Games To Play In Spanish

Key Takeaways

• Learning Spanish through video games like
  Yoku’s Island Express
  can provide an immersive and authentic experience.
• Games like
  Scribblenauts Unlimited
  can help English-speaking children learn Spanish vocabulary creatively.
• Switching to Spanish in games like
  Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
  and
  Guacamelee
  creates a more immersive cultural experience.

The saying goes that if someone speaks three languages, they’re trilingual. If two, bilingual. If they know one language, they are American. As the country becomes even more culturally diverse, it is more important than ever to learn new languages to communicate. Given the significant population of the Latinx community in the country, Spanish is one such language that is worth learning.

If someone wants to practice Spanish, then video games are one option available. Most video games include built-in language options. Depending on the setting of the title, Spanish not only changes the character dialogue and navigation menus, but can also bring a more authentic experience to some favorite games.

7 Yoku’s Island Express

Spanish And Pinball?

First, imagine a platformer. Then, make it a Metroidvania. Then add pinball mechanics. The result is Yoku’s Island Express, where a dung beetle becomes the new mail carrier for a tropical island, navigating mazes and challenges with pinball flippers.

The setting of Yoku’s Island Express brings to mind some of the tropical rain forests in Central America, with its bright greens, quirky creatures, and grand waterfall. Seeing characters’ dialogue in Spanish feels right at home in this context. Also, the fact that the language can be swapped on the fly is good for beginner learners.

6 Scribblenauts Unlimited

Thinking Creatively And In Español

Scribblenauts Unlimited is a charmingly simple game on the surface. The hero must solve problems around town by summoning objects, people, and creatures by writing them in his notebook. The number of possible solutions is where the game really shines.

Scribblenauts Unlimited could be a good basic vocabulary tool for English-speaking children. Solving the puzzles is already creative enough, but solving them in Spanish can help the language stick in a child’s brain. Having to not only envision something but also use the right words will help connect the two, increasing retention.

5 Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

An Island Visit Becomes Even More Immersive

When young Alba visits her parents on an island in the Mediterranean, she discovers that a giant hotel will be built on top of a neglected nature reserve. It is up to Alba to document the wildlife on the island and gain enough support from its residents to save the sanctuary.

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure has bits of Spanish popping up in the English language setting, with her grandparents referring to each other as her abuelo and abuela, the Spanish words for grandfather and grandmother, respectively. Alba can also listen to a Spanish radio broadcast early on at a food stand. Setting the language to Spanish feels as if one is truly traveling the world.

4 Sky: Children Of The Light

Connections Across Borders

Sky: Children of the Light is Thatgamecompany’s follow-up to their minimalist masterpiece Journey. It takes the mechanics and art design of its predecessor and fleshes it out into a cozy massively multiplayer online game.

Gamers from many nationalities inhabit the world of Sky, speaking languages such as Chinese, Arabic, and of course, Spanish. While in-game translation is an option, talking to someone else in their native language is a rewarding experience. It creates a great sense of human connection, reminding one that everyone fundamentally is more alike than they may realize.

3 Shadow Of The Tomb Raider

In Mexico For Día De Los Muertos

The final entry of Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider Survivor trilogy sees globe-trotting archaeologist Lara Croft in Mexico, where she takes an ancient dagger from a Mayan temple deep under the earth. This triggers a catastrophic chain of events which will usher in the apocalypse if Lara does not act.

Several language options are available in-game, including having most of the characters surrounding Lara speak Spanish. This is a perfect fit for the setting, including when Lara navigates a crowd at the start of the game that celebrates the Day of the Dead.

2 Resident Evil 4 (2005)

Luis Is Suave In Spanish

The President of the United States tasks Leon S. Kennedy to find his daughter in Resident Evil 4. On his journey, he will discover mind-controlling parasites, a dangerous cult, and a conspiracy against America.

Leon’s search brings him to a remote village in Spain, where he finds the infected locals trying to kill him. Many enemies that he encounters already speak Spanish. While Spanish dubs for other characters are not available, subtitles are an option, which feels especially appropriate for ladies’ man Luis Sera.

1 Guacamelee: Super Turbocharged Championship Edition

A Love Letter To Mexico

Juan Aguacote is a simple agave farmer in Mexico. One day, a supernatural being abducts the President’s daughter. Donning a superpowered luchador mask, he must go on a Metroidvania adventure in order to rescue her.

Guacamelee is a love letter to Mexican culture, including the quiet villages and, as DrinkBox Studios describes on the game’s home page, “traditional Mexican culture and folklore.” Switching the character dialogue from English to Spanish creates a more immersive experience, making one feel as though they are truly among the Mexican people.