"Roguebook is a single-player Fantasy Turn Based Strategy game with a good plot and great gameplay, featuring marvelous visuals and ingenious music. It offers six hero pairs, each with unique abilities and card collections, for lots of replayability. However, the game is poorly optimized, has lots of bugs and grinding, which might deter some players."
Gorgeous artwork and music that enhance the overall experience.
Innovative map exploration mechanic that adds depth to gameplay.
Engaging dual-hero system allows for unique strategies and synergies.
Frequent crashes and bugs that disrupt gameplay.
Limited character and card variety, leading to repetitive runs.
Difficulty balance issues, making early runs frustrating and later runs too easy.
gameplay
1,312 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
55%
4%
The gameplay of Roguebook is characterized by its engaging mechanics, including a unique dual-hero system and an innovative map exploration mechanic that encourages strategic decision-making. While many players appreciate the depth and variety offered by the game's card interactions and character synergies, some find the overall experience can become repetitive or grindy, particularly in terms of progression and difficulty scaling. Overall, the game is praised for its beautiful art and addictive gameplay loop, though it may not reach the same heights as genre benchmarks like Slay the Spire.
“Roguebook is a delightful addition to the roguelike deck-building genre, offering a fresh take on familiar mechanics.”
“This system offers an impressive variety of strategies and encourages experimentation, keeping the gameplay fresh even after multiple runs.”
“The gameplay is great in the way that they combine the roguelike elements with deck drafting as well as the way they play with card mechanics in ways that are simply impossible or impractical with paper cards.”
“I'm 11 hours in and I'm already bored; I already saw all the new game + upgrades and the way you unlock higher difficulty is too grindy, which makes it boring when the gameplay is so shallow.”
“Honestly, I started a new one but I quickly lost interest because the first modifiers you can access don't change the gameplay at all; they just make the game more tedious to play.”
“The gameplay is basically ctrl c + ctrl v.”
graphics
512 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
41%
2%
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their beautiful, hand-drawn art style that complements the whimsical, storybook theme, making it visually appealing and engaging. Many reviewers noted the vibrant colors and polished animations, although some mentioned minor graphical bugs and performance issues. Overall, the aesthetic quality is considered a standout feature, enhancing the gameplay experience despite some criticisms regarding depth and replayability.
“The hand-drawn art style is charming and fits perfectly with the game's storybook theme.”
“Gorgeous graphics, beautiful music and sound work, engaging strategy, and fun exploration mechanics.”
“Roguebook has some of the best graphics for this genre.”
“I do have to say it crashes a lot and has some graphical bugs which are annoying.”
“The graphics could use some polish but the gameplay is excellent and deep.”
“There aren't any graphical options I can really do to tweak it so it's just annoying to have it stutter sometimes.”
replayability
239 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
52%
3%
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, with many players enjoying the variety of characters, strategic depth, and numerous run-altering options. However, some reviews note that it doesn't quite reach the replayability levels of similar titles like "Slay the Spire," citing issues such as limited character combinations and a lack of innovative challenges. Despite these criticisms, many players find the game engaging enough to warrant multiple playthroughs, especially with the potential for future content updates.
“Lots of replayability and room to grow and master with enjoyably challenging battles and run-altering options.”
“The four different characters can be combined in any pairing you like, which gives this immense replayability as you try out strategies to see how the pair can work together.”
“Between the different hero combinations, the changeable map settings, the customization of cards with gems, the cards and artifacts a player can buy in the shop on each map, the options the vaults of wisdom offer, the embellishments that you unlock, the cards you unlock, the events on the maps and the choices you make along the way, there is awesome replayability in this game.”
“The truth is it has a lot of fun ideas and is a decent deck-building game, but the replayability isn't as good as other games of this nature (like Slay the Spire) and its annoying painting system doesn't allow you to really explore each map as much as you would like.”
“Variety is one of the leviathans of all roguelites, and its absence here is what limits the game's replayability.”
“The challenges are very easy and the replayability is gone.”
story
210 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
63%
9%
The game's story is often described as minimalistic and lacking depth, with many players expressing disappointment over its abrupt ending and limited world-building. While the charming art style and whimsical themes are appreciated, the narrative feels disjointed and underdeveloped, leaving players wanting more substantial storytelling and character development. Overall, the game offers a fun experience, but its story does not significantly enhance the gameplay or encourage replayability.
“The hand-drawn art style is charming and fits perfectly with the game's storybook theme.”
“They took lots of creatures and ideas of classic fantasy/myth and made them their own, with lots of little story bits that can change depending on the heroes in your team.”
“The story is interesting, the characters are fun to play and the many card/character combinations keep me coming back again and again to try out different strategies.”
“The whole run is limited to three maps and the storyline abruptly stops.”
“This is a pretty fun spin on the roguelike deckbuilder genre, with a lot of polish, but it's also an abandoned project with no end to the story.”
“The story is very lackluster; there's a bit of explanation of the setting at the tutorial and that's the end of it.”
music
185 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
36%
7%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its orchestral quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, while others find it generic, forgettable, or even disappointing compared to other titles in the genre. Many players appreciate the cohesive presentation of music alongside the artwork, but a significant number express that it lacks memorability and depth. Overall, while the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's aesthetic, it does not stand out as exceptional.
“The quality of art, sound, music, and innovative gameplay make this a 10/10 for me.”
“The art is gorgeous, music is magical, and gameplay is addicting.”
“Roguebook has beautiful art, animations, music, and atmosphere, something I have been craving from this genre for a long time.”
“Even achievements aside, the music and world are pretty bland, with lackluster worldbuilding.”
“What I'm not too impressed by is the music; I'm sure the composer worked really hard on it, but it's mostly just generic-sounding and forgettable orchestral tracks.”
“1/10 music... lazy and whimsical.”
grinding
138 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The grinding aspect of the game has received significant criticism, with many players finding the meta-progression system excessively tedious and unbalanced. While some enjoy the art and occasional fun gameplay, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grind required to unlock upgrades and features detracts from the overall experience, leading to boredom and frustration. Players express a desire for more engaging content and a less grind-heavy approach to progression.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“I'm 11 hours in and I'm already bored; I already saw all the new game + upgrades and the way you unlock higher difficulty is too grindy, which makes it boring when the gameplay is so shallow.”
“The leveling system, by the way, is just tedious and much slower than other roguelites, and it feels designed that way to stretch out what little content there is, and the upgrade tree also feels needlessly bloated.”
“The meta-progression system is just bad - both incredibly grindy, and adding no actual depth to the game, just raw power.”
stability
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
93%
The game is widely criticized for its instability, with numerous reports of bugs, crashes, and glitches that significantly detract from the overall experience. While some players find it enjoyable despite these issues, many recommend caution due to the frequency of game-breaking problems and the feeling that it is unfinished. Ongoing updates are noted, but the consensus is that the game remains too buggy for a full recommendation at this time.
“I mean it's a very fun game and not buggy, but it's very short. That's the biggest problem with it. Normally, games take so long for me to finish that I get tired of them before completing them, but this... this took so little time. Even if you die, you just upgrade everything and try another run that is basically the same, just with the difficulty set down.”
“I do hold those games in high regard, and at least they are mostly bug-free unlike this title.”
“If it wasn't buggy, I'd wholeheartedly recommend it and will change my review once bugs are no more.”
“This game is buggy as hell and will crash and lag constantly.”
“It's a buggy mess... I've had to restart the game at least 4 times per run due to soft-locking.”
“But the variety caps out rather fast and it's buggy - frequent crashes and lost runs make it inadvisable to buy.”
optimization
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
52%
38%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with users reporting frequent performance issues such as slowdowns, stuttering, and crashes, particularly on lower-spec systems. Many players feel that the game demands excessive VRAM and lacks necessary speed options for animations, which negatively impacts pacing. While some find the experience enjoyable, the overall consensus is that deeper optimization and bug fixes are needed to enhance gameplay.
“Very good, but deeper optimization and more speed options would make it great.”
“It's a cute mechanic and allows for some different types of optimization during the game.”
“In most deckbuilders, there is a clear value of having a thin but optimized deck.”
“The game is constantly stuttering, freezing, and crashing.”
“Performance of the game is pretty bad.”
“However, be wary, this game seems incredibly poorly optimized.”
atmosphere
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
82%
18%
The atmosphere in Roguebook is widely praised for its rich, storybook-like charm, enhanced by beautiful art, majestic music, and engaging animations. Players appreciate how the visuals, sound effects, and character voice lines contribute to a compelling and whimsical experience, although some feel that this strong atmosphere does not extend to the gameplay itself. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a standout feature that effectively captures the essence of the roguelike deckbuilding genre.
“It starts out strong, emanating rich faeria vibes, playing majestic music, and creating quite the atmosphere with its impeccable art.”
“The art is great and the atmosphere is storybook-like and whimsical.”
“Roguebook has beautiful art, animations, music, and atmosphere, something I have been craving from this genre for a long time.”
humor
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its humor, featuring funny interactions, interesting characters, and a light-hearted style that enhances the overall experience. Players find the humor both entertaining and engaging, with some noting the absurdity of certain game mechanics as particularly amusing. Overall, the humor is a significant highlight, making the game enjoyable and worth playing.
“It's super fun, pretty challenging with lots of humor and interesting characters and enemies.”
“Very funny game, worth playing!!”
“It's funny that I have to call this out because so many games make you click 5 times to exit.”
monetization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
86%
The monetization strategy for the game has been widely criticized as a series of shallow cash grabs, with players labeling the DLCs as low-effort and cringeworthy. Many users express disappointment, fearing that the focus on monetization reflects a lack of confidence in the game's quality and sustainability. Overall, the sentiment suggests that the current approach to monetization detracts from the game's reputation and player experience.
“Honestly, both packs are just really cringey, low effort, shallow cash grabs that cast a bad light on the game as a whole.”
“I loved Faeria, but it's hard not to call this what it is: a name drop cash grab.”
“Terrible DLCs (seriously, just ignore them; they are extremely lazy cash grabs).”
character development
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
23%
8%
Character development in the game is highlighted by appealing art and character designs that evoke a storybook charm, though some critiques point to stiff animations and a lack of cohesion in design. Overall, players appreciate the combination of engaging gameplay mechanics and vibrant visuals, which enhance the character experience. However, there are mixed feelings regarding the depth and originality of the character designs.
“First off, the art design is lovely; much like Faeria, it oozes with storybook charm, bright colors, and really beautiful character designs.”
“Overall, the game feels right; it's snappy, the combat and effects are satisfying, and I'm really taken by the character designs.”
“The game has retained the combination of deck-builder and roguelite that initially appealed to me, and has fleshed it out with really appealing art, sound, and character design.”
“The animations feel stiff and unnatural; they take a character model and just stretch it in Photoshop, and the character designs are uninspired. None of it feels cohesive.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, often experiencing joy to the point of tears, indicating that the game's narrative or moments resonate deeply and evoke positive feelings.