Stenomancer is a top-down exploration game with text adventure and fast-twitch elements, intended to teach and drill the steno keyboard layout using a qwerty keyboard and standardized qwerty-to-steno keymappings.
The player begins with a ghosted-out steno keyboard layout in their Keyboard Artifact box, with only the S, W, and E keys filled in. The ultimate goal is to fill in the entire steno keyboard by collecting Keyboard Artifact keys.
As they play, they encounter various characters, battle their minions to drill muscle memory, unlock new keys on the keyboard, and open up new areas of the map.
There are three main views:
Map view
Dialogue view
Battle view
Map view:
Characters navigate around the map using S, W, E, and N, which are mapped to arrow keys. Characters can't use N until they have collected the T, P, and H keys. Stenomancer's graphics are very simple, so flavor text on each screen helps to add richness and depth to the player's experience of the world.
Dialogue view:
When the player encounters a character, the game switches into dialogue view. The player advances through the dialogue by completing sentences that are each missing a particular word. This word will be won in battle with the character's minions.
Battle view:
Battle view will require the player to type quickly and accurately enough to defeat the character's minions, represented by keys, chords, or words that advance steadily towards the player's sprite. When the player has defeated the minions, they will receive a new Keyboard Artifact key that will allow them to complete the dialogue. Successfully completing a dialogue will cause the character to move aside, opening up new areas of the map.
When the player has collected all of the Keyboard Artifact keys and has filled in the entire steno keyboard, they win the game!