The Black Grimoire: Cursebreaker

About

The Black Grimoire: Cursebreaker is a medieval fantasy RPG with a sprawling open world and old-school atmosphere. Gain powerful skills and items, complete quests with deep writing, and engage in strategic combat with numerous weapons and spells. Make permanent choices that affect gameplay and customize your player house in this social multiplayer adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

The Black Grimoire: Cursebreaker screenshot

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 512 reviews

story64 positive mentions

grinding81 negative mentions

The game captures the nostalgic feel of Old School RuneScape while providing a single-player experience.
Engaging quests and a charming world design keep players invested and encourage exploration.
The developers are actively updating the game and responding to player feedback, showing commitment to improvement.

The inventory system is limited, making resource management cumbersome and frustrating.
Combat can feel unbalanced, with some enemies being overly difficult compared to the player's level.
The game lacks a robust quest tracking system, leading to confusion about objectives and locations.

story
223 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
68%
4%
The game's story is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its engaging narrative and quest design, which often draws inspiration from classic titles like RuneScape. While some quests are seen as repetitive or lacking depth, others are praised for their creativity and challenge, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience. However, there are concerns about quest gating based on skill levels and the need for more polish and content to enhance the storytelling further.
- “Played the prologue, waited for the 1.0 release, and I am enjoying everything so far. This is an awesome concept and the story is very enticing, keeping me on the edge of my seat.”
- “The dark, gothic aesthetic perfectly complements the story’s tone, making each area you explore feel both magical and foreboding.”
- “The quests feel more personal and you actually feel like a hero of sorts, with unique skill traits and fast traveling options.”
- “The story is alright, there are plenty of little tasks, challenges, and achievements to aim for.”
- “It's marketed as 'lore heavy' and 'story driven', which is kind of true for like the first 45 minutes, but as soon as you're past the opening segment, the narrative takes a hard nosedive into the dirt and the game basically turns into an endless series of fetch quests.”
- “The final fight of the story is poorly designed, with skills being spammed at you like it's an arcade game, and all of them can one-shot you, making it frustrating and unbalanced.”
grinding
85 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
1%
95%
The grinding aspect of the game is a polarizing topic among players, with many finding it either enjoyable or excessively tedious. While some appreciate the nostalgic, old-school RPG grind and the sense of progression it offers, others criticize it for being overly time-consuming and lacking in meaningful rewards, particularly due to inventory management issues and the necessity of grinding for skill levels to unlock quests. Overall, the experience of grinding varies significantly based on individual player preferences, with a clear divide between those who thrive on it and those who find it frustrating.
- “I kinda like a grindy game that isn't grindy in having to constantly kill mobs to get along.”
- “I kinda like a grindy game that isn't grindy in having to constantly kill mobs to get along.”
- “Because I'm not grinding in the most efficient way, or found some clever loophole or whatever.”
- “I thought playing games was supposed to be fun, not a tedious irritation.”
- “The grind doesn't feel rewarding and it's missing a ton of 'quality of life' fixes that would make the game bearable, but in its current state it's just extremely slow and grindy for no real payoff.”
- “This is a massive impairment to the gameplay enjoyment because game progression requires skill leveling, and skill leveling requires a good deal of grinding, and grinding requires traveling to/from the bank, and banks are kind of scarce in the world, similar again to RS.”
gameplay
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
56%
5%
The gameplay has received mixed feedback, with many praising its engaging mechanics and nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic RPGs like RuneScape, while others criticize outdated features such as item drop mechanics upon death and a lack of quality-of-life improvements. Players appreciate the depth and variety of content, including quests and combat systems, but some express frustration over grindy elements and bugs. Overall, the game offers a solid experience for fans of the genre, though it may require some adjustments to enhance player satisfaction.
- “Awesome gameplay, draws you in for hours and there is always something to do.”
- “The gameplay is deeply engaging, blending classic RPG mechanics with innovative systems that keep combat fresh and exciting.”
- “The atmosphere, music, and gameplay is exactly what I have been looking for for years.”
- “Player equipped gear drop mechanics should not exist in single player games.”
- “True story, this game only has actual gameplay for 30-50 hours. Your levels are going to average around level 30-35. At this point, you have completed the main quest line and you are nearly done with secondary quests also.”
- “Why exactly did the developers of this game decide to replicate the poor design aspects of those MMORPGs? It's somewhat questionable, but they have certainly nailed the overall gameplay loop and feel of certain later 2000s MMORPGs, while not really doing much to improve things for player quality of life.”
graphics
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
58%
9%
The graphics of the game evoke a nostalgic, retro aesthetic reminiscent of RuneScape, with many players appreciating the charming and simplistic art style. However, opinions are mixed, as some criticize the graphics for being blocky and clunky, detracting from the overall atmosphere, while others praise the beautiful scenery and effective world design. Overall, the visuals are seen as a love letter to classic RPGs, though technical issues like optimization and graphical pop-in have been noted.
- “Graphics are what I wish RS3 looked like, very nostalgic and actually quite beautiful in some places.”
- “The dark, gothic aesthetic perfectly complements the story’s tone, making each area you explore feel both magical and foreboding.”
- “The graphics are nostalgic and they really take me back.”
- “The side quests all seem to be fetch quests, the interface is quite clunky, graphics are very blocky which detracts from the atmosphere.”
- “It has no sound of any note, the graphics are inspired by RuneScape and the programming is sort of weak, especially optimization (your game that looks like RuneScape shouldn't be stuttering this much on my system).”
- “This game has serious memory leak issues... for a game that is not stunning at all with graphics, this should easily run smooth with the tech that's out there in 2020+.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
27%
20%
The music in the game is generally well-received, praised for its chill and nostalgic tones that enhance the atmosphere and worldbuilding. However, some players note that the tracks can become repetitive and suggest a desire for more variety. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, making it a relaxing experience.
- “I love the chill music and the overall vibe of the game.”
- “The atmosphere, music, and gameplay is exactly what I have been looking for for years.”
- “Given the beauty of the artwork and the impressive music, you will lose yourself in the world.”
- “- music quickly gets repetitive and does not live up to old school RuneScape standard.”
- “Sound is decent, the ambient stuff is nice but the music tracks are short and can get repetitive.”
- “Could do with more music tracks and the pathfinding needs work but otherwise well worth the money and the time.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning art direction and immersive environments, capturing a sense of adventure and nostalgia reminiscent of classic RPGs. While some users note technical issues like clunky interfaces and blocky graphics, the overall vibe is described as engaging and atmospheric, enhanced by effective sound design and a rich, detailed world. Many players find the atmosphere to be a significant highlight, contributing to an enjoyable and addictive gameplay experience.
- “It's great, chill, has a very nice atmosphere and really does capture some of the sense of adventure that older games have.”
- “The art direction and atmosphere are stunning, with every location—whether it’s a haunting forest or a crumbling castle—feeling alive with detail and history.”
- “The atmosphere, music, and gameplay is exactly what I have been looking for for years.”
- “The side quests all seem to be fetch quests, the interface is quite clunky, and the graphics are very blocky, which detracts from the atmosphere.”
- “Game runs okay; I wish it was possible to turn off the rain though, but I guess it's part of the atmosphere.”
- “There is a lot to like about this game when it comes to the atmosphere.”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with reports of numerous bugs, poor performance, and graphical issues such as stuttering and pop-in, particularly during cutscenes. While some players note improvements over time, many still find the overall optimization lacking, especially given the game's simplistic graphics. Overall, significant work is needed to enhance performance and address the various technical shortcomings.
- “There are some performance issues, but if you play a few hours at a time, you should be pretty okay.”
- “Only issues I take at the moment are some graphical pop-in (no big deal when performance was fine) and a desperately limited inventory, but I imagine you can improve that as the game continues.”
- “Played the demo when it released; the developers have clearly been making a ton of progress, particularly with respect to optimization.”
- “The game has numerous bugs, incredibly poor performance that barely touches the GPU, some settings are outright ignored (chromatic aberration is always enabled in the swamp and in caves, for example, and brightness does nothing in caves), etc., but the end-game is what kills it.”
- “It has no sound of any note, the graphics are inspired by RuneScape and the programming is sort of weak, especially optimization (your game that looks like RuneScape shouldn't be stuttering this much on my system).”
- “This game needs serious optimization, especially during cutscenes on a game that has lots of them as means of storytelling, and could use a higher quality HUD and more feedback on certain interactions.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its unique charm and witty writing that evokes nostalgia for old-school gaming. Many found themselves genuinely laughing at the clever lines and dark fantasy elements, making the game a worthwhile experience for fans of humor and quests. Overall, the comedic aspects contribute significantly to the game's appeal, especially given its content value.
- “This is a 'must try out' if you are a fan of quests, humor, and skilling for glory.”
- “I've genuinely laughed from some of the humor, which surprised me.”
- “For 15 dollars, this game is an absolute steal with the amount of content packed into its humorous, dark fantasy world!”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game demonstrates solid stability overall, running well on platforms like Steam Deck and Linux without user modifications. However, players report various bugs, including character clipping issues, inconsistent controls, and minor glitches that can disrupt gameplay. Despite these challenges, many users remain engaged and invested in the game.
- “Also runs great on Steam Deck for me.”
- “Runs great on Linux with no modifications from the user.”
- “But because my character is in the bottom 30% of my screen, when something attacks me, I have to either click on my minimap to run away, which is extremely buggy and inconsistent, or rotate my camera around and then click to run away. This slow process leads to getting hit multiple times.”
- “There are minor glitches: (1) sometimes my character gets stuck somewhere, but you can teleport out; (2) buildings you can't enter because you clip through the stairs or are unable to climb something, or the character doesn't recognize the door.”
- “The game is also very buggy, but that's because they pulled off a huge achievement for a small team. I've been encountering a lot of bugs.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The game is praised for its lack of monetization, allowing players to obtain everything without in-app purchases, which balances the grind and enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the absence of microtransactions, highlighting that it still offers engaging mechanics and quests.
- “I could never get into RuneScape due to it being online and the grind and monetization that comes with that, but this game brings it all into balance.”
- “The best part, no monetization.”
- “The fact that there's no microtransactions in the game, but still manages to have relevant mechanics and captivating quests is just perfect.”
- “The grind can be a bit too much for some, given that it's a single-player game where you can obtain everything without any in-app purchases. You either deal with the grind or find some workaround if you're busy or just want to progress with the story (like me) without semi-AFK grinding all the time.”
- “I could never get into RuneScape due to its online nature and the grind and monetization that comes with it, but this game brings it all into balance.”
- “The fact that there are no microtransactions in the game, yet it still manages to have relevant mechanics and captivating quests, is just perfect.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers highlight the game's extensive open world and diverse exploration opportunities, along with unique skill progression paths, contributing to its high replayability. The engaging point-and-click adventure format further enhances the experience, making it enjoyable to revisit.
- “The wide open world offers tons to explore, with individual skills laid out on their own progression paths. It's a point-and-click adventure wrapped up in a cozy and interesting world with limitless replayability.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game compelling, as the introductory story effectively engages them with the protagonist's plight, featuring themes of loss, resurrection, and subjugation that evoke a strong connection to the character's journey.
- “The intro story made me feel engaged with this character by setting up a falling kingdom in which I get murdered, followed by resurrection and subjugation to a necromancer.”
- “The emotional depth of the characters really drew me in, making their struggles feel personal and relatable.”
- “I was genuinely moved by the storyline; it tackled themes of loss and redemption in a way that resonated with me.”