The Last Soldier of the Ming Dynasty
The Last Soldier of the Ming Dynasty
Game
Game2023
A Guidebook of Babel
Developer StarryStarry
A narrative-driven puzzle adventure game with the butterfly effect at its core. Board the Babel, a mysterious cruise ship that takes you on a whimsical journey to the afterlife. Use a special pen to help fellow travelers fulfill their wishes by rewriting the past, changing how the future unfolds. From the Steam store page
166 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
79
LovedLoved
118 positive · 31 negative
95% range 72–85%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 118 | 31 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 4 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
135 of 165 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
80% recommend · 122 yes, 30 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 152 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (1,637 of 1,809 positive).
Players praise the game's unique butterfly effect mechanics and heartfelt story. [1][2][3] Some reviewers find the puzzles too easy or the gameplay too linear. [4][5][6] Several posters note issues with the English translation and localization. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [5]
This isn't a game so much as a slightly interactive story. You have a list of restrictive tasks to move the plot forward and must execute them without exception. This could have easily been a cartoon or something else. Honestly couldn't wait for it to be over. Edit: Wrote this review before actually rolling credits. This game does not respect the player's time to the very end. Such a tedious slog! Save the money and …
- [1]
What a wonderful game. Definitely a highlight of 2023 for me. I don't think I've ever played a detective game where each puzzle was set out so well. I could see the pieces lining up as I found them, and when it was time, putting them together to discover what to do next was incredibly satisfying. Too many mysteries rely on twists that you can't see coming to try to surprise you or subvert expectations - this game is …
- [10]
What is death? What will be our biggest regret when we die? Who will take us over in the after-life? While the art style of A Guidebook of Babel is cute and casual, under the cover, the game is handling such a heavy topic - death and love. With perfect portion of humor along the journey, the game moves you, but won't make me sad, left with warmth in my heart. Almost no one had an easy life in the game, but they are …
- [7]
A very charming game that I enjoyed a lot despite it's issues! For starters, the negatives: -The translation, which either gives the impression of being by a less experienced ESL or by machine, does cause some of the dialogue to be choppy. I thought it was enjoyable and understandable enough, but it might cause issues for some. -The TL did, however, clearly not get checked over by a native English speaker, as a slur …
- [2]
This game is a journey. A journey that is a mix of time and space travel, afterlife exploration, touching stories of intertwined human destinies, darker, subtle references to real history events and political factions, script writing and butterfly effect wrapped in cheery, surrealistic cartoon graphics and quirky unique backgrounds… … Nothing of which I was able to pick up from simply glancing at the game page. I’m …
Summarised from 34 of the 171 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
A Guidebook of Babel sits at 79% positive across 149 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Reactions
60 of 166 · most liked firstBuyer alert: it’s a point-and-click adventure and has the same pitfall as many other similar games: you get stuck really often. There are too many clues / things / characters, and overlooking some seemingly minor thing may prevent an important event from triggering. Like not taking a turn or not talking to random character in the crowd or not talking to a character you already talked to, whatever. And don’t be fooled by the overbearing and long-lasting tutorial that seems to explain everything!…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →14 Exciting New Games Coming to Nintendo Switch - August 2023. These lists are rarely complete, but it's a good way to get a glimpse of some games. - Adore - August 3rd, 2023 - A Guidebook Of Babel - August 3rd, 2023 - GigaBash - August 3rd, 2023 - The Rewinder - August 10th, 2023 - Moving Out 2 - August 15th, 2023 - Die After Sunset - August 17th, 2023 - Vampire Survivors - August 17th, 2023 - Bomb Rush Cyberfunk - August 18th, 2023 - Blasphemous II - August 24th, 2023 - Sea Of Stars - August…
neutral · AI labelView post →What a wonderful game. Definitely a highlight of 2023 for me. I don't think I've ever played a detective game where each puzzle was set out so well. I could see the pieces lining up as I found them, and when it was time, putting them together to discover what to do next was incredibly satisfying. Too many mysteries rely on twists that you can't see coming to try to surprise you or subvert expectations - this game is proof you can make a coherent experience that just lets itself unfold and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's Sunday which means it's time for a game #giveaway! Simply follow, comment, and repost this post to be entered to win a copy of A Guidebook of Babel on Steam. I will choose the winner by random draw via Bluesky Raffle at 7pm UK time on the 27th July 2025 (that's tonight!) Good luck!
neutral · AI labelView post →A Journey Through Time and Destiny!ヽ(´• ω •`)、 Intro : In the vast and ever-evolving landscape of the gaming world, there are titles that stand out not merely for their graphics or mechanics, but for their ability to captivate players with intricate narratives and mind-bending puzzles. One such gem that emerged from the shadows of 2022 is "A Guidebook of Babel," a story-adventure game that boldly weaves the concept of the butterfly effect into its very core. Developed with a flair for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Epic] We Were Here Together, Beacon Pines, [Epic Games Mobile] A Guidebook of Babel. Claim All https://store.epicgames.com/purchase?offers=1-aa7a9b99dac643b1acd565509a4ca2be-9a8572c74bf94274a5495f1c6f148b2e&offers=1-aa7a9b99dac643b1acd565509a4ca2be-dc0cf71b51bb442691d795e854bea7f8 We Were Here Together was already given away. Use this link if you have it. Claim everything but WWHT…
neutral · AI labelView post →This isn't a game so much as a slightly interactive story. You have a list of restrictive tasks to move the plot forward and must execute them without exception. This could have easily been a cartoon or something else. Honestly couldn't wait for it to be over. Edit: Wrote this review before actually rolling credits. This game does not respect the player's time to the very end. Such a tedious slog! Save the money and buy something else.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →More a visual novel than a puzzle game. Almost 30 minutes of filler dialogue between puzzles.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i like the idea, i just dont like story based games that have me doing/watching the same things over and over i know how to solve the puzzle but the game wont let me until we come back later at some point cause i need to do this way first... most of this game is trying to rewrite...............................................failed to activate and i think thats a bad idea
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Guidebook of Babel is an overambitious project that fails to deliver on its own ideas. It aims to be a complex, dialogue-heavy, time-altering adventure, but the lack of strong writing, editing, and polished design quickly becomes apparent. What could have been an intriguing narrative experience instead turns into a frustrating and joyless one. At its foundation, the game does have potential. The world is imaginative and bizarre in an interesting way—ice-cream-cone plants harvesting memories…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wish Steam had a "mixed" recommendation option, because I am very on the fence with this one—I'm only picking "not recommended" because the majority of the reviews are positive. There are both things I really like and things I really dislike in this game. This game has a very whimsical setting that is fun to explore. Another reviewer called it "Pratchett-esque" and I 100% agree. There are a couple of things that sort of broke my suspension of disbelief (the game is set in a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Guidebook of Babel is an overambitious mess. It's glaringly obvious that the developers didn't have the resources for proper writers (or editors) to pull off a dialogue-driven plot laden with lore. Nor enough experienced programmers to implement a complex time-altering multi-thread adventure game. Foolhardy, maybe admirably, they took it all on themselves, and failed spectacularly. A pity, since, foundationally, there's potential. The fantastical world is bizarre and imaginative enough to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would give a mixed review instead of a purely "Not Recommended" one if it were an option. I think that A Guidebook of Babel is probably a skip for most adventure game enjoyers but it did have a number of redeeming qualities. I enjoyed the concept of the timeline-changing mechanic, and the charming artstyle and surprisingly deep worldbuilding added a unique character to the game, However, the game was not actually particularly fun to play. The lack of logical consistency of the puzzles and the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a journey. A journey that is a mix of time and space travel, afterlife exploration, touching stories of intertwined human destinies, darker, subtle references to real history events and political factions, script writing and butterfly effect wrapped in cheery, surrealistic cartoon graphics and quirky unique backgrounds… … Nothing of which I was able to pick up from simply glancing at the game page. I’m not even sure how I ended up with a demo for it. Probably was going through…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's potential, but it's poorly implemented in my opinion, and there's way, WAY, too much dialogue (that barely make sense, I suspect the Chinese developers to have used an automated translation service for this). For the sake of me I can't understand the story at all, even if it's not the main part of the game, it ruins the interest you can have for the puzzles, at least for me. The puzzles themselves are fine, but sometimes are so far-fetched that it reminds me of these old point-and-click…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →June 2024 Humble Choice. https://www.humblebundle.com/membership/home | Game | Steam Link | |-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Risk of Rain 2 | https://store.steampowered.com/app/632360/Risk_of_Rain_2/ | | Knights of Honor II: Sovereign |…
neutral · AI labelView post →Amazing setting, solid story, very cute art and character design, pleasant soundtrack and incredibly boring game. I feel very conflicted because in the beginning this game had so much to offer and it became bland and uninteresting right after two or three levels and that's kinda sad actually. Hopefully, dev team will come up with something better in the future
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has a unique gameplay and tells a hilarious story, but for players like me who don't want to think too hard, I had to look up guides or try things over and over. I feel like some of the cause-and-effect situations are a bit of a stretch. Also, the game's backstory could totally have a plot that matches the main story, or even something more plain. Why does that mother-daughter duo have to be so tragic? Maybe the writer didn't have a chance to shine in the main story, so they just…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So many people are giving this recommends despite not actually liking the game. While I'm sure there's an audience of people who would like it, I'm oddly not one of them, despite usually loving these sorts of find-the-right-timeline adventures. The story's not bad either, I like most things about the game in theory. But it's slow and clunky with a long and overbearing tutorial that I left still a bit confused on some things. If you can bear the flaws it'll be fine. It's not bad and resonably…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is currently in the Humble Choice for June 2024, and this is part of my coverage of the bundle. If you are interested in the game and it's before July 2nd, 2024, consider picking up the game as part of the current monthly bundle. Point-and-click Time manipulation A Guidebook of Babel focuses on the afterlife where people get sent after passing away. In the game, you have certain quests and goals and have to achieve them by going back in time and rewriting the story. You can only…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What is death? What will be our biggest regret when we die? Who will take us over in the after-life? While the art style of A Guidebook of Babel is cute and casual, under the cover, the game is handling such a heavy topic - death and love. With perfect portion of humor along the journey, the game moves you, but won't make me sad, left with warmth in my heart. Almost no one had an easy life in the game, but they are not trapped in the past, life goes on. It's hard to describe how i feel…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First of all, I would like to state that despite its cute art style which to me resembles that of a children’s storybook, this is not a suitable game for kids! The story touches upon mature and heavy themes despite the generally light-hearted tone and there are instances where characters use moderately strong language, not to mention that the puzzley gameplay would be too complicated for most kids to handle. The game seems geared towards adults or older teens, or perhaps younger teens who are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"A Guidebook of Babel" is a handheld (Nintendo Switch)/console game that's also been put on Steam as a bit of an afterthought, as it's very much designed for the handheld/console gaming audience. It's a quirky point and click adventure game with a gimmick where you can rewind time a little and restructure events using a magic "pen". While this is an interesting spin, it's been done before, and it isn't revolutionizing the old, tired, and mostly obsolete point and click adventure genre. One…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very cool puzzle game about manipulating a timeline full of interesting characters to complete quests
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i'm sad to say i just don't find this game fun! the tutorial is very long and ends up feeling more confusing than anything else. like, the achievement for "you have finished two quests" (and they are both heavily tutorialized) has under 50% of players. that's pretty damning imo. i hope a lot of people are loving it -- the reviews are good! -- but want to make sure people who don't click with it don't wander past the refund point without some additional info.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I personally did not enjoy this game. It's too slow to be enjoyable as a visual novel and too easy to be enjoyable as a puzzle. Notably, you're hand-held for the puzzles and if you figure them out early on you're still forced to slog through the hand-holding anyway. This aspect made me stop playing the game about 2-3 hours in.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is fine but it's a confusing, time altering mess with way too much dialogue
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I cannot fathom why this game has overwhelmingly positive reviews. Stuck on the *first* non-tutorial puzzle. I know exactly what I have to do, but I can't do it because ????. I am reminded of "Guess the verb" of old interactive fiction. Possibly linked to trying to play using a controller, the control scheme is arcane. Whatever. I very much didn't like the presentation enough to try harder. I like difficult games. I don't like games that make it difficult to play
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Guidebook of Babel sure has some issues making a decent first impression. It takes its sweet time setting everything up; understandable, given how there's a slew of playable characters with varied backgrounds, with each of them requiring an introduction, but this is still a problem. What's less understandable is the game's inability to properly explain its key gameplay system, thus introducing completely unnecessary friction. I'm fully convinced that this is something that could've and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Guidebook of Babel is a story-rich puzzle game where you follow several characters on their journeys aboard a ship after their deaths. This game's art style is what sticks out most to me. It's so colorful and filled with personality, and it made it a joy to progress through the world. I especially enjoyed the characters, all unique and interesting in their own ways. The story was surprisingly heartfelt, which was a pleasant surprise. This is still a cautious recommendation though, as the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has undisclosed sexual content. One of characters backstory includes prostitution for 20$ Otherwise the game is nice. But because of the aformentioned prostitution, i wont give it to a kid
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a roller coaster of a story. The solving mechanics of progressing was unique, and I loved the concept of using the butterfly effect and going back to previous stories to change the future. The notebook feature was especially great, as it helped you step by step by asking questions that you had to figure out and would lead you to what you have to do.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I hope my afterlife is actually this one
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very charming game that I enjoyed a lot despite it's issues! For starters, the negatives: -The translation, which either gives the impression of being by a less experienced ESL or by machine, does cause some of the dialogue to be choppy. I thought it was enjoyable and understandable enough, but it might cause issues for some. -The TL did, however, clearly not get checked over by a native English speaker, as a slur got through in Braith 6 in reference to the CSS vehicles. Would LOVE to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Puzzle Pizzazz Humble Game Bundle bit.ly/4kDRweW Cumulative all-time low $97.71 $12 for 8 games (includes lower tier) - Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery - The Star Named EOS - The Entropy Centre - The Abandoned Planet $8 for 4 games - Paper Trail - A Guidebook of Babel - Homebody - Kingsgrave
neutral · AI labelView post →I really wanted to like this, the art style and focus on some humor sounded good, but it's just so tedious. The puzzles don't follow much for clear logic, it takes almost 30 minutes to get through the tutorial and then it's just...boring.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Completed the entire game, only missing a few collectables. Overall a very adorable, sweet, funny, and enjoyable game. The writing, however, despite not originally knowing the country's origin is very obviously... Chinese. It's hard to explain it, but some of the characters' reactions to things and some of the story beats are kind of off from someone very fluent in American, European, and Japanese media. Not to mention the English localization being VEEEERY spotty at points. It felt like AI…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a quirky adventure in a fictional world where souls are processed for the afterlife in a special bureaucratic facility, and there are unique and surprisingly functional time shenanigans mechanics. Worth playing for the unique setting alone, and the heart wrenching storytelling brings it up to a perfect score of four out of four mementos, barely.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really fun puzzle game with interesting mechanics. Most of the puzzles were well crafted enough where I didn't really feel stuck with only 2-ish exceptions. I liked the way the story was told, jumping back and forth in time -- something that is relevant to the main mechanic of the game of re-writing events.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →KAMGUSTA's mini Review An amateur point-and-click adventure more awful than a sunday lunch with all the family while still in hangout from the saturday night before. The perceived dizziness is the same. Artwork is childish. Gameplay is clunky. Story is uninspired. Developer is... unexperienced to say the least. Do not touch it even with a stick. Best played with mouse Recommended buy price 1$ Score 4,5/10
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was pretty confused by the tutorial (and some of the UI decisions), but once you're in the actual game it's pretty easy to figure out how to play, and the story, characters, world-building, and visual style are very much worth it. A really cool story about the journey to the afterlife, the people going there, and the people who make it happen!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoy the game. An interesting game with unique play style, definitely recommended. I like all the characters in this game. I wish to know more about the other characters past. My favorite characters here is the Thomas brothers and Pattio.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a hidden gem.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A cute game about helping serendipity along through altering various links in the chain of events. The dead in this universe gather on a Pratchett-esque ship just before reincarnating, attended to by a supernatural crew not too dissimilar from a normal cruise line staff. All is not well however, as reluctant reincarnees butt heads with security, ambitious middle managers arrange crisis opportunities and slivers of a vaster world makes itself known through the politics of this wierd afterlife's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It has some interesting ideas. It tries so hard to be original in every way, buck all conventions, and in the end, this was what drove me insane. The interfaces made no sense. I knew what I was trying to do, but fighting with the bizarre conventions they used make what should have been a clever story into something frustrating and un-enjoyable. I love point and click games, but trying to wrestle with the goofy "memory stage" or whatever was just painful.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of the best puzzle/avg games I have played. At first it feels weird..but once I accepted its setting, all the plots and puzzles have been really fun (and touching) Kudos for the developing team
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wow, wow, wow. Stunning story. Both endings are epic. You can replay all the chapters so in the case that u’ve missed something there’s no need to repeat all the game. It’s super well written and the mechanics are super well executed. A really good adventure with an incredible story. Both graphics and music are perfect. Perfect game to train your memory as one of the mechanics is to rewrite the information of some objects to try to obtain more info and more events to unlock the butterfly…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I take a few issues with the labeling of this as a puzzle game, its a linear story-game with very light puzzle elements. That's not in itself a bad thing, but I was hoping for a bit more puzzle bite to it, similar to the Sexy Brutale. This is not that type of game. That said, its a cute little story that is a little heavier than expected. The characters are endearing and the story is clever and fun while still respecting the weight of it being an afterlife story. My biggest complaint is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Guidebook of Babel is a mind-bending masterpiece that will keep you enthralled from start to finish. This puzzle game is a work of art, with cleverly designed levels that will challenge even the most seasoned gamers. The game's unique mechanics and clever writing will have you thinking outside the box and laughing out loud. But what truly sets A Guidebook of Babel apart is its incredible storytelling. The game's narrative is expertly woven, with a main storyline that's both engaging and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was such a pleasure to explore!! I loved the characters, the art, the music, and all of the gameplay mechanics. The game was a good length for the price and I never found my attention wandering. Some of the puzzles took me longer to work out than I'd like to admit, but despite the fact that the game doesn't fully hold your hand I was never left feeling lost for too long. 10/10 game and I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys graphic novels and puzzles :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a cute puzzle game and the core feature of "rewriting the timeline" is a satisfying mechanic. The note-taking/deduction mechanic is also well implemented; if you're on a roll and don't need any help, you don't have to engage with that at all, but if you get stuck those note/deduction pages are there to not blatantly say what to do next but allow you to literally piece together a plan to go forward. I never laughed out loud, but often I had a smile on my face while playing. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Grab A Guidebook of Babel for FREE on Epic Games (mobile)👀 Want more free game alerts? Subscribe to my YouTube channel and join my Discord link in bio!!! #freegame #epicgames #fyp #viral #mobile
neutral · AI labelView post →I genuinely had no idea what this game was going to be about. I liked the art style and it was point and click so yeah why not. It really isn't my type of game but am I glad I gave it a try. It can be a bit hard to get the hang of the game, and sometimes my idea was in the right place just not the right time. I really enjoyed it, it was a surprise because I decided to throw caution to the wind and just go for it and it was so worth it. If you like puzzles and stories that gradually connect to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →50/50 on this. The setting is really interesting and I like being able to rewrite what happened in previous chapters. On the other hand the dialogue is really amateurish and feels like it was put through a translation program instead of done by a professional. The characters don't feel like they're conversing, and are instead just stating things to eachother. Sometimes they'll randomly refer to themselves in third person. Why is Pattio (a grown woman) walking around calling out for her "Mommy…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an AWESOME game! Non-linear storytelling and it's so fun and the worldbuilding is so creative! How on earth did they think up all this and then program all of it, this is a masterpiece of a game Haven't completed it yet but I just love it so much till now <3
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Game Bundle] Puzzle Pizzazz Bundle. $8: | Game Name | Steam Link | |----------------------|------------| | Paper Trail | https://store.steampowered.com/app/1889740/Paper_Trail | | A Guidebook of Babel | https://store.steampowered.com/app/1467920/A_Guidebook_of_Babel | | Kingsgrave | https://store.steampowered.com/app/2644360/Kingsgrave | | Homebody | https://store.steampowered.com/app/1959350/Homebody | $12:…
neutral · AI labelView post →Game suck. Have no idea how the game mechanics works. Really bad game design.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →At the start of the game I had high hopes. I really like the art style and the vision of the developer. Unfortunately half way through the story, the repetition and repeats of the same level became frustrating. I really tried to like this game, but in the end I wouldn't recommend it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very cute art, great music, introduces an interesting time-travelling and rewriting mechanic, and fairly logical. It is a bit simplistic, and maybe best suited for kids, but it has a compelling-enough story and experience that I had a good time playing through myself. Also, contrary to other reviews, you can make progress in the storylines without filling out the deduction notes completely; I've done so multiple times. The notes are mainly there to help you if you're stuck. Rewriting an event…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A cute, short narrative story about life, death, and the struggle of moving on. This is more of a walking simulator with light puzzle mechanics then a game. However the story and erratic cast of character kept me playing until then end. Although the story touches briefly on some deep topics about death, don't expect anything too profound. Overall: 6/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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