Avenger Bird
Avenger Bird
Game
Game2021
Black Book
Developer Morteshka
Black Book (Russian: Чёрная книга) is an adventure role-playing video game, developed by Morteshka, which created The Mooseman, and published by HypeTrain Digital. The game was released on August 10, 2021. Taking place in 19th century Russia, the game is heavily inspired by Russian and Komi folklore and is based on Bailichkas. To ensure the authenticity in depiction of myths and real-life locations, the developers… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
234 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
83
LovedLoved
146 positive · 29 negative
95% range 77–88%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 146 | 29 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 15 | 0 | 41 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
1,330 of 1,528 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
83% recommend · 152 yes, 32 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 184 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (6,234 of 6,765 positive).
Players praise the game's deep immersion in Russian folklore and Orthodox theology. [1][2][3] Some find the story engaging but note the gameplay can feel repetitive or shallow. [4][5][6] The deck-building combat is considered enjoyable by many, though not as robust as other games. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [6]
to preface, i don't normally leave reviews, so despite the negative rating, it's still a noteworthy game that I suggest people play if they have a shred of interest in slav folklore and card games. i could really tell that the creators put a lot of effort into into this. its a work of passion... unfortunately, sometimes that isn't enough. it is simply too dragged out. I am 25 hrs into this game and just about …
- [1]
Great, full of Russian folklore and the rare video game depictions of Orthodoxy and Orthodox theology. For believers: you can avoid sin, which is counted in the game, and bring a positive impact to many people. Highly recommend for the atmosphere, style, art, and folklore. not a fan of card battle games, but i really enjoyed this.
- [3]
Excellent (and surprisingly long) folklore deck builder with a unique setting, blending late 19th century Russian history with the rarely discussed Finno-Ugric culture and legacy in Russia, including the region Perm where the game is set. First and foremost, I have to applaud the game for the fantastic writing! The story is absolutely amazing and the game is packed with well-written characters, funny moments and …
- [10]
It’s a charming mix of dark folklore, card-based battles, and exploration. The story pulls you in quickly — you step into the shoes of a young occultist trying to win back her love by diving into the world of spirits and demons. The atmosphere is spooky but never takes itself too seriously, and the art style is super cool. The card combat is easy to learn but has enough depth to stay interesting, and the quests are …
- [2]
Black Book is such an extraordinary game! The storyline is interesting and thought provoking, the gameplay really relies on the players knowledge and understanding of the folklore provided, it is challenging enough without being unplayable and the art style blends traditional and modern art with th sense of the period and region beautifully. This is truly a special tribute to the real stories, myths and folklore …
Summarised from 34 of the 231 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 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Black Book sits at 83% positive across 175 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Rock Paper Shotgun found that while the card battles were sometimes ill-balanced, they praised the game for its specific approach to Russian folklore, stating that it was where it "shows its heart".
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 234 · most liked firstGame Engine Black Book: DOOM v1.2 Game Engine Black Book: WOLFENSTEIN 3D v2.2 The Book of CP-System v1.0 Free pdfs, high-quality 80g premium color prints, PlayStore, and source code are now available. fabiensanglard.net/three_books_...
neutral · AI labelView post →to preface, i don't normally leave reviews, so despite the negative rating, it's still a noteworthy game that I suggest people play if they have a shred of interest in slav folklore and card games. i could really tell that the creators put a lot of effort into into this. its a work of passion... unfortunately, sometimes that isn't enough. it is simply too dragged out. I am 25 hrs into this game and just about completed half of it (that is with all side objectives, reading all lore texts,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great, full of Russian folklore and the rare video game depictions of Orthodoxy and Orthodox theology. For believers: you can avoid sin, which is counted in the game, and bring a positive impact to many people. Highly recommend for the atmosphere, style, art, and folklore. not a fan of card battle games, but i really enjoyed this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a deckbuilder game with a decent and fleshed out storyline. It's not a deep story but it's really well told in an entertaining way. It gets pretty cinematic at times. Even the side stories were always entertaining. There is a lot of Slavic folklore around witches and demons which was cool to learn about. You have to pay attention and read a lot because dialogue options often reflect what you learned before. There's no penalty for getting things wrong, you just get more XP when you get it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tbh, game is quiet good in the start - the lore and the premise is perfect but i do feel like the story is TOO long. The momentum it built went down the drain as tasks became too repetitive. Sad though as the game is promising.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My latest indie developer interview is with Morteshka, the team behind the Slavic RPG Black Book and the recently released One-Eyed Likho, a game similarly rooted in Slavic folklore. Read the full thing here: www.gtogg.com/News/en/Insi... #indiegame #indiedev #gamedev #interview #slavic #folklore
neutral · AI labelView post →Black Book is such an extraordinary game! The storyline is interesting and thought provoking, the gameplay really relies on the players knowledge and understanding of the folklore provided, it is challenging enough without being unplayable and the art style blends traditional and modern art with th sense of the period and region beautifully. This is truly a special tribute to the real stories, myths and folklore that make up the Slavic traditions, a treat for any history buffs or slavic pagans!…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Someone who claimed China was better off as a semi-feudal semi-colony and had family there, someone bringing up the Black Book of Communism as a source on China Bad, someone who referenced the Wikipedia page title "People's Democratic Dictatorship" to claim China has a sole dictator, etc.
neutral · AI labelView post →It's a Russian deck building visual novel where choices kinda matter. [ + PROS + ] * Great atmospheric sound * Neat simplistic look * Cool slavic mythos and folk tale references * Interesting 'sins' mechanics (could've used more implementation, but the idea itself is pretty neat) * Can play it with ENG / RU subs and voices [ - CONS - ] * The deck builder is clunky and the amount of keywords provided is silly for how simple the combat usually is * The camera in some 'free roam' segments behaves…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oh, the creators of Black Book have released a demo of their new folklore game One-Eyed Likho and boy is it atmospheric, merging stories from various folklore. store.steampowered.com/app/2346840/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Excellent (and surprisingly long) folklore deck builder with a unique setting, blending late 19th century Russian history with the rarely discussed Finno-Ugric culture and legacy in Russia, including the region Perm where the game is set. First and foremost, I have to applaud the game for the fantastic writing! The story is absolutely amazing and the game is packed with well-written characters, funny moments and spectacular twists and turns. The setting itself is one of the game’s best…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have played this game on pirate version and completely loved it, so've bought on steam as well Just 10/10 - would recommend
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"Black Book" - although the project is punk, postmodernly ironic, and accessible in the light format of a visual novel, it does something completely unique for us - it allows us to experience this core, authentic magical Russia that we didn't witness. And you were telling me that "Hellblade" is a "simulator of walking through an ethnographic museum." Nothing of the sort! If "Hellblade" is a simulator of anything, it's psychosis, and the bizarre and painful perception of the eschatological…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very genuinely stunning game. I am not usually a fan of deck building games, but this one kept me thinking about my strategies while continually evolving in complexity with each "Seal", the games story acts, across which the story evolved alongside, introducing new characters at a manageable pace while throwing in twists that change the players relationship with the existing ones. The simple poly artstyle is used to breathtaking effect in some scenes, as the absolute control the developers…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tonight at 7pm CST, I'm continuing our story in Black Book, a game I tried out during my Streamiversary. I play a woman whose fiance is in hell, so she becomes a witch to pull him out. If you're interested in a dark story full of Russian Orthodoxy myth, lore, and history, come join me tonight!
positive · AI labelView post →Psst, One-Eyed Likho, a first person kinda horror game by the developers of Black Book, revolving around the myth of Cyclopses in different cultures and more is on sale on Steam! store.steampowered.com/app/2346840/... - very atmospheric, highly recommended!
neutral · AI labelView post →Fun deck builder with good story. Very easy to break the game. They made a Slay the Spire inspired endless run. It is not worth buying it does not add much and is very buggy.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →so there's this game on steam called Black Book which is this Eastern European mythology thing which is actually really cool at least what I played so far is cool
positive · AI labelView post →It’s a charming mix of dark folklore, card-based battles, and exploration. The story pulls you in quickly — you step into the shoes of a young occultist trying to win back her love by diving into the world of spirits and demons. The atmosphere is spooky but never takes itself too seriously, and the art style is super cool. The card combat is easy to learn but has enough depth to stay interesting, and the quests are fun with some great characters along the way. It isn’t perfect — a few bits…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short review; subject to change or replacement later. Black Book is a dark and gritty cardbased RPG that follows a young girl on her journey to battle monsters and save the world. It’s steeped in Russian folklore and theology, with a strong atmosphere and a wellcrafted narrative for what it sets out to be. Unfortunately, the gameplay didn’t quite hook me. The card mechanics felt a bit shallow and lacked the depth I was hoping for. Still, it might resonate with others ,especially if you enjoy…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very lovely game with great atmosphere. You can really feel the nature of people from the time od 19th century of Russia. A lot of mythology and folkloric stuff around. Love it! But some puzzles can be challenging.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No stream tonight, folks. I'm taking a rest after a sleepless night, a panicked scramble to make it to a job interview on time, & a therapy session. Should hopefully be back tomorrow if physical therapy isn't too rough. Probably play another chill game like Black Book or DREDGE. #Vtubers #Vsky
neutral · AI labelView post →Absolutely rules. You do have to treat it as kind of a mysterious game, since it's translated *and* it's deeply about the culture it's translated from, but if you have any kind of an interest in Russian folk traditions and Christianity and paganism and syncretism you're probably gonna want to buy in at full price. On the flipside, if you're Christian and not super comfy with the occult you may have an Extra Bad time here. Or you might be fine. It's a testament to how strong the writing…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You probably already know it but in case not, there’s a very good Paul Verhoeven movie, Black Book (2006), starring Carice van Houten (Melisandre from Game of Thrones) as one of those women
neutral · AI labelView post →After I couldn't find them in Japan (for an acceptable price, f* you Super Potato) I had to import these beauties. For #RandomGameSaturday you should know, that there's a really good fan translation of Black Book you can go and play right now. Hee-Ho!
neutral · AI labelView post →The referenced game is a core memory to me, so it was nice to come across this! 🥰 🔗 www.tiktok.com/@virvavalkea... 🔗 www.youtube.com/shorts/-1RvH... #Vtuber #VtuberClips #VSky #Zelda #BlackBook #IndieGames
neutral · AI labelView post →The game is being review bombed for political reasons. It's a good game and players should ignore the political context. Otherwise, they don't deserve good games.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We need a series like @fabinou.bsky.social's Game Engine Black Books (fabiensanglard.net/gebb/index....), but for compilers. Let's start with "Compiler Black Book: Chez Scheme"…who wants to write it?
neutral · AI labelView post →An incredible game, if I had to describe it in one word - it would be magical. Sure, the graphics and animations are kinda bad and the story starts really slow, but in spite of all this, it is still a great game. Despite the graphics, the game still produces a beautiful picture (especially at the last chapter) and despite the slow start, the story IS good, even if some plot twists are kind of obvious. But the best part of the game, in my opinion, is the setting. The setting is very unique…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tough to rate this. The premise is interesting, the gameplay is decent, and the window into a section of storiytelling and mythology that we don't often see in English is very interesting. It's very dragged down by the writing (not great), and the voice acting (atrocious). I may finish it, but it's a very middling game overall.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Copy of GAME ENGINE BLACK BOOK WOLFENSTEIN 3D in coffee #1 if you wanna little casual light reading with your mocha froppacinno
neutral · AI labelView post →Just finished this game today. I have been playing this game from time to time for over a year. to me, i am really conflict about this game. there are times i really wants to give up on it as it is so dull and boring to play, but there are also time i found it truly intriguing as it delve well into the genre of folklores. That is Black Book for you, a game as very distinguished merits and flaws. I played this game for 35 hours, try to read carefully into all the entries and dialogues. there…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the main element of the game, the card battling, just kinda sucks. And all the other aspects of the game, like the story, inventory mechanics, cutscenes, dialogue, are not interesting enough to keep you engaged or motivated to deal with the ♥♥♥♥♥♥ card game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a really rewarding experience. If you are someone who enjoys folklore, this will be a goldmine for you. The deck-building is quite enjoyable, and maybe it's not as robust as other deck-builders, but it feels truly purposeful, given the narrative/folklore driving the reason behind it and so it's a lovely experience putting together a deck that has synergies and will suit you best in an area and your play-style. The tone and lore here stay with you. I see some folks are not wild about the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →didnt realize this game is by the designers of my beloved BLACK BOOK!!!! BOUGHT!!! store.steampowered.com/app/2346840/...
positive · AI labelView post →Completed the game the first time around as the "bad" witch and I just have 5 achievements left to get while I do my second playthrough for the good ending. It was fun and I really enjoyed playing around with the different cards you can get and get a good synergy going with your play-style. So far it only seems like the most popular card builds revolve around Waste and Curse so I don't see how you can make more viable builds without them but hopefully that's just my style lol. The game seems…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's an adventure game where you move from clearing to clearing along a map with encounters and then card based battles! :) if you've played anything like Black Book or Inscryption it has elements of those in it, with handpainted scenes and creatures and characters !
neutral · AI labelView post →Riot Games’ 'Arcane' proved that MOBA video games can fuel hit animated franchises. Now, Moonton Games is partnering with 'Ne Zha 2' animation studio Base Media and The Little Black Book Studios on a 'Mobile Legends: Bang Bang' animated adaptation. www.cartoonbrew.com/series/mobil...
neutral · AI labelView post →An exploration of a mythological / historical culture wrapped around an unfortunately poor game. Combat and deckbuilding are simple and uninteresting. Event options are often unclear on outcome, resulting in random guesses rather than rewarding choices. Experience dialog decisions require hunting through the encyclopedia which I found frustrating. Traversing the map it's easy to miss a side location with no way to return to it, which is needlessly punishing. Perhaps this is a good…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →On Chapter 3 and really enjoying it so far! The mythology is interesting, the variety of 'gimmicks' in the enemy fights are good, it's really satisfying when you build up good synergy with your cards and when you level up. My hot tip: Have English subtitles and Russian voice. The English voice acting is embarrassing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →my new fanart from 'Black Book' is a game. I enjoy playing Black Book. It is a good game when I draw my Wacom tablet, so my hand is cold. lol #blackbook #witch #russiamyth #game #gamefanart #fanart
positive · AI labelView post →I like that the game plays with a mixed Christian theme with the choice of being 'righteous' (though not entirely), instead of it being a full witchy game of being the most wicked spawn of Satan; the game (which I'm sure is based on history) seems to play the middle ground where Christianity is trying to make its mark, and while some people are taking to it, they continue to hold onto their past and superstitions, creating a mixing of religion. Achievement Hunters: you'll have to do 2 runs:…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A true hidden gem. Don't let the minimalist surface appearance fool you - it's a solid and long enough game with some great story, artwork, slavic/orthodox Cristian mythology, and truly epic moments despite low poly graphics. I thoroughly enjoyed completing it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not very engaging, repetitive fights and it takes too long before you get to chapter 2 cards.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →📌 Black Book News Mara Brock Akhil show runner for hit shows: The Game, Girlfriends and Forever is releasing her debut novel June 30th! The book follows a women whose perfect life turns into chaos after her boyfriend’s surprise announcement, forcing her to confront her buried past. #blackbooksky
neutral · AI labelView post →I might be too harsh on deckbuilders, but I played too many and I dont care about this genre anymore. The game is very rich in slavic lore and if you are into reading and listening to a lot lore about slavic demons (and I am slavic so this should be for me) go right in. Personally I found the gameplay loop very boring and even though I was interested in the story, I couldnt get myself to play more because of the dull gameplay.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game to learn about slavic mythology. Fun mechanics and amazing mini-game of Durak. All in all a great time!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Happy Time is Meaningless day! I've redone my schedule and I will be streaming tonight. Normally, I'd play Black Book, but I'm leaving it up to the folks in my discord server for today's game. It'll either be Black Book, BG3, or Date Everything.
neutral · AI labelView post →[SPOILER ALERT] [SPOILER ALERT] As a horror fan, I got this game with an open mind wanting to try out something new. By the end of it, I did not expect this game to become one of the most memorable ones I've played so far. Overall, I'm more than pleasantly surprised, I'm very pleased. What I like the most about the game: There's so much that I like and appreciate, but it's most definitely the story arc and the world-building. At start, I knew nothing about Russian folklore, but the game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My essay on the absolutely fantastic Russian folk horror game BLACK BOOK, which offers profound meditations on history, identity, folk belief, colonialism, morality, grief, and much more. It's one of the most writerly games I've played and I could have written so much more than these 5k words.
positive · AI labelView post →Very fun, great dialogue, voice acting, and pronunciation. The story is engaging, but there is a lot of reading that you shouldn't skip over if you want to fully enjoy the game. The writers are good at incorporating any and all information you learn into the actual game play in fun ways. The turn-based attack system is pretty standard so far, but I'm only on chapter 1. I'm learning a lot about folklore from my own culture and always enjoy stumbling across something I already knew. I think I've…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My favorite game the year it came out. An incredibly, engrossing story with fun mechanics and a world that makes you truly feel like you are living in that time. A+ I recommend this game to all of my friends.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Right, boppers - word from the street is Shadowrun's coming back swinging. @catalystgamelabs.bsky.social and Black Book Editions drop Anarchy 2.0 this summer, streamlining corporate espionage for when you need less crunch, more running. Can you dig it? l.d20.ninja/2p9x295t #Shadowrun #RPG #Cyberpunk
neutral · AI labelView post →You can tell this is a game made with love for the folk lore it's based on. It doesn't just use it as a plot device or to throw monsters at you. It explains it to you, lets you absorb it slowly. They clearly want to pass on this love to the player. And at least in my case it worked, because I just ordered a book on Russian fairy tales.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a great game full of interesting mythology, but be prepared to read a LOT of lore.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't like this game. For one, I think "card games" like this are a poorly implemented randomization feature that doesn't make sense outside of literal card games. The combat feels like Slay the Spire, but worse, and it forces a janky RPG aspect in between battles where you look for healing herbs and learn Russian or something as you get immersed in devil summoning and praising god's name. I've been wanting to play this for a long time because I thought the battle aesthetic was really cool:…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Another mock thumbnail! This one's for a really underrated game called Black Book. I drew myself as the main character and added some characters from the early parts of the game on the left. #art #thumbnail #BlackBook
neutral · AI labelView post →If you're looking for a semi cozy creepy card battle game I recommend Black Book. It's very lore heavy and the combat is engaging. The story is set post WWI Russia giving it its quirk. #blackbook #indiegame #cardbattle #gog
positive · AI labelView post →So far I'm really into it! So much orthodox Christianity, Paganism, and it feels eerie and a pretty educational too! Learning a lot from it. The battle system is fun (and I think I chose the normal difficulty, which is pretty easy). I reeeeaaaally wish they would keep the Russian voice acting w/ Eng subtitles. Please add this option. It will greatly improve the gameplay for me.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here's my #NintendoSwitch #indiegame highlight for today! 🎮👍🏼 Game - Black Book Developer - Morteshka Publisher - HypeTrain Digital Release date - August 10, 2021
neutral · AI labelView post →
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