Black Book

Black Book is a rather fittingly dark indie game heavily influenced by classic text based RPGs proudly based on Slavic folklore. In a world full of demons and spirits, learn about Slavic mythology as you journey across the land to gain access to the titular Black Book by uncovering all 7 of its seals in this unique card based RPG.

Developer: Morteshka

Publisher: HypeTrain Digital

Reviewed on: Switch

Review code provided

"Outwit the devilish forces and open all the seals on the Black Book. The game is set in late XIXth century Perm District, north of Cherdyn. This is an RPG with deckbuilding elements featuring a narrative inspired by folklore demon stories."

Take on the role of a young witch in training as you accept various quests and solve the many issues of the locals as you build your deck and gain experience to invest in the limited skill tree. Once you set out on a quest it’ll play out very similar to a classic text based adventure or D&D campaign, you’ll be presented with different options on how you want to progress or approach the situation. The card based battle system itself is actually incredibly user friendly and welcoming, it might initially feel daunting if you’re new to the genre especially since the game doesn’t excel at explaining the in-depth mechanics of the battle system to the player. However, just understanding the basics of the combat system will be enough to carry you through each battle as you continuously learn more enabling you to utilise more advanced tactics.

What is at the core? Well the gameplay is heavily inspired by classic text based RPGs and that becomes evident within your first hour of the game, you’ll be presented with varying options via dialog and exploration choices. You’ll have to be sure to make the right choices as there’s a sin counter that can drastically alter the outcome of the game, so be sure to consider the morality of your decisions before mindlessly selecting an option.

How about I paint you a picture? The art style is gorgeous and helps set the morbid and sinister mood perfectly with heavy use of shadows and a dark colour palette, accompanied by a gorgeous soundtrack that leaves the player with a constant feeling of mystique and intrigue as they occasionally explore an area from a 3rd person perspective from a fixed camera angle in a fairly linear but effective fashion. What really holds the game back from being perfectly stunning are the character models, they’re very bland and basic polygon models in comparison to the fairly detailed polygon style areas and set pieces. What about the voice acting you ask? Well the fully voiced cast is a delight, each resembling the Slavic culture helping to reinforce the setting making for a more immersive experience overall.

Conclusion

Black Book is a wonderful and lovingly crafted card/deck building RPG based on Slavic folklore, fans of text based games are in for a real treat with this fully voiced indie title. However, if heavily narrative driven gameplay isn’t your style you might just be a Chort.

Indie game rating: 2 / 3

Good game, worth your time and money

Pros

Fully Voiced

Engaging Story

Unique Slavic folklore

Brilliant performance

Cons

Static camera can be irritating

Battle system isn’t well explained

Author: Gabriel Sewell