Roguebookis a delightful little deckbuilding roguelike from developer Abrakim Entertainment SA, the makers ofFaeria.
While the genres become a bit saturated over the last few years,Roguebookhas a lot going for it.
It was originally slated for release later this year, but itll be available on 17 July.
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Combat is engaged by approaching an icon where youll be transported to a battle screen.
What setsRoguebookapart is its polish.
This is a game that plays smart and rewards players of all skill levels.
What I like most about it is that literally everything you do (or dont do) matters.
The great
Few games nail learning curve likeRoguebookdoes.
There are depths toRoguebooksgameplay that will take dozens of hours to truly discover.
And, like most roguelikes, this one has incredible replay value.
The good
Sound values are great and the story is intriguing.
The basic premise is that youre stuck in a book and you have to fight your way out.
But this particular book is a special one.
It exists in the same game universe asFaeriaso players familiar with the previous title will enjoy the continuation.
Make no mistake however, you dont have to play one to enjoy the other.
WhereFaeriawas mostly a multiplayer showdown game,Roguebookis a single player experience.
I was also intrigued by the character mechanics.
You choose a team of two heroes from a team of four distinct characters.
Each one is very nuanced in both their gameplay and overall lore and attitude.
The voice acting is limited to battlefield shouts, but theyre well executed and enjoyable.
The not so good
Roguebookis too short.
And by the time Id unlocked all the characters, I was already wishing there were more.
I like almost everything aboutRoguebook, I just wish there were more of it.
The levels are a bit sparse and there isnt much in the way of build up.
Most of the mileage youll get from this game comes from the joy of becoming powerful in different ways.
I was also unimpressed by the graphics.
Theyre a bit… mobile-friendly… for my taste.
I will say they stand out as bright and super easy to read.
Nothing really stood out except the enemy designs (top marks for whoever drew those up).
The bottom line
Roguebooksa pretty good game right now and well worth the purchase.
If it gets post launch support and additional content itll be a must-play.
I cant think of a more polished roguelike than this one.
The one time my game crashed, I was able to continue where it left off.
From the moment you click new run, almost nothing gets in the way of you having fun.
Roguebooklaunches on Steam and all major consoles on 17 June.
