Roguebook is a roguelike, turn-based strategy game developed by Abrakam Entertainment and published by Nacon. It is like Hades, but in a fantasy setting. The game revolves around a magical book, which the characters are trapped in. The goal is to fight through this book and escape.
The main characters of Roguebook include Sharra Dragonslayer, Sorocco, and Seifer. Sharra is the only human of the trio, and the de facto leader. Sorocco is a red catfish with a Russian accent. He is the first companion Sharra gains access to and is good for dealing lots of damage to foes. Seifer is a rat who is the largest companion. Like Sorocco, Seifer excels at damaging opponents.
In addition, there is one more character Sharra meets. Naddim is an elderly tanukichi introduced at the beginning. He acts a shopkeeper, allowing the fighters to purchase cards that will aid in combat.
Conversely, if the player requires helpful items such as a brush, ink, coins, or hearts, they must search for them. Coins are the currency of the game and allow the player to purchase cards from Naddim or in the cube-shaped kiosks around the level. Hearts heal the health of the player. These items can be acquired throughout each level and after defeating certain enemies. To utilize brush and ink on the Nintendo Switch, this can be done by pressing X to use the brush, and Y to use the ink. Certain types of ink can only reveal a set number of spaces. However, if the player runs out of ink but has a brush, they can still expand the area around them. This same mechanic works if the player does not have a brush but does have ink.
Equally important to Roguebook is the combat. Each round, the player is given several cards. Each card depicts certain actions the characters can perform in battle. For example, if Sharra is in the party during a fight and there is a card that reads lunge, the player can select this card and Sharra will lunge at her enemy. Each card has a corresponding number. The lower the number, such as zero or one, the more of those type of cards one can play. If the card has a two or three attached to it, then the player will have to decide if they can play that card during their round.
However, the player can only use so many cards per turn. For example, at the end of each turn, it is best to try to shield whichever fighter is in front, so they do not take as much damage. If the fighter in front is wounded, this shielding is especially important. If the player has already played a three card, they may be unable to use the shield or block card.
Because this is a roguelike game, whenever the player dies, they return to the same place they began. They also lose all items previously held before their death. Additionally, the game does not allow the player to save. This is especially frustrating if the player is at full health shortly before a boss fight.
Roguebook is available on PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
For more information, visit: https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/roguebook-switch/
I am a college student studying English at Michigan State University. My first video game was Icewind Dale I for the PC and I’ve been playing games ever since. Whenever I’ve had a particularly difficult day, games such as The Sims help me unwind. Some of my favorite games include the Bioshock, Fallout, Mass Effect, Wolfenstein, and latest Tomb Raider series.
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