Master Lemon: The Quest for Iceland on Steam

Master Lemon: The Quest for Iceland on Steam

I'm Julio, a Brazilian filmmaker who became a game developer. I want to share something I've been working on for the past 5 years - not just to promote it, but because I genuinely think this community would appreciate the linguistic philosophy behind it.

The backstory: Lemons was my polyglot friend who spoke 10 languages. He died in a car accident in Iceland while pursuing his dream of living there. This game, Master Lemon, is my way of processing that grief and celebrating what made him special.

What makes it relevant to language learners:

The core mechanic is collecting "untranslatable words" from different languages. Each word becomes a power that helps you solve puzzles. For example:

  • Ratljóst (Icelandic): "Enough light to find your way" - dispels darkness in the game
  • Gambiarra (Portuguese): "Creative problem-solving with available materials" - lets you combine objects
  • Kopfkino (German): "The cinema in your head" - materializes thoughts into reality
  • Vegvísir (Icelandic): "That which shows the way" - reveals hidden paths

The game includes words from Japanese, Arabic, Polish, Vietnamese, and more. Each word is presented with its cultural context and pronunciation.

The game releases November 2025, but there's a demo on Steam now. I'd love to hear thoughts from actual polyglots and language learners about whether this resonates.

Question for the community: What untranslatable words from your target languages would make interesting game mechanics?

submitted by /u/PepitaDigital
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