Ḫattušumna Laḫḫa

In other words...

This is a game (actually a series of three short games) presented entirely in the ancient Hittite language. It’s meant for absolute beginners—no knowledge of Hittite is needed!

Start with Tablet 1, which will introduce the basic grammar and vocabulary. After that, you can play either Tablet 2 (which covers logograms and more noun cases, with classic text adventure puzzles) or Tablet 3 (which covers quotations and subordinate clauses, with logical deduction puzzles).

Have fun! When you're done, check out the postscript.

Tip!

If you’re new to Hittite, the default settings are a good starting point—no need to make it harder! But the options menu in the top right (≡) offers some adjustments for advanced learners:

Turn off “double-click to insert” to force yourself to type Hittite commands (harder, but helps you actually learn the language).
Switch the output to actual cuneiform to practice reading the signs yourself. (You should still type your input in bound transcription, though—typing cuneiform is currently not an easy feat.)

Content warnings: Brief (and non-English) depictions of death and arson, with a typically Bronze Age disregard for human life. While the protagonist is never required to murder someone directly, their actions do result in death and destruction.

Introduction

Ḫattušumna Laḫḫa (“Hittite Adventure”) is the provisional name given to a series of recently-discovered tablets in New Hittite script. The text describes an unidentified hero’s attempt to infiltrate an enemy city and recover a stolen god; while the historical context is unknown, the focus on rival kings kidnapping each others’ gods suggests a pre-Empire origin.

Three tablets have been uncovered so far:

In tablet 1, the hero slips past the city walls under cover of night.

In tablet 2, the hero crafts a disguise, posing as a temple baker bringing fresh loaves of bread. It ends when he finally enters the temple proper.

(A significant amount of text is missing between tablets 2 and 3; from context, it seems a royal retinue arrived before the hero could make his escape.)

In tablet 3, the hero uncovers a conspiracy to murder the enemy king, and uses that conspiracy to create a distraction, seize his god, and flee.

In other words...

ḪATTUŠUMNA LAḪḪA

Introduction