The Book of Unwritten Tales PC
User Score
8.2 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 65 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 65
  3. Negative: 7 out of 65

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  1. JackGraal
    Jun 13, 2013
    9
    Over the last decade the whole genre of adventure games didn’t have it easy, and the best titles were produced by independent developers. The Book of Unwritten Tales is also a work of an independent game studio, although when I look at this production I feel like it was made by of a well-known, experienced team supported by one of the publishing giants.

    The beginning, nay, the entire st    story is a conglomeration of many well-known themes from games, movies and famous fantasy universes. References attack player from each side, but not too aggressive, so there is no feeling that it was somehow forced. The game is very climatic and has not too pushy humor. Already in the first dialogues one of the characters says that artifacts, the struggle between good and evil, and similar things are cliché. This gives you the clear understanding that the KING Art studio was aware of the banality of many references and despite this they managed to turn it into a huge advantage of this production. I wonder how would the game do for someone who is not familiar with universes of for example Lord of the rings or World of Warcraft. Would that person have same amount of fun with that production?

    The story focuses on four playable characters a gnome (Wilbur), an elf (Ivadora) and a human (Nathaniel) who is accompanied by hysterical creature known as Critter. All of them (except Critter) use the English language in the most British form possible. For some time, it is even an enjoyable experience, but after a few hours, I have had enough.

    The game was created on proprietary engine designed specialy for it. It allowed developers to generate very detailed and pleasant to the eye 3D graphics mixed with 2D elelements and backgrounds. The game uses a very different camera shots from the standard view known from some classic adventure games, through isometric, until 2D camera just like in most of platform games that show a cross-section of the building. It allows to construct a more distinct and various puzzles that may not be too demanding, but very pleasant and thoughtful. In addition, by pressing the space bar on the keyboard all interactive elements are highlighted. Every now and then there are also some Quick Time Events (minigames consisting of pressing the keys in the right order and intervals). Overall, the game does not have any major defects apart from a few technical bugs or unforseen situations. For example, you have to backtrack a few charts to activate some element.

    The Book of Unwritten Tales is a great game and keeps you in front of computer for more than 15 hours of extremely rich fun. I also can’t complain about the level of AV, or on the quality of the story. This is the perfect choice for people who like easter eggs and references. The Book of Unwritten Tales should also appeal to players who have not had the opportunity to play a decent adventure game of course under the condition that they manage to slow down a bit and sit calmly without waiting for explosions, the omnipresent death and quick action. As I mentioned earlier, I am very curious as to how this production would have been received by a layman in the subject of popular culture. I do not believe, however, that someone like this lives, so I can do nothing else but recommend this production to all who can appreciate a well thought-out and gripping story.    … Expand
  2. NightHaunter
    Jan 22, 2013
    10
    I created my account on Metacritic just to review this game. Like the reviewer below be, this game has received way too little attention so if I could help the game and its creators a little way by posting a review, I'll gladly do so. Unwritten Tales is an absolutely adorable game. The game has some of the best humour I've seen for years. If you like intertextuality, you will love it even more. The voice acting is some of the best I've experienced! I cannot recommend this enough if you've liked casual games and/or old-school point and click, e.g. Monkey Island, Simon the Sorcerer etc. If possible, play this game with a friend - it just adds another great dimension. CLUB TO DEATH!… Expand
  3. EisSplejs
    Jan 9, 2013
    7
    The graphics were really good. It is the first adventure game using 3D graphics i enjoyed playing, I liked the fact that they have kept the 2D gameplay style. Not like monkey island 4, that was just awful! (Hope someone makes a special edition of MI4 with 2D graphics!)

    The multiple character gameplay is really great. Although it is a little annoying that the swap (switching between th    e characters) isn't instant because the characters have to walk back to their starting positions (unlike "day of the tentacle" where the swap is instant)

    The storyline is good and there is a lot of (semi)funny references to the fantasy genre. The dialogues are wellmade and witty.

    There is a lot of different beautiful locations. But there is not much room for exploring (unlike the kyrandia-games) there's only the screens you need. If you do not have a purpose wtih scene you simply can't go there. Which makes the game a little easier.

    That brings me to the next topic the difficulty. This game is a too easy. The puzzles are very obvious and simple, do not expect to get challenged by this game.
    'the only time I had difficulties was when I had the temple-bug.

    Summary: A beautiful and funny game, but unfortunately it is way too easy,    … Expand
  4. giappone
    Dec 28, 2012
    10
    To tell the truth I always loved playing computer games, from my earliest age on. One of my favorite genre was always adventure. I've played almost every big title and many little. But I can't remember to laugh out loudly many time in my gamer career (not even with Monkey Island or Grim Fandango, although I loved them both). With this game it happened a few time. I'd give only for this a 10 to this game. The story is saving the world-stuff, the usual to be expected, but the developers put their heart and tons of jokes in it. And jokes you can actually laugh at... The puzzles are great, I rarely enjoy them this much. They were logical, not nonsense riddles. The game starts a bit slow and to tell the truth it isn't an eye-candy. The models are rigidly animated, at first they seem lifeless. (The usual problems can be found here: if you make one of the characters do anything, they go all over the place before starting to do what you want, even if the object was right beside them in the first place...) But after a short while you get to like them, they become flesh and blood. And they are funny...
    There are many quotes from games, irony and sarcasm well spent (like the gamers in Seefels, or the quick-time event dance). BTW, I played in german and the voice acting is superb. It's the thing that makes the characters come to life.
    The game is relatively long (longer than many other adventure games), and not because you have to try EVERY combination of objects before you get the most insane solution. And now you can have it for 20 Euros. It's a gift :) (and I'm not one of the makers... :) )
    This is the only game from the developers beside the Critter Chronicles, of which I haven't heard too many positive opinions. I will try it, even if I don't like it my money is well spent I think - I not often enjoy a game as much as this. Hopefully the developers with one of the stupidest company name in gaming history (King Art - if this is a joke also, I didn't get it...), will be making many games on the level of TBOUT. I'll be following them.    … Expand
  5. OneVoice
    Nov 20, 2012
    10
    This is one of the best point and click adventure games I have ever played, maybe the best. I have attempted to enjoy many games in this general 'genre' of game, and the vast majority bore me and fade out of my playlist after a short time (with some very significantly notable exceptions here and there- the Longest Journey is one of my all time favorites), but this game made me remember that adventure games can be incredible if done right. The comedy is truly hilarious. The puzzles are logical (usually). The storyline is superb. The atmosphere/environment is immersive. The gameplay is pretty slow paced (as are most adventure games), so if your in a mood to shoot up some fools or whatever, this probably won't be the best choice of the moment. But if your in the mood to sink into a game with depth and intelligence, you'll enjoy this one a lot.… Expand
  6. BinarySplit
    Oct 23, 2012
    10
    The best point-and-click made in recent years.

    BoUT is filed with clichés, references to classic adventure games, and plenty of original humor. The dialog and story are well written and voice acted. The puzzles are a little on the easy side, but I liked being able to pass the game without a walkthrough. It took me 10-15 hours to pass the game, so it certainly felt like I was gett    ing my money's worth.

    I'm generally a very harsh critic of adventure games as I'm impatient and dislike tedium, but playing this game never once felt like a chore. The autosave system, the pacing, the fast travel, the ability to turn on subtitles and quickly skip through dialog - everything was doing perfectly. The Book of Unwritten Tales is a masterpiece. You owe it to yourself to play it.    … Expand
  7. ExprS
    Oct 5, 2012
    10
    If you like adventure game, if a outstanding story well writen if clever dialogues and lots of fun, this is THE game! One of the best point-and-click games to ever being release and a memorable experience that will sticks with you long time after finished it. A must play!
  8. OwJ
    Sep 20, 2012
    9
    After taking a look at the wonderful and beautiful trailers and screenshots of this game, I felt that this game is definitely a must play! The game's design and graphic are just marvelous and every second of the game caught my attention such that I can only focus on the game! Even after completing the game, I never regretted playing it even once and still felt happy that I was able to experience such a wonderful storyline from the game: The Book of Unwritten Tales. I urged all those gamers who love adventure and puzzle to try out this game as it's one of my favorites!… Expand
  9. GameDragon
    Aug 22, 2012
    9
    I've played a variety of puzzle games, but no game has been as engaging and interesting as this one. The characters are funny and interesting, there's actually a plot, and it makes me laugh left and right. The game is constantly breaking the fourth wall (referring to itself as a game), there are hilarious references to the world of RPGs and MMOs, and the puzzles are actually logical. It's witty, clever...okay, it's just pure genius. There are a couple parts that annoyed me (where I KNEW what I had to do, but due to timing or whatever, wasn't able to do it for a few clicks; also the last zone where I couldn't easily get to the shaman's hut via the map like the other areas), but for the most part, it's an extremely enjoyable ride that I'd recommend to anyone that likes puzzle games. I'm not a huge fan of point and click adventures, but this game is up there with my favorites.… Expand
  10. tuffyu
    Aug 13, 2012
    10
    Fantastic game! It kept me in front of the computer every evening and during the day I was wondering how to solve the puzzles. I laughed a lot. Thee is a lot of very nice humour inside. I definitely recommend this game to everyone!
  11. Clyssandre
    Aug 13, 2012
    10
    Best point&click I played in 2011. Extremely funny, with lots of reference to fantasy culture, including video games, movies and novels. Charming graphics, excellent voice acting, good puzzles, very original and refreshing. A must-play :)
  12. Ratpick
    Aug 13, 2012
    4
    As a long-time fan of point-and-click adventure games and fantasy role-playing games, I was eager to try out a game that mixed two of my favourite genres. However, I was sorely dissapointed. The game isn't exactly terrible, but it's just hopelessly mediocre. On the technical side, the game is simply gorgeous, but while the graphics of the game are good, a number of silly glitches and inconsistencies break any sense of immersion in the game (such as at the very beginning of the game where you see a gremlin writing in a book, the entire page visibly filled with text and the gremlin simply moving his quill left and right). However, on the whole the game's audiovisual style is very charming, even though some of the voice-acting is mediocre at best and the game's female lead takes the cake for being the most improperly dressed fantasy heroine for a long time. Furthermore, in addition to the sad portrayal of the game's female lead, the game features at least one bit character whose entire purpose in the game seems to be to serve as a platform for laughing at dainty men. While I wouldn't go as far as saying that the game's writers are homophobic, the said character seems to serve no other purpose than to be a target for jokes poking fun at his lack of traditional heterosexuality. Furthermore, the game suffers from very lackluster writing. One might be willing to forgive the game for its cliched plot, seeing as it's supposed to be a parody of fantasy cliches, but at the same time the game seems so earnest with its plot that it's hard to tell what is exactly being parodied. Most of the characters are flat and lacking in any real characterization, and for anyone whose read any Terry Pratchett the characters will seem like cheap imitations of his wonderful dramatis personae. This is further compounded by the fact that the game's cast is extremely small, a fact that the game takes great delight in pointing out. Furthermore, the game's world seems very empty and small, and I feel that the fantasy genre would've lent itself more easily to a more open-ended format in the style of Monkey Island 2 and Sam & Max Hit the Road. Now the game progresses very linearly, without so much as a hint of exploration.

    It is also clear as day from the game's script that it is a translation of an originally German script: while there aren't any mistranslations per se, a lot of the dialogue doesn't sit well with the characters and doesn't seem very idiomatic. In addition to this, the subtitles are littered with the occasional misspelling and sometimes the transcriptions of spoken text to subtitle are completely off.

    Related to the above point about the game being a very shallow parody, while the game obviously tries to be funny, for me it didn't lend itself to more than a few chuckles. Most of the jokes and gags seem to have been recycled from somewhere else and I noticed a few obvious nods towards gags from Lucasarts' classic adventure games, where the same jokes were better executed in spite of the technical limitations of the time.

    With all that said, I guess I could recommend this game to you if you really enjoy point-and-click adventure games, but at the same time I feel that even with the lack of all that many new releases you could do a lot better. I do hope that the game's creators do keep at it, because the game does demonstrate great potential. Were the developers capable of making as beautiful a game as this with less of a linear story and more room for exploration, as well as a larger cast of characters and better writing, it would be a pleasure to play. As it stands, The Book of Unwritten Tales is nothing more than an ultimately disappointing little romp in the world of shallowly parodied and tired fantasy cliches that doesn't seem to be able to decide whether it wants to be taken seriously or not.    … Expand
  13. pedrocassius
    Aug 13, 2012
    10
    I've been playing adventure games since the days of Sierra in the 80's. The Book of Unwritten Tales in the best adventure game i've played in years. It bring the fun of the old school 'quest' games in line with the amazing graphics and sound of today. The characters were funny and alive, the puzzles were fun and challenging, and the story was enthralling. I can't wait for more. If you haven't played this game yet, get out there and buy it.… Expand
  14. bluestar25
    Aug 3, 2012
    10
    The best word to describe this game is "charming", from its art style to the characters (esp. Wilbur the entirely loveable gnome) you will love the feel of the game. Its a rare game that is funny and clever from start to finish, and this game does a really good job. Great job on a game in what has become a genre full of copy cats and same old, same old titles. Here's hoping for another in the series, Wuuuuuzaaaaa!… Expand
  15. mdragonx
    Aug 1, 2012
    4
    I was pretty disappointed with the speed of the game, sure the graphics are pretty and it follows the same pattern of it's point and click adventure predecessors, but the slow movement speed/walking ruined it for me, especially since it involved a lot of back and forth backtracking like it's inspiration.
  16. R3T41L
    Mar 17, 2012
    9
    It's really typical pnc adventure with really good humor and some funny references on famous games. Puzzles are good balanced and basicly all are made with some pure logic so i didnt stuck in open area clicking on everything and combining all items in inventory (well, maybie once or twice xD ) . Characters are really adoreable and funny. Only reason am giving 9 is fact that animations are in lower quality than ingame graphic. Great pnc adventure overall… Expand
  17. kraenk
    Feb 15, 2012
    10
    As someone who grew up with the classic point&click games I absolutely adore this game. It has beautiful graphics, loveable characters, a great sense of humor with a lot of references and parodies of pop culture and even the classic adventures.

    I can recommend this (and it's successor) to anybody who enjoys the ood old classics like Monkey Island. One of the few games (together with the w    orks of Daedalic) that can actually measure up to the old times! Buy it!… Expand
  18. Mr_M
    Dec 29, 2011
    9
    This is a fantastic classic adventure number with spectacular presentation and very few flaws. Among these would be a few visual and sound glitches namely desynced audio and animations that don't fit well with the background, and the often mentioned lack of pre-rendered cut-scenes after the beginning. The script is funny throughout, each of the environments are simply marvelous and the characters well-designed with great voice-acting (although they could use better textures and lighting to fit in better). This is a game that you should own and that you should use to try to get new gamers into classic adventure gaming.… Expand
  19. rospyepsh
    Dec 29, 2011
    10
    The game is absolutely marvelous! The truth is that I have been craving for a classic point and click adventure game since the original Monkey Island. I enjoyed The Longest Journey, Syberia, and that's pretty much it when it comes to games which came afterwards. Telltale games, such as the new Monkey Island aren't bad, but they lack the one thing which I enjoy so much in The Book of Unwritten Tales - the magic of the old days. I recommend it to all die-hard fans of classic adventure games - you won't be disappointed!… Expand
  20. gabig
    Dec 29, 2011
    10
    First I want to tell you that I am no newbie at this kind of games. "Syberia" 1 and 2, "Sanitarium", "Monkey Island" (all of them), "Day of Tentacle" and "The Longest Journey" are my all time favorites. I also was a fan of the "World of Warcraft" - in the long time ago when the game was actually smart and fun. But if you are like me and you loved all these games, I can tell you that "The Book Of Unwritten Tales" can occupy a proud first place among them.

    It amazes me to see how little appreciation is given to this game, although it was launched back in 2009 in Germany. They probably don't have a huge marketing machine in place. This game has everything: an excellent script, a wonderful story, humor (lots and lots of humor), strong characters, nice graphics and smart puzzles. Indeed, the puzzles were a bit more difficult in "Syberia" (this could be the only "bad" thing I could think of in regards to this game) - but it's not a major issue. A big problem with this kind of games is that sometimes inconsistencies appear in the story and in the course of action, but "The Book Of Unwritten Tales" has none of those. The story goes smooth and logical. The $30 you pay for this accounts for a good 20-25 hours of play.

    The humor in this game is addictive! It makes fun of many pop-culture subjects, it contains super fun references to WOW and Monkey Island.

    For a preview of the game you can search youtube (this is what convinced me to actually buy it and play it). If you liked the games listed above (and in general, if you like smart games) I can guarantee you will love this :D    … Expand
  21. KookyB
    Nov 26, 2011
    10
    Played the game in german and really loved it... It´s the first adventure which come really close to discworld and monkey island, but not without many funny references on them them during the game. And that does`t stop, the whole game has great humor, top-notch voice acting and really beautiful and nice drawn backrounds. One of the less critic-points of the proffesional reviews was that it ist sometimes hard to find little obejcts, but what they have missed is that if you press space, the game will show you all usable objects. Overall it has nice puzzles which are the most time very logicall and fun, good written dialogs and funny humor. For the price of about 30$ you get a big package with the full game (with about 20 hours gameplay), a soundtrack CD, an artbook and a double-sided A2 artwork poster. What does an adventure fan need more!? If you love adventures, this is a must have ;-)… Expand
  22. artion33
    Nov 6, 2011
    10
    Wow!!! this is really something great..unfortunately no one knows about this game..thats so sad since this game have so much value in terms of story,really lovable characters, artistic graphics than those other games i have finished recently (rage ,deus ex).Trust me u will love this game.
  23. GalisCooper
    Nov 6, 2011
    10
    It's a shame that a wonderful and amazing game like this doesn't get nearly as much attention as so many uninteresting uninspired gorefests that crowd the market.
    If you're tired of playing games where you are a tough macho gravelly voiced super-soldier walking in a straigh line shooting everything in sight, then give this game a go!
    The characters are loveable, the humor is spot-on, the a    rt direction and animations are top-notch for an indie adventure, and it's generally an all-round wonderful experience. PLAY THIS GAME!… Collapse
  24. MrMehawk
    Nov 2, 2011
    8
    A good point and click adventure game in a time that seriously lacks such games. The problem I have will probably only matter to people who have been playing these games since the times of Monkey Island and Simon the Sorcerer, as a few of the jokes are exact copies of classic adventure game humor. And by copies I mean the exact same joke, I swear they stole some of them. Call it a tribute or theft or whatever but I enjoyed the original jokes in the game and found the weird moments that literally took other developers work unnecessary and pointless.
    To those who can ignore something like this: It's a decent game with okay graphics, an okay story and good chunks of humor. One of the more promising new P&C Adventure Game series in the past years.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. GameCritics
    Apr 19, 2013
    50
    The Book of Unwritten Tales isn’t bad—it just feels like the developers weren't sure if they would rather homage LucasArts or ridicule Blizzard, so they tried to do both. Sadly, they succeeded only in making both aspects tepid and bland. That said, I would honestly recommend it to people who love adventure titles because beneath the fetch-questing is a solid game with quirky characters, decent puzzles, and some amusing self-aware humor.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Nov 29, 2012
    90
    The prettiest, most interesting and funniest point'n'click adventure game of the last couple of years. It would be a mortal sin to miss out on it. [CD-Action 13/2012, p.60]
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Oct 11, 2012
    70
    A smart, lengthy and logical adventure game that is consistently enjoyable without ever trying to be incredible. [Oct 2012, p.81]
See all critic reviews »