![]() There are recurring characters in the world, too, who often have shifting, secretive motives. Each of your friends has their own sidequest that digs deeper into their story and rewards you with a slightly improved combat skill. Most important is Proshka, the demon who has manifested himself as a feline and is a strong candidate for Cat of the Year. A few companions join you at your izba (your home), offering lively conversation and a special ability in battle. Sometimes her decisions are yours to make, and your choices may come back to haunt you down the road.īlack Book is drenched in rich stories and characters. Despite being unsure how much I should have rooted for her to complete her schemes, I was still invested in her story or at least always interested enough to see where she’d go next. For every charitable deed she does, she makes a decision that’s equally harmful in the cause of advancing her own goals. She’s not so much anti-heroic as she’s a-heroic. Attempting to rescue her husband from Hell has the sound of a fool’s errand, and her decision to take up the black book is not necessarily selfish, but it’s probably a longshot. But despite giving in to the dark side, she’s generally a good-natured person who wants to use her ill-gotten power to protect humans from the demons who pester them. There’s always a weighty downside to being in league with Satan, so you get the sense that her journey’s end might come with grave consequences. Vasilisa makes for one of the more conflicted protagonists of recent memory. Vasilisa has a devil of a time gaining her dark powers. Taking place in late 1800s Russia on the cusp of the Communist Revolution, Black Book takes you on a storybook journey into dark myths and folk legends of that time period, involving demons, curses, and sorcery. Black Book puts that system to good use, serving up a variety of cards with which to conquer your demons. You could call it a Slay the Spire-like, pairing a similar card-based deck-building combat system with a much stronger narrative. The game is structured like a roguelite, but also has much in common with more traditional turn-based RPGs. So, Vasilisa makes a deal with the literal devil, with the goal of retrieving her hubby to bring him back to the Earthly realm. Kolduns must make a certain pact to receive their magical abilities. Of course, that power comes at a great cost. So Vasilisa finally accepts her inheritance, taking up the black book of spells and the dark power that comes with it. Buried in a nameless grave in unconsecrated ground, he’s destined for Hell. Though she’s resisted taking up the family business, her husband’s death pushes her over the edge. In Black Book, by developers Morteshka, you take on the role of Vasilisa, a koldun (a witch or sorcerer) in a family line of kolduns. Black Book comes at you like a bat out of Hell, putting you in the shoes of a character whose power comes from Satan himself. Games rarely give you a brush with straight-up evil as your starting point. It was at one point a breath of fresh air for a medium so full of white knight characters, and even anti-heroes have become stale over the years. Having the choice of good or evil deeds has become an almost expected feature in video games, especially RPGs.
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