ditch your ChatGPT…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Solve quotes using cryptograms. Prose & Codes is a relaxing word game developed by Hero Game Co. Beautifully presented gathering of 400 quotes, with the graphic appeal of an old world aesthetic with typewriter lettering and cursive writing on aged, brown parchment paper. Quotes are separated into 8 categories with 55 quotes in each category: - Adventure - Great Thinkers - Children - Sci-fi - Drama - Notable - Mystery - Horror It features 4 difficulty settings, from Easy to Progressive,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Originally I didn't think this would be the kind of game I'd like. I mean, I grew up with newspapers that had similar ciphers/cryptograms printed in them, and yet I never would have bothered to give those a second look as I made my way through the paper to the funny pages (or maybe the horoscopes or some other lame part of a newspaper). I still need some kind of a crutch to get through these, but the crutch for me was just finding a webpage that listed all of the common 2 and 3 letter…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Whenever it's quiet at work I have the autistic time of my life playing this
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fantastic game! Cryptograms and classic books are a great combination. Very entertaining and relaxing. It's also great that part of the money goes to Project Gutenberg.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A ton of well-done, well-chosen cipher puzzles from some of the best works of prose in the English language, from a number of genres. That would be enough for a glowing review from me, but Prose & Codes goes the extra mile with its Library feature. After you've solved a puzzle, you can look at some additional context about the book and author, which will then allow you to open up a link to the full text on gutenberg.org. Not that it's necessarily a good thing that I have 20 open chrome tabs,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm just going to sit here and pretend I am breaking some impossible codes and saving the world, all the while what is really happening, is i am getting an literacy lesson and reading some insanely deep and moving quotes from extraordinary literacture and adding more books to my must read pile.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Prose & Codes is a rare kind of puzzle game — one that treats words not just as building blocks for solving a cipher, but as tiny windows into the vast history of literature. At first glance, it resembles a classic cryptogram: letters are scrambled according to a substitution cipher, and your task is simply to decode the hidden sentence. But rather than presenting random quotes or generic text, the game focuses entirely on excerpts pulled from novels, poems, essays, and stories spanning…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fun and sometimes exasperating game. The fact that many of the quotes use vocabulary that is uncommon today is also a great way to add challenge and novelty.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →oh cool demos! ⚔ Relic Abyss 🔥 Aethermancer (early access now) 👩⚖️ Trials of Innocence (full release now) ⌨ Prose & Codes (full release now) 👽 Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator *🔌 BOOTLOOP (game jam game, technically not a demo, and not on Steam) 🔗 and short thoughts in replies :D
neutral · AI labelView post →AVOID | LACKING | MAYBE | WORTHWHILE | COMPELLING | UNMISSABLE Not me casually adding 70+ books to my TBR list on Goodreads after finishing this game... Prose & Codes is a cipher game that many of us played when we were kids, but this time it pulls quotes from popular/classic novels for you to solve. There are three difficulties and I played on normal throughout. The game is very relaxing and enjoyable to play. The music/atmosphere is calming and whoever picked the quotes did an excellent…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing! I love this game and its cause. It merges literature and gaming in such an engaging way. I hadn't really tried this type of cryptogram before, it's fun. Deciphering excerpts from such a great book selection, with a pleasant UI and a lovely soundtrack, feels like a caress to the brain. I'm adding a cup of chamomile tea to that.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a great game to pass the time. You should prepare your reading list, though. Some excerpts are captivating that it makes you want to read the entire book. This game is for you if you're into puzzles, books, and words.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you love cyphers this is a must. You can choose the level of difficulty by letters revealed. There is no annoying timers. It has relaxing ambient music. And each quote is meticulously referenced to the work, the author and the link to read the actual book from the Project Gutenberg library for free.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love cracking codes and I love books. This game is about diciphering short passages of more or less famous literature. After you decipher you get to know the book and a synopsis. The clue is you can read all of these books for free on project Gutenberg, so if you find something that fancies your interest you can instantly start to read. Another plus is that this game supports Project Gutenberg. So totally recommended.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sometimes you just want to have fun breaking some pretty basic codes and getting to read cool literary quotes afterwards. Nice zen puzzle game to get your brain thinking. This game is quite literally exactly what you see in the screenshots on the store page - no more and no less.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I mean this in the best possible way, but this game makes me really sleepy, and has now semi become part of my nighttime routine. The music is so calming and when you put it on dark mode.... oooft. I love the interface and how it links you to the books if you wish to continue reading.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →if you like polygonle (if you haven't tried polygonle, do try it - it's a free online game), then you'll love this game - hours and hours of fun and a good way of learning the language - fair warning, though, it's very addictive!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I went into Prose & Codes expecting a bit more of a traditional puzzle game, but what I got was something quieter and much more focused on cryptograms and literature. And honestly, the idea behind it is lovely. You decode excerpts from classic books, occasionally discover authors or works you didn’t know before, and actually learn something along the way. The connection to Project Gutenberg makes the whole concept even nicer. 10% of every sale is donated to Project Gutenberg, which offers more…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really a wonderful little game for coffee breaks. The interface is really well designed, helping to make the legwork of codebreaking much easier to comprehend, and the way it connects with Project Gutenberg has inspired me to download a few classics for future reading. Highly recommended. 4/5
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Quite simple and quite addicting too. But also educational – like what do you mean there is a play that introduced the word "robot" to the English language and because of that play Isaac Asimov came up with the Three Laws of Robotics? What do you mean there is a Chinese novel that is so long and complex that a whole field of knowledge was created to study it?? And what do you mean there is an espionage thriller that was a major reason for England's naval improvements in the years before World…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Solving the ciphers was a bit hard at first, until I started figuring out what patterns to look for to find starting points. Recognizing an excerpt from a book you know as you decode feels good, and I finished the game with a pretty substantial list of books I want to check out, too.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I could see English and literature teachers enjoying this game. Also, if you're hesitant about reading any of the classics because you don't know where to start, I recommend this game. The quotes used in the game piqued my interest because they provide a glimpse into the authors' writing styles and tones. I'm glad the developers included links to the Gutenberg Project where I can find the whole works.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A sizable collection of cryptograms (400+ at time of writing) with a good interface. The standout feature is that each puzzle has a link to the Project Gutenberg page where you can download the original work it came from.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Simple and relaxing word-deciphering game that introduces you to new quotes and books with each level you solve. It’s a great way to discover literature and continue reading beyond the game itself. Part of the game’s income goes toward supporting Project Gutenberg. Highly recommended.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Prose & Codes is slickly designed and just fun. There are a lot of little quality of life touches that keep the solving experience as smooth, intuitive, and relaxing as possible. If I could buy more quote puzzles for it as DLC or etc, I already would have. (Unfortunately, the sequel Poems & Codes isn’t nearly as solid an experience.) If you have any interest in cryptogram-style puzzles, I can’t recommend this game highly enough.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The first cryptogram threw me for a loop for a couple minutes and I felt really stupid, then something clicked and I couldn't close it until I had completed the first genre. I couldn't recommend it enough.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A lovely, chill and relaxing substitution cipher puzzle game, good for playing before going to bed. Three difficulty levels too, so you can pick your preferred one. The only disadvantage is how it reminds me of all the books I haven't read yet. However, I believe that this is actually its intended purpose.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolutely fantastic. Nothing has made me want to read more books as much as this has. Fantastically chosen excerpts, wonderful music and sounds, and a delight to look at.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was such a great game. Perfect for winding down after a long day, or looking for something to pass the time. It made me want to read again, and learn more about the classics.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was played in its entirety on a MacBook Air M1 7c gpu 8gb ram. No glitches or errors were encountered during my play through. All achievements unlocked correctly. This is a really fun cipher game. It does what you expect, and it plays as you'd expect. I would have liked to see some better difficulty scaling, as I played the entire game on "Hard" mode and used all three hints at the start of every puzzle just to get me started. Other difficulty options felt too easy in comparison.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Started playing Prose & Codes and I'm instantly OBSESSED. It's a decent cryptogram game with great styling and vibes. But the cool/nerd thing is, each cryptogram is a famous line from public domain literature, and after you solve it, it directs you to the full gutenberg.org version of that book.
positive · AI labelView post →A literary puzzle game. Delightful!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There are pros and cons to using well known literature for their puzzles. If you are an experienced cryptogram enthusiast (because the passages are written to be read rather than solved, it's easy to find often-used words and patterns) or avid reader (because you recognize them) you may find yourself breezing through most of them. However, the choice of material makes for more interesting reading. An enjoyable experience but not much of a challenge.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fantastic, chill puzzling game with a lot of content, all in service of a good cause. Be sure to check out the companion game as well!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have to admit. I first found this game from a Twitch streamer a couple years ago named BoardGamingMama - if my memory serves me right. I fell in love with the game and even kept in contact with Hero Game Co. They are the sweetest people and want nothing more but to encourage others to read more. Hence why pretty much every story in Prose & Codes has a link to its own book on Project Gutenberg's digital library. Most of their sales go to Project Gutenberg too! Sorry, lol. PR side of me took…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Even having been aware of Project Gutenberg for years, this game has helped me find more classics I've never read that pique my interest from their synopsis and quotes, as well as those I've read before that i should read again, making it easy to find things to read during my down times at work or travelling. The concept is simple, but perfectly executed, and presented wonderfully, with good sound effects, music and visuals, making it very easy to just bury yourself into the puzzle like a book…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a very relaxing and enjoyable codebreaking game. It's always a substitution code, so it's easy to get the hang of the methodology. Controls are simple and effective. Difficult level is just difficult enough to be a good distraction, but there are hints and difficulty levels if you want more relaxation. Great little game! I also ended up downloading a LOT of books for my e-reader, and I'm looking forward to discovering the various classics.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Prose & Codes (one in a series!) is a cryptogram game where each puzzle is a quote from a famous public domain work available on gutenberg.org so it's great for both puzzle and literature sickos. store.steampowered.com/app/1718910/...
neutral · AI labelView post →btw i read "meditations" directly because of the wonderful game "Prose & Codes" by @herogameco.bsky.social -- wholeheartedly recommend this game, tore through it, felt moved and human, etc. etc. and all the books mentioned in it are available on @gutenberg.org
positive · AI labelView post →If you enjoy cyphers, or books, this game is for you. Great game play with varying degrees of difficulty for all kinds of puzzle solvers. Even a few that had me stumped for a while, as a cypher nerd. I did try out progressive mode, which was a nice lead in for people who are new to cypher solving, but I played nearly everything on Hard Mode and found it a quite enjoyable mix of quick solves and real thinky stumpers.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got myself a little treat and bought Prose & Codes, a game where you have to decipher various literature quotes of different genres There are several difficulty levels that you can choose from, including the option to have it ramp up as you go - but the game stays surprisingly relaxing :D
positive · AI labelView post →A very relaxing deciphering game which gives you a glimpse into great works of the past. I enjoyed it quite a lot and found a good amount of new stories to read.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Found the ultimate autism game: Prose & Codes You have to decode a quote from a book that has been encoded by swapping letters There's a free demo on Steam and 10% of every purchase goes to Project Gutenberg, an online library with over 60 000 free ebooks store.steampowered.com/app/1718910/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Interesting concept of game. Love to solve riddles and ciphers. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is a good game if you like decoding substitution ciphers there doesn't seem to be any leveling or escalation of difficulty, which can make it feel repetitive during longer sessions, so it's best for some casual deciphering now and then rather than a long sit-down playthrough
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →“Prose & Codes” is an interesting ciphers puzzle game, where your goal is to solve (not so) simple substitution ciphers to decrypt excerpts from famous literary works. Gameplay is very user-friendly, when you navigate to an empty field it will always highlight all fields that contain the same character, typing and replacing is really easy and there is an alphabet overview showing characters that haven’t been used yet, which makes solving the puzzles feel almost like a breeze (you will need to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As someone who loves literature and word puzzles, I absolutly adore this game! Even as a non-native and slightly dislectic english speaker, the levels are not too hard on medium difficulty, and provide a fun way to train my spelling. The 8 different categories – from adventure over drama to mystery and horror- all have 57 ciphers to solve, so you get a lot of enjoyable play time for your money. I especially enjoy the option of directly checking out the works the cyphers come from via project…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I adore this game. Super addictive and I have absolutely pulled some selections from Gutenberg. Currently reading Whose Body?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I mean, there isn't much to say. It's standard cryptograms. But, linking to and supporting Gutenburg is always a win. If you like cryptograms, books, and supporting both, get the game. It's worth it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a fun no stress game and I love that it supports project guttenburg. While your going though the different book quotes you can favourite them and the game will actually connect you to where on their website you can download the book for free.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a game that is well suited for those who enjoy a good puzzle and learning about different types of literature. At first, trying to decipher the quotes felt a little hard. But over time, they became easier to complete, even when the difficulty went up. I feel like I'll definitely come back to this game to find a new book to read every-time. Def recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've always been a fan of ciphers, and this game is super fun! I found some classic titles that I'm interested in from this game, so that's even better!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An interesting premise, a lot of content, accessibility options, a steal for the price.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's time for the first Indie Game Collective showcase of 2024! Today we're diving into puzzles with: Prose & Codes Baker Street Breakout Watch here: twitch.tv/selcouthmind
neutral · AI labelView post →The music is calming. It's a fun and peaceful puzzle.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great word puzzle game. If you like books, quotations, literature... this is the game for you! I liked it so much, Ive already bought the next game, Poems & Codes. Keep'em coming!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really liked this game. I found the interface to be intuitive, it was satisfying to solve each puzzle, and I felt I learned about interesting books I didn't previously know (as well as recognising pieces of works that I know and love). I liked that there was no penalty for using hints as well, as they were very helpful. I hope there'll be more like this from the developers!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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