Roguebook Review – Xbox Zone

Roguebook, is a new title that tries to catch the roguelike deck-building bandwagon. This could be one more launch that tries to drink success than the big one Kill the arrowHowever, we are faced with something that goes much further. The proof is to see who is behind this new production. And it is that, this launch does not only have the development in charge of the study Abrakam Entertainment and the collaboration of Nacon, but has the figure of Richard Garfield. If this name is unfamiliar to you, let us refresh your memory. Richard Garfield, is the creator of the mythical Magic: The Gathering, so we are talking about someone who knows the importance of maps.

In fact, throughout the game we will find mechanics that closely resemble what we see in the game Wizards of the Coast. Having said that, Roguebook places us in the fantastic world of Faeria. Who has a powerful book that threatens the existence of every living being. That is why we will form a team of two heroes with whom to face all its dangers and put an end to the evil contained in this book. Then begins an adventure where every decision counts and where every mistake pays. If you are a roguelike lover, you shouldn’t miss this review.

Inside a watercolor

Unlike other titles of this genre, Roguebook takes a lot of its frame to develop what we see on the screen. And it is that, in order to end the evil that lies in this book, we will have to do it from within. That is, we will have to go through its pages killing fantastic enemies. But being inside a book affects everything that surrounds the game, from its playable mechanics to its artistic section.

In that sense, we find a really colorful game that leaves us with scenes similar to what we would find in a story or in a fable. The character design is very good and shines on its own thanks to the artistic approach adopted by the team. Over and over again, especially when the camera gets closer to the action, we’ll see the great care the company has taken to their characters and sets.. The result of all this attention to detail is that we will have an adventure that looks like a watercolor in motion. However, the animations as is usually the case in these type of games leave a lot to be desired, too bad because for everything else the game performs well.

Before getting into the gameplay, we have to mention that when it comes to the sound section, the game is more than enough, providing the title with good effects and some melodies that accompany it perfectly. However, we have found errors in its Spanish translation, although they will be corrected and tweaked for its launch on consoles. Nevertheless, this is an error which can be somewhat annoying, as some letters are not described at all due to errors in their translation.

Jump between pages

As we anticipated in the previous paragraph, the fact that Roguebook I have centered its plot in a book, it greatly influences the development of its action. The first thing that emerges is that the cartography is quite large, but it is divided into boxes which are hidden a priori. To unlock these boxes we will need to use ink or a brush to spread it. A very original idea that fits perfectly with the idea that our whole adventure takes place in this cursed book. However, the ink and brush will have limited uses, so we’ll have to decide where to travel. Of course, the path to the boss will always be visible so that we can continue the adventure when we want.

The game has several events scattered around its mapping which bring with them a wide variety of situations. The first thing that we will find as soon as we enter is a store, in which we can buy new cards as well as amulets or items that will allow us to improve our cards.

In addition to that, we will have boxes around the map where we can get new cards, towers that will unlock new squares, hearts to recover life and fights among others. Due to the variety of events, exploration will be essential before engaging in the final combat in each of the areas. Also, once we have defeated the area boss, we will move on to a new chapter, where the mapping will feature new events.

A magical fight

Despite all this, what stands out most in Roguebook it is their fight. The combat system as intended uses a turn-based component where we will fight with two heroes against any dangers that present themselves. In this case, the system is quite intuitive. We have a series of “mana” points that allow us to use the cards. Each card has a cost, so we have to plan our action well. At the end of the turn, any remaining cards in our hand will automatically be discarded and will be shuffled again once we run out of cards.

The cards will mainly depend on the makeup of the heroes we use. Each of them has their own cards, as well as a unique passive, so finding the mix that works best for us will be key. Also, after some fights We will have the possibility of obtaining a new ability to choose between three options.

In addition to our maps, we will have to take into account the position of our heroes. This is because the first one is the one that will receive the damage from the enemy, so we will have to try to block the character with the most health or the one with the highest block index. This positional component is very interesting since there will be cards that will allow us to change position or increase their effects depending on it.

On the other hand, it is inevitable to see the inspiration of Richard Gardfield in Roguebook. And we are going to find many mechanics that have been widely used in Magic, such as using the graveyard or the ability to exile (dissolve in this case) cards. This is not at all a criticism, since the fight for this title is one of its greatest assets. It’s full of nuances and it’s really interesting.

Restart

With all this we have to say that the game has a great roguelike component, so how could it be otherwise, its difficulty is quite high. This means that more than once our game ends prematurely. Nevertheless, at the end of the game, we will have the possibility to improve our characters thanks to the different pages of the book that we will get.

Likewise, the map and the bosses will be different for each game so nothing heavy will be done to replay. In this sense, the game offers us a wide variety of situations and options to face each fight. There is no single strategy that guarantees us victory, but we have many different approaches.

In short, we are very happy with the experience offered by this launch. Its graphic part transports us to the pages of this cursed book, its combat system offers us a truly enriching experience and will remind us of the mythical Magic: The Gathering. However, we still have some translation errors which can be a bit annoying. Despite this, the game will give us many hours of fun, so it’s a title to consider. From there we will wait for its version for Xbox and see how this great game fits our consoles.