The Library of Babel

About

The Library of Babel is a single player platformer game with a horror theme. It was developed by Tanuki Game Studio and was released on April 6, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Join Ludovik in a 2D Stealth Platformer and Graphic Adventure, as he explores the jungles of a futuristic Babylon to discover the secret behind the Library of Babel’s sudden lockdown and the mysteries behind their mythical creators.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 29 reviews

story12 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game features beautiful visuals and a captivating art style that enhances the overall experience.
The story and world-building are intriguing, immersing players in a dystopian setting with interesting character designs.
The gameplay offers a mix of puzzles and exploration that can be enjoyable, especially for fans of stealth and platforming genres.

The controls are often unresponsive and imprecise, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, especially during platforming sections.
The stealth mechanics are shallow and repetitive, lacking depth and variety, which diminishes the overall engagement.
The quest and objective system is confusing and poorly designed, resulting in excessive backtracking and unclear progression.

story
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
55%
9%
The story in the game is described as inconsistent, with some players finding it intriguing and engaging, while others consider it dull and poorly executed. Many reviewers highlight issues with the quest and objective system, noting that it can be confusing and lacks clear direction, which detracts from the overall narrative experience. Despite the beautiful visuals and atmospheric elements, the storytelling often feels shallow and unfulfilling, leading to a mixed reception among players.
- “Beautiful visuals, nice music, a good story, and challenging gameplay.”
- “I'm really liking the game, the art is beautiful and the story is gripping.”
- “The story is intriguing and keeps you interested.”
- “The story is hit or miss.”
- “On the one hand you've got amazing visuals, moody atmosphere, great character designs & wonderful ambient sounds, but on the other hand there's sluggish controls, bad pacing, shallow gameplay, and genuinely lacking story pay-off.”
- “Sometimes you have a main quest that literally skips 2 side quests that you had to do to progress, but the quest says nothing about them, so you stand like an idiot in front of the locked door.”
gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising the beautiful visuals and engaging puzzles, while others criticize it for being repetitive, sluggish, and frustrating due to awkward mechanics and poor pacing. Stealth and platforming elements are seen as shallow and lacking depth, leading to a sense of monotony, although the atmosphere and story have been appreciated. Overall, while the game shows promise, many players feel it falls short in delivering a satisfying gameplay experience.
- “Beautiful visuals, nice music, a good story, and challenging gameplay.”
- “The stealth sections add a layer of tension to this overall very mysterious world; things are not given to you straight away, a refreshing change given the current trends of assisted gameplay in other games.”
- “This game is a complete piece of art and a lovely tribute to classics like Flashback or Another World with a cool twist using stealth mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is absolutely boring and repetitive.”
- “The guidance on where to go in this open world is pretty lacking, so there's lots of wandering about. This, combined with the sluggish and slow gameplay, makes many parts of the game feel like you're wasting time.”
- “The way the game tries to add variety is by changing the actual level design, but the problem is that the core stealth gameplay is always one-dimensional and requires the same approach.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
25%
17%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful visuals, moody atmosphere, and unique art style, often compared to comic book aesthetics. While many players appreciate the stunning environments and character designs, some note that the gameplay can feel repetitive and sluggish, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the visuals are considered the standout feature, enhancing the game's appeal despite some gameplay shortcomings.
- “Beautiful visuals, nice music, a good story, and challenging gameplay.”
- “The best part of the game is the graphic style.”
- “Nice chilling game, beautiful art and graphic style.”
- “For the first 5 hours or so, I didn't have any big problems with the game. Yeah, it was a little repetitive, but the visuals and the world-building were interesting enough to keep going. I mean, the game is extremely pretty in some locations; I was just spamming that F12.”
- “Also, I kind of miss the manual edge grabbing from the genre. You know, like not going up, but manually going down. I really wish I could do that, even just for the visuals.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its beauty and effectiveness in enhancing the overall experience. The dynamic music in the hub area stands out, and sound cues for exploration add to the enjoyment. Overall, the soundtrack complements the visuals and gameplay effectively.
- “Beautiful visuals, nice music, a good story, and challenging gameplay.”
- “The music and effects are also quite good.”
- “The dynamic music in the hub is pretty great!”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, despite the availability of fast travel once unlocked, as navigating the areas can still feel cumbersome.
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “While there is fast travel available, the overall navigation and grinding through areas feels tedious at best.”
- “The amount of grinding required to progress is overwhelming and detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its stunning visuals, moody ambiance, and impressive character designs, complemented by immersive ambient sounds. However, this is undermined by sluggish controls, poor pacing, and a lack of narrative depth, particularly as the latter half shifts focus to frustrating platforming mechanics that detract from the overall experience.
- “On one hand, you've got amazing visuals, a moody atmosphere, great character designs, and wonderful ambient sounds.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is visually impressive with great designs and a captivating atmosphere; however, it suffers from sluggish controls and poor pacing, leading to a shallow gameplay experience and a lack of meaningful story payoff. Overall, while the ambiance is enjoyable, the depth of character development leaves much to be desired.
- “Very enjoyable game, I liked the character design and overall ambiance.”