Roguebook Review

Waking up one day and discovering that you are trapped in a book may be some people’s idea of a good time. However, if you found yourself trapped in the Roguebook, well… let’s just say that it will take a real card to help you survive the situation.

Roguebook is a roguelike deckbuilding game that boasts proudly of the creative pedigree behind it; stemming from the developers of Faeria, as well as Richard Garfield: the creator of Magic: The Gathering. Now that’s name-power! 

The game begins as one of our main characters, Sharra Dragonslayer, wakes up inside the Roguebook. A wise old sage (also trapped within the Roguebook) tells Sharra that she must gather her strength, and her party, in order to challenge the monsters in the book and free themselves from its clutches. 

Gathering a party is easier than it sounds. Your party consists of only two characters, and the remaining two available characters are unlocked as you fight your way through the story. As this is a deckbuilding game, each character has their own unique deck that will provide a different function within the party. For example, Sharra is all about attacking quickly from the front, whereas Sorocco has cards heavy on defense. Finding the two characters, and decks, that you most enjoy synergizing is half the fun of the game.

When the game description says roguelike, they mean roguelike. A lot of the core gameplay mechanics are randomized, with even the map itself requiring you to collect ink and paint it into existence. Oftentimes, you will receive different types of ink as a reward for defeating enemies. Revealing spaces on the map can uncover helpful items such as money, treasure, or spots to draft new cards; it can also reveal more baddies to fight, or helpful gemstones and items to buff your characters and cards. 

The deckbuilding has that element of randomness as well. Finding deckbuilding boxes will cause three random cards to pop up, allowing you to choose one to add to your deck, however, you can buy specific cards from the shop as well should you manage to save up enough gold. 

The gameplay consists of running your character around the hexagonal overworld map and using your limited stock of ink to strategically reveal as many nooks and crannies as you can. Fighting enemies, collecting useful items, and eventually challenging the page’s boss to move on to the next area. 

You interact with your deck of cards during battle. Here you have a certain amount of points available to use the cards in your deck. Some cards cost more than others, so it is important to plan ahead to maximize damage output and minimize damage taken. There are several interesting card mechanics that will do things like summon minions to help you attack or defend, or create a card you can use once every turn. 

Roguebook’s difficulty curve is steep, so don’t be discouraged if you find yourself restarting frequently. The game is pleasant enough graphically and has a fun background soundtrack, however it does suffer from long load times. If deck-building games really float your boat, you’re sure to find some fun inside the Roguebook.