Black Book

 Switch
Black Book Image
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

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  • Summary: A fusion of card-based RPGs and Adventure games, "Black Book" is a haunting tale of a young sorceress, who gave her life to serve the dark forces. Dive into the cold, yet alluring world of Russian folktales - and uncover the secrets that hide in the darkness.

    A young girl named Vasilisa,    A fusion of card-based RPGs and Adventure games, "Black Book" is a haunting tale of a young sorceress, who gave her life to serve the dark forces. Dive into the cold, yet alluring world of Russian folktales - and uncover the secrets that hide in the darkness.

    A young girl named Vasilisa, destined to become a witch, decides to throw her fate away and marry her beloved - but that dream is shattered when her betrothed dies under mysterious circumstances. Aching for her lost love, Vasilisa seeks out Black Book - a demonic artifact, said to be powerful enough to grant any wish to the one who uncovers all 7 of its seals.

    Join Vasilisa in her adventures across Russian countryside, as she solves the woes of common folk by confronting demons and performing exorcisms.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. NintendoWorldReport
    Sep 17, 2021
    85
    If you can immerse yourself into the story early on, Black Book will be your go to for many, many gaming sessions. Black Book is structured in a way that you can spend hours on end playing through it or pick up and play it mission by mission without losing your way in this incredibly well-crafted RPG adventure.
  2. TheSixthAxis
    Aug 6, 2021
    80
    Black Book feels in some ways like a D&D campaign through rural Russia that inadvertently teaches you history and folklore along the way, which I absolutely love, that comes down to card-game battles rather than dice rolling which, again, I love. The pacing is off, the addition of Durak is a bit pointless and there are quality-of-life issues that could do with a bit of polish, but I’d still strongly recommend this game to anyone who thinks they might be interested.
  3. KeenGamer
    Aug 11, 2021
    80
    If you love a good story or you’re curious about the criminally under-explored world of Slavic mythology and folklore, definitely give Black Book a look. The card-battling elements aren’t the most enthralling, but compelling writing and an engaging, choice-driven narrative will keep you hooked for its surprisingly substantial duration.
  4. Pure Nintendo
    Sep 21, 2021
    80
    There is plenty to do and see in this game that justifies the price of entry. However, Black Book’s most valuable asset is the rich setting and lore that it showcases with pride.
  5. Vandal
    Aug 18, 2021
    75
    Black Book is one of those games that some people might love and some people might hate. It has its flaws, but we think it’s a fantastic RPG and we would recommend it if you like what it has to offer.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Bazlighter
    Nov 28, 2021
    10
    Отличная, интереснаю игра. Своеобразная механика и рисовка. Круто.
  2. Berenpot
    Sep 15, 2021
    10
    Yes, this is it!

    This is exactly what I was looking for, a long linear story-driven card battler with lots of history/lore. I'm loving every    Yes, this is it!

    This is exactly what I was looking for, a long linear story-driven card battler with lots of history/lore. I'm loving every second of it. The difficulty curve is gradual but gets quite tough later on. It is true, as the other reviewer mentioned it is rough around the edges, but i highly recommend this to anyone interested in history, card battlers or a good card game.    … Expand
  4. Terrax
    Aug 17, 2021
    9
    First things first, the game is a little rough around the edges on switch, some card text doesn't align on screen and will get cut offFirst things first, the game is a little rough around the edges on switch, some card text doesn't align on screen and will get cut off periodically. If you're willing to put up with the odd few quirks however this game is absolutely fantastic.

    The game is ostensibly an extended campaign of Slay the Spire, but unlike Slay the Spire the game actually has plot and characters and enemy design that isn't developer art of shapes. The game also has a fair brunt of other RPG mechanics in it's own right too. A simple morality system, chort (demon) management, and a skill tree where almost every skill is actually an appealing and hard upgrade.

    But the icing on the cake is the Russian setting and folklore itself. I think some of the voice actors in English are even native Russian speakers, which adds to the effect. If you dig folklore, witches, history, or just learning about new cultures this game is like an edutainment miracle. Some things can be a little lost in translation like some riddles but you usually aren't missing out on too much if you get them wrong.

    The game's save system is a little busted and you can't save partial progress in a new area node so you might be replaying some dialogue but this is only every a problem if there's a difficult fight and you might die.

    The harder difficulty can lead to some early game boss fights feeling like they're up to chance, but once you have a little bit of a handle on your deck everything feels more like a well oiled machine.

    At the end of the day, the few flaws are far outweighed by how utterly fascinating this game is.

    Edit: I've now beaten the game and it is a roller coaster in the best way. You will hit a point where your decks start becoming exponentially powerful but the game will still present formidable foes. It is a damn shame there is no new game plus because by the time you reach the end you can start doing very silly but gratifying things with your deck builds.    … Expand
  5. NindieSpotlight
    Dec 17, 2021
    9
    Whenever you see new titles show up in a genre that seems to be currently having its moment you end up taking a moment to see what it has doneWhenever you see new titles show up in a genre that seems to be currently having its moment you end up taking a moment to see what it has done to differentiate itself from the pack. In the case of Black Book it doesn’t take too much effort to see how it is determined not to be considered an also-ran in the deckbuilding pack as it taps pretty heavily into Slavic lore while telling its story of your character as a young witch, finding her way as she learns to tap into the dark powers at her command in order to be reunited with her lost husband-to-be. There’s a bit of a learning curve simply getting into some of the language of it, and understanding how best to use the cards you accumulate in battle, but for me the combat was what you’d somewhat come to expect but I found the story and characters themselves to be pretty fascinating. It may be a little over-encumbered with things to concern yourself with, managing various demons and who they terrorize rather than turning their ire towards you may have been a game system that wasn’t needed, but I’ll credit it with adding flavor to the whole endeavor. If you’re seeking something different with much darker twinges in its storytelling than you’d normally find, this will deliver.

    https://www.nindiespotlight.com/2021/08/mini-reviews-august-6th-edition.html    … Expand

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