Black Book Reviews
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.
Black Book is a great mix of Slavic folklore, engaging card game, and an interesting story.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Every society creates stories, and there are some that are even broadcast in various countries. The question of how they arise, how they are perpetuated and transformed over several generations is something that has caused many headaches, but that does not mean that they do their bit. Although its mechanics are somewhat repetitive, Black Book bets against banking by hoarding a great value, in this case, the introduction of a mythology not so widespread by these boundaries. It may be a gigantic lie, but that does not invalidate its message, since it brings a lot of values that go beyond the personification of darkness and shadow that fills every corner and hole in the world.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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.
Morteshka’s deal with the devil has paid off, as Black Book delivers a captivating story and engaging gameplay full of strategy and variety that should keep you busy for over 40 hours. Being in league with Satan usually comes with a great price, but players should be able to overcome any curses handed down to them. With strong character development and narrative, this wicked book is a page-turner that’s worth a read.
Black Book has surprised me with how charming, self confident and thoughtful its systems are, even if its pacing is a little inconsistent and some acts are better than others.
I have nothing against those games, but it is wonderful to see something play with their vocabulary to make something fresh. While many games of its ilk rely on the broad strokes of fantasy, Black Book dares to be particular. It is all the richer for it.
Black Book is a bewitching combo of deck-building RPG and D&D-esque storytelling, with a bucket load of ideas where some work better than others. With some refinement and editing, Black Book could have been a must-play release. Without it, it’s still an intriguing mix of gameplay systems that is bolstered by its striking visual style and incredible attention to detail with its Northern Slavic mythology and well-thought-out story-telling. It’s definitely like nothing else I’ve played this year, which is worth celebrating. Despite its shortcomings, I couldn’t help but be under Black Book’s unique spell.
Black Book is a unique mix of point-and-click adventure and fun card-based deck-building RPG taking place in a unique setting with interesting characters. There are certain shortcomings in translation and lack of explanation when it comes to the game's systems, but overall it is an incredibly enjoyable narrative-driven experience.
It’s the witching hour, and there’s mischief to be done. In this story-driven deck-building tale steeped in Slavic folklore, help a young witch unlock the true power of the mysterious Black Book and find her love again. But be careful: the dark powers are ever fickle.
Black Book is an RPG/CCG/detective simulator/visual novel where you're either the villain or weakly trying not to be.
It's hard to rate something like Black Book. It's a mix and match of things that are generally fun and refreshingly new, but the whole thing carries with it a lack of polish and balance, which could make this dark tale of witchcraft and demonology shine much brighter. This is basically a high 6, or a low 7. A mediocre, repetitive CCG/RPG, with some neat moments that'll - barely - manage to keep you interested. If looking to experience something outside of generic medieval fantasy, though, do give it a try. Morteshka's creation is basically Slavic Pagan Mythology: The Game.
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.
Morteshka's second outing was a home-run. Black Book is a superbly written title, lifting the lids of a host of Slavic myths that were likely unknown to many of us previously. Gameplay can be easy at times, but the rest will keep you locked in.
Black Book is one hell of a charming game.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Black Book offers a very cohesive mix of turn-based combat from classic RPGs and a deck composition system characteristic of cardgames. A model that mixes with a good narrative full of possibilities and a well-articulated artistic style, although the player support and complementary mechanics seem to complicate things too much.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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 done to differentiate itself from the pack...
A dark tale awaits – both literally and figuratively.
"Stunlocked by spells and poor mechanical decisions."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Black Book is an amazing offering from the five-person team at Morteshka. Its highs, lows and everything in between is bursting at the seams with the love and care Vladimir Beletskiy, Ildar Alimov, Mikhail Shvachko, Andrey Khudozhidkov and Darya Solonets put into the project. Black Book will take you 20-ish hours to finish and, if you're anything like me, you'll treasure every second of it.