I have been following Morteshka’s Black Book for a while, since its Kickstarter campaign in fact. There is a little-known fact about me, in that I am absolutely enthralled by all things Witchcraft-related. From fantasy media involving witches to occult documentaries and even reading about the myths and legends about witches, I am deeply invested. As a result, Black Book’s dark fantasy take on Slavic mythology and witchcraft, scratches the itch in a deeply satisfying way.

Black Book is a card-based, narrative-focused RPG in which you play Vasilisa, a young woman who takes up dark magic in order to find a way to bring her deceased beloved back from Hell. Vasilisa is an orphan, who was raised by a man named Egor, who taught her the ways of the Koldun (Slavic for Witch). In Slavic myth and in the world of Black Book, witchcraft is used for more than just the dark arts.

Witches are consulted as liaisons between our world and the realm of the spirits. From hellish demons to nature spirits and beyond, Black Book handles more than just witchcraft. In fact, Black Book also goes into detail on how Christianity warped and altered the practice of pagan rituals, religious doctrine, and Slavic folklore. Vasilisa acts almost as something between a Priestess and a Sorceress, blessing things for innocent people while cursing those who do horrid deeds.

Vasilisa must break the seals on the titular Black Book in order to have her wish granted. Of course, as with all things, the tale makes you wonder the price for this particular wish. What dark power has she bargained with? What will she have to sacrifice to achieve her goals?

As you can likely guess, this religious duality of dark magic juxtaposed with good deeds leads to a fair bit of choice involved. In fact, several of Black Book’s central mechanics involve the accumulation (or absolution) of sin. Sin serves as a resource that can affect dialogue and can even affect the ending you get at the end of your journey in Black Book. Good deeds can absolve sins while doing bad deeds can give you sins.

At first glance, the game seems like a pretty standard narrative-driven RPG. However, the developers did a great job at making it feel as though you are learning the path of the Koldun just like Vasilisa. As you progress, talking to townsfolk, spirits, and even demons, you get bits of folktales and legends. By reading these and learning from them, you can solve various problems the various characters have, sometimes without having to fight.

The morality system also comes into play with a mechanic known as the Pester. As a witch, Vasilisa has imps known as chorts that serve her. However, they get bored if they aren’t doing something. As a result, you can either send them to terrorize other people or Vasilisa will be tormented by them. If you send them out, you will accumulate money but also Sin. On the other hand, if Vasilisa is tormented by them, each Chort she keeps idle will debuff her abilities in some way.

Thus, you are constantly trying to balance whether you want to be as free of sin as possible or whether you need Vasilisa to be in fighting shape. Over time you can get items and abilities that offset this issue, but it can be tricky. Luckily, the developers offer a “skip battle” option, which allows you to automatically complete a battle that you deem too tough to handle.

Personally, some may call this cheating. However, I think it is a great accessibility option for people who may need to get through a battle quickly or for those who are having difficulty with a fight. There are several types of fights as well, which can change the way you play. Vasilisa can also gather herbs that she can use in battles for various effects, which can make combat easier.

There are puzzle battles, where you have a certain number of turns and a pre-determined set of cards to use. There are also timed battles, where you only have a certain amount of turns but can use your normal loadout. Then there are wave battles, where you may have to fight several waves of enemies at once. The combat is challenging, but there are a variety of difficulty options in case you’re new to card-based systems or just want to experience the story. Alternately, you can turn up the difficulty to harder modes if you find that you want a bit of a challenge.

Black Book is a game that really challenges your brain. From strategic combat to navigating the various choices and puzzles presented to you, I find that it is probably one of the more thought-provoking indie titles I’ve played. Combining puzzle elements, combat with actual weight, lots of lore, and moral quandaries that lead to new endings and changes to the story, Black Book weaves a fantastic tale.

The progression systems at play are interesting as well. You gain new cards from winning battles and unlock a set of cards each time you break a seal. Also as Vasilisa levels up from battles, answering questions correctly, solving quests, and beyond, she gets skill points that can aid in making various aspects of gameplay easier.

The atmosphere in Black Book is fantastic as well. The music is well done and is authentic, even utilizing Slavic folk songs to great effect. The visuals are great as well, blending spooky elements with gorgeous environments. Honestly, Black Book was well worth the wait, and playing through and experiencing Vasilisa’s journey has been a treat.

However, there is one issue that I found. Some of the text on the screen is very dark, and for people with visual impairments, it can be hard to read. Additionally, it might be nice to have the opportunity to make the font bigger or to give it a standard font so that people with issues reading script or exotic fonts have an alternative.

Overall, if you like card-based battle systems, dark fantasy, RPGs, or even just want to dabble in the dark arts a bit, Black Book is perfect for you. While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I think it is well worth your time. The story is filled with Slavic myth, fairy tales, and even a few heartwarming tales thrown in. The characters are pretty fun too, so if you like learning new things or just enjoying fun characters, give it a try.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Black Book was provided by HypeTrain Digital for this review.

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Black Book

$24.99

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Variable Difficulty
• Lots of Authentic Lore
• Strategic, In-Depth Combat
• Beautiful Dark Fantasy Aesthetic Based in Slavic Myth
• Interesting Characters and Story With Multiple Endings

Cons

• Some Text Should be Brighter
• No Text Adjustment Options for Font or Size