Roguebook
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Critic Reviews for Roguebook
Roguebook stands out from the pack on a few qualities, but it's not a must-play.
On the whole, Roguebook is an interesting deckbuilder that does a lot of things well. It doesn’t do a great deal that feels new and exciting, but there are flashes of brilliance here and there.
I've never wanted to play a roguelike deck builder before because, quite frankly, they look really boring. Playing Roguebook proved how wrong I was. This is a devious and delightful slice of turn based card slinging strategy that will win over even the most cynical of deck building haters. I can't think of any finer praise than that.
Roguebook is a game that will feel crushingly familiar at first, but reveals itself to be more nuanced and interesting the more you play it. It's definitely a fun game, and while it feels like there have been more original roguelike deckbuilders recently, Roguebook is still good fun, and there's enough here to keep you going for a long time if it clicks with you.
Roguebook is essentially a roguelike- deckbuilder game, with the cards, gems and relics being the loot that players will have to blend into a perfect strategy to escape. While each of the characters will start with a default deck that will be upgraded as they level up; most upgrades players receive will be lost upon death. These games depend on having a tight replay, fun and consistent replay loop and with Roguebook, Abrakam has succeeded here.
While Roguebook may not be my favourite game in this genre, it does offer a lot of variation and a few interesting tweaks to the genre. It's jaw-droppingly beautiful, incredibly creative and the crucial card play is very entertaining. The exploration is a nice addition and creates a risk and reward system to proceedings, as is the card crafting. While you may not be able to create a lean, all-killing deck, what you can create is a heaving bag of frivolity and opportunities.
If you’re looking for something new to play and are a fan of roguelike card games, then you’ll probably have a good time with Roguebook. It’s a fun game and does a solid job of being what it is – when it works that is. However, if you’re looking for the next big genre-defying roguelike then you might be a bit disappointed as Roguebook isn’t really that. It is a good game, just not an incredible one and maybe that’s enough.
Errors aside, though, Roguebook is still an exceptionally fun experience. It's a very good deckbuilding game hiding within an innovative take on roguelike play, and the charm of its characters and the accessibility of its difficulty will go a long way in compelling people to give it a try. A deeper story, more variety in levels and characters, and some crucial bug fixes would go a long way in giving Roguebook long-lasting appeal, but it's still well-worth checking out for fans of either roguelikes or deckbuilders - as long as they can stomach a few crashes and don't mind a bit of an easier experience than they may be used to.
