Poems & Codes

About this game

In support of Project Gutenberg, a volunteer effort to digitize, archive, and distribute works of literature

• Decode a vast and varied collection of curated poetry, where each poem is encrypted using one of the world's oldest codes: the substitution cipher
  
• Decrypt over 400 excerpts as you explore classic poetic themes ranging from the bliss of love to the depths of despair
  
• Like what you decoded? Read the entire poem in-game or download each poet's anthology online for free, direct links included!
  
• Share the joy of poetry--10% of every sale is donated to Project Gutenberg, an online library of over 60,000 free ebooks
  
• Play at your own pace with four difficulty settings to choose from
  
• Relax with a soothing, contemplative soundtrack
  
• Choose between night or sunlight mode with optional enlarged cipher text

"Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary." - Khalil Gibran

Content note: This game features classic works of poetry and brief biographies of poets. Certain biographies and poems contain non-graphic references to violence, drugs, sex, and suicide.

Latest news

• Announcements·5 Dec 2025Official

  The Case of the Worst Day Ever NOW AVAILABLE + Clever Cases Bundle!

  Hello everyone! The Case of the Worst Day Ever is NOW AVAILABLE!KEY FEATURES:10 Lighthearted Cases - enjoy humorous, slice-of-life mysteries without murder or dark themesIncreasing Difficulty - from easy-peasy to truly brain-teasing, get ready to hone your detective skillsHint System - feeling stuck? use the in-game hint system to get back on trackFill-in-the-Blank Conclusions - use the words collected throughout each case to form your own conclusionsIn-Game Notepad - keep track of important clues with the in-game notepadWe're also super excited about the Clever Cases Bundle, featuring The Case of the Worst Day Ever and A Case of Fraud at 10% OFF!A Case of Fraud is a short non-linear detective adventure where every clue is hidden in plain sight. Carefully read and cross-reference documents to unravel a CEO’s disappearance and expose a case of fraud.Happy Solving!
  Read full article on Community Announcements (pupperoni)

• Announcements·19 Nov 2025Official

  The Case of the Worst Day Ever releases December 5!

  Hello everyone! We're so excited to announce that our next game The Case of the Worst Day Ever will be releasing on December 5, 2025!KEY FEATURES:10 Lighthearted Cases - enjoy humorous, slice-of-life mysteries without murder or dark themesIncreasing Difficulty - from easy-peasy to truly brain-teasing, get ready to hone your detective skillsHint System - feeling stuck? use the in-game hint system to get back on trackFill-in-the-Blank Conclusions - use the words collected throughout each case to form your own conclusionsIn-Game Notepad - keep track of important clues with the in-game notepadIf you haven't already, give the demo try and add to your Wishlist!
  Read full article on Community Announcements (pupperoni)

• Patch Notes·9 Sept 2025Official

  2025-09-09 Patch Notes (v1.9 for Windows and Mac)

  We've updated the Mac and Windows versions of the game to v1.9: * Updated the cipher screen alpha determination to hopefully fix a bug where the cipher would turn invisible (while the background and 'Reset' button were still visible). Please let us know if you still experience this! * The game will crash (blue screen) if there are corrupted/missing/empty images in the images/ directory. But at least now it should report which filename it was trying to load whilst doing so. Thank you so much to the community for all your wonderful feedback! We hope you continue to enjoy Poems & Codes. (Also stay tuned for the upcoming release of our new game, The Case of the Worst Day Ever!) https://store.steampowered.com/app/3279410/The_Case_of_the_Worst_Day_Ever/ To report a bug please click "Report a Bug" on our contact page: https://www.herogameco.com/contact OR post in the Steam Discussion forums OR send us an email at herogameco@tutanota.com
  Read full article on Community Announcements (captainmaelstrom)

• Patch Notes·6 Jan 2025Official

  2025-01-06 v1.7 Update notes (cont.)

  Hello code-breakers! Also as part of patch v1.7, we've updated the game engine from LOVE2D 11.4 to 11.5. Hopefully this will resolve some of the long-standing driver/OS level issues some of our players have experienced due to bugs in LOVE2D 11.4.
  Read full article on Community Announcements (captainmaelstrom)

• Patch Notes·6 Jan 2025Official

  2025-01-06 Hotfix

  Rolling back previous patch to add fixes.
  Read full article on Community Announcements (captainmaelstrom)