Starena
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Starena
Game
Game2023
The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales
Developer DO MY BEST
The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales is a 2023 adventure game developed by Do My Best Games and published by TinyBuild Games. Players steal items from dimensions where books are real, blending elements of point-and-click adventure games and role-playing video games. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
226 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
88
LovedLoved
165 positive · 22 negative
95% range 83–92%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 165 | 22 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 9 | 0 | 21 |
| Lemmy * | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Mastodon * | 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
774 of 859 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
88% recommend · 163 yes, 22 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 185 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (2,603 of 2,847 positive).
Players praise the game's unique concept and artistic style. [1][2][3] Many find the story and worldbuilding compelling despite weak combat. [4][5][6] Some reviewers note the linearity and lack of meaningful choices. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [19]
Bookwalker is one of those games that break my heart to give a thumbs down. It is not a trash game and it's not broken, but it's also so uninteresting and bland that I cannot in good conscience give it a good rating. Long story short, Bookwalker is a point-and-click game disguised of what else you want, with a veneer of choices matter but that actually doesn't, and with a minimal but intrusive addition of J-RPG …
- [1]
The Bookwalker is a unique, story-driven game with a strong artistic style. It focuses on story and atmosphere and offers a short, well-paced experience. 🎚️ Difficulty 🔲 My grandma could play it 🔲 Easy ☑️ Normal 🔲 Hard 🔲 A challenge to be reckoned 🔲 In the heat of confrontation, (Only PVP games) 🗺️ Graphics 🔲 MS Paint 🔲 Bad 🔲 Meh 🔲 Normal 🔲 Very Good ☑️ An original artistic direction 🔲 Beautiful 🔲 …
- [4]
Where The Bookwalker falls short in production value, sound design, and mediocre combat it more than compensates for in visual design, world building, dialogue and narrative. Each episode (book) introduces players to a unique twist on a classic myth or literary bestseller. Finally, the story builds an overarching theme about artistic expression, novelty, plagiarism and the status of fictional characters within human …
- [2]
I bought The Bookwalker on a whim and ended up loving every minute of it. The game offers such a creative and unique experience by letting you dive directly into different stories and interact with them in ways that constantly feel fresh and imaginative. Every world has its own personality, and exploring them was genuinely exciting. The atmosphere, writing, and overall concept pulled me in immediately. It’s the kind …
- [7]
I recommend it, but you should choose to play it understanding that despite the appearance of the game it's a very linear story with a very specific sequence of events and character development that you can do little to impact. It's more like a normal point-and-click game in how the game flows than something like Telltale or Disco Elysium or whatever. Good: * Novel chapters with unique environments, concepts, …
Summarised from 34 of the 224 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
The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales sits at 88% positive across 187 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
On Metacritic, The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales received positive reviews for Windows but mixed reviews for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Rock Paper Shotgun enjoyed the premise, but they felt The Bookwalker runs out of ideas after several hours. They also criticized the writing and combat as bland, though they suggested it would be a good game to play on a subscription service. Windows Central said post-launch patches had fixed the issues they had with the game, and they praised the premise, art, and what they felt was a "simple yet effective gameplay loop".
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 226 · most liked firstNew Gamepass Announcement for June / July. June 22 Need for Speed Unbound (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S) The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales (Console and PC) June 27 Bramble: The Mountain King (Cloud, Console, and PC) FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) June 29 Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town (Console and PC) July 3 Arcade Paradise (Console and PC) July 5 Sword and Fairy: Together Forever (Console and PC)
neutral · AI labelView post →Weekend PC Game Deals: Bundled high-ends, Anno to try, and taxes to evade. Big Deals - Cyberpunk 2077 – $35.99 on Steam - Exoprimal – $32.99 on Fanatical - DayZ – $26.99 on Steam - Attack on Titans 2: Final Battle – $25.79 on Fanatical - Dying Light 2 Stay Human – $25.17 on Gamebillet - Red Dead Redemption 2 – $23.99 on Steam - Marvel's Midnight Suns – $23.99 on Steam - NINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection – $22.69 on Indiegala - Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop – $20.99 on Steam - DYNASTY WARRIORS 8:…
neutral · AI labelView post →Bookwalker is one of those games that break my heart to give a thumbs down. It is not a trash game and it's not broken, but it's also so uninteresting and bland that I cannot in good conscience give it a good rating. Long story short, Bookwalker is a point-and-click game disguised of what else you want, with a veneer of choices matter but that actually doesn't, and with a minimal but intrusive addition of J-RPG style combat. Between chapters you'll have to navigate some boring and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →26) The Bookwalker I'm not gonna say much. Just play it. A brilliant hybrid of RPG and adventure game. You should be playing it. store.steampowered.com/app/1432100/...
positive · AI labelView post →[Humble] Humble Choice: November 2024. ### Games ### * **Cassette Beasts** * Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator * Hexarchy * KarmaZoo * **Persona 4 Golden** * The Bookwalker * The Lamplighters League * **Warhammer 40,000: Darktide** ### Extras ### * 50% off Humble Store coupon for Lamplighters League - Nocturne * 65% off Humble Store coupon for Imperial Edition Upgrade - Warhammer 40,000: Darktide ### Info ### * Autocharges existing subscribers on Tuesday, 26th November. * Warhammer 40,000…
neutral · AI labelView post →I don't understand why every story-driven game nowadays feels so compelled to add a pointless combat system that does nothing other than disrupting the flow.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Bookwalker is a unique, story-driven game with a strong artistic style. It focuses on story and atmosphere and offers a short, well-paced experience. 🎚️ Difficulty 🔲 My grandma could play it 🔲 Easy ☑️ Normal 🔲 Hard 🔲 A challenge to be reckoned 🔲 In the heat of confrontation, (Only PVP games) 🗺️ Graphics 🔲 MS Paint 🔲 Bad 🔲 Meh 🔲 Normal 🔲 Very Good ☑️ An original artistic direction 🔲 Beautiful 🔲 Masterpiece 📚 Story 🔲 This game has no story 🔲…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My Playtime: 18.5h (100% achievement, finished the game) Grindy Achievement(s): No. Optional Achievement(s): Yes (~27 achievements). Difficult Achievement(s): No. Intro The Bookwalker is a narrative adventure game where you play as a thief who goes into books. It is played similarly to a point-and-click game, except that it's more narrative-based. Pros: - 7 chapters - Chapter select - Slight amount of freedom in finishing each chapter however you want Cons: - No manual save - Some chapters…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Maybe it’s corny. Maybe it’s trite. I don’t care. I love, and will continue to love, media about the process of creating media. Books about books, films about films, games about games and the act of creating them. Bookwalker was always going to hit me in a happy place, is what I’m saying. The Bookwalker is an adventure game set in an alternate reality where writers are beholden to the writing police and have the ability to physically move through books. When our protagonist, Etienne, faces…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The book walker is exactly as it says in the title: you walk, and that’s it. There’s some cool, very conceptually lovely books to visit and a great overall story, but a lack of gameplay elements as you go through the most barebones combat videogaming has to offer and the most 1-sided point-and-click use-the-tools puzzler available that squanders any creative thinking, pushing a linear, 1-solution answer to all of them. The game does give you a few choices to be made, but don’t feel like they…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Where The Bookwalker falls short in production value, sound design, and mediocre combat it more than compensates for in visual design, world building, dialogue and narrative. Each episode (book) introduces players to a unique twist on a classic myth or literary bestseller. Finally, the story builds an overarching theme about artistic expression, novelty, plagiarism and the status of fictional characters within human psychology.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We just reviewed The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales by @do-my-best.bsky.social, a great 2023 narrative game that got trapped in our backlog: bit.ly/VGG-Bookwalker Check it out (part of the Steam sale & on Game Pass)! Shout out a recent #IndieGame you think got overlooked. 👀 We're trying to see 'em.
neutral · AI labelView post →Hmm.. underwhelming indie game, this game's concept is extremely unique, however it felt flat when executed. As such, some books are not memorable and I felt like it was more of a drag than exploring it. If the ending was stretched and more ambitious, it could've been a great game and make up for the less interesting books. Also, things you loot tend to not show of any importance... it's extremely pointless to min max the game.. considering how combat is super easy. I would recomend it to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales - Launch Trailer | PC, Xbox, PlayStation.
neutral · AI labelView post →Heya folks, here's a 2nd short featuring The Bookwalker. I've finished the 2nd mission in the game, and am just about to start on the 3rd. I made it through this mission without having to fight anything too, surprisingly. #thebookwalker #videogames #indiegames #adventuregames #shorts #gameplay
neutral · AI labelView post →On the artistic side it made me think of Disco Elysium ; the music and overall mood are very good. I really like the choice of books/stories they decided to tell. I didn't understand everything about the world of the game. I feel like we only scraped the surface of what this world has to offer, like a premise to something bigger. But they couldn't fit everything in the game because of limited budget/time/people. Gameplay is very basic and everything is on rails but it's short, smooth and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wish there was a meh option for this because it's not a bad game per say, it just doesn't work for me. I don't want to give it a thumbs down so I'll recommend it but with caveats. I think the art style is absolutely beautiful and the switching between worlds/perspectives is done well. A lot of care clearly went into the level design and the idea/worldbuilding behind the game is fun (I think it could lean more into a love of books/writing) but I found the dialogue clunky and not very fitting…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →7.5/10 Short nice game. Its worth getting at sales. The art is really beautiful. The game doesnt have any voiceacting or great soundtrack That would have made it much more immersive. Story is pretty linear and your choices dont change much other than couple characters ending. Overall good experience. Good game for an indie title.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I took the opportunity to start a new game after Mafia and I end up playing The Bookwalker, which I had been eyeing for a while now. Still on the first mission and I’m already stuck on a decision 🙂 Goodness, this game is fun! 🥹😂
positive · AI labelView post →hi everyone! 🌟 as part of my subathon goals, i'm giving away steam codes! the games up for grabs are Monster Prom 3: Monster Roadtrip, Venba, Persona 4: Golden, The Bookwalker, and Ghostrunner 2. HOW TO ENTER: 🌟 follow me on twitch 🌟 join the community discord 🌟 (optional) follow me here & retweet
neutral · AI labelView post →I want to start off by saying I do like the idea of the game. It is totally playable and most of the puzzling/detective work is relatively enjoyable. The combat I found a pointless addition, with the game often straining the plot to include it. The first person segments are a neat novelty at first, but also feel a bit underdeveloped. Overall though, this is a narrative forward game where the narrative simply isn't very well executed. There aren't any translation errors per se, and it's…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a hidden gem. PROS + The story and setting is extremely unique + the gameplay is great + Puzzles are not hard + unique blend of 1st person and izometric views CONS - Alot of backtracking - when you know what to do (replaying for achievements) Books can be completed in <5min - most of the loot serve little purpose with how easy the combat can be NEUTRAL ° characters are not voiced, but make sounds which is way better than having characters be completely silent with just text
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A good short indie game. I liked the story, the visual and the sound, but the combat part was "ok" at best - it's has very primitive turn-based fight system. Still, it's mostly a puzzle + adventure game, so the combat wasn't that important.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I feel like I probably should have done a little more research before purchasing this. The main gameplay sections are nearly intolerable and the writing is abysmal. I know the writing being a little poor is kind of the point, but still, there's almost nothing interesting about the game outside of the main dilemma and the peculiar mechanics of this world. Unfortunately, that's not really enough to keep me engaged, as most of the game doesn't really deal with those facets.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Thank you everyone for coming by stream! The Bookwalker was a very interesting game. Oddly enough (or not oddly enough) a game about books as a lot of reading in it, but I'm getting into it. Thank you @kuddlydragon.bsky.social and @morguemothvt.bsky.social for the raids! #vtuber #envtuber
neutral · AI labelView post →Pretty nice short point and click adventure. Looks beautiful, cool different locations to explore. Has some JRPG-styled combat, it's pretty simple, but it works. Overall a good game. If it looks interesting - I encourage to try.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought The Bookwalker on a whim and ended up loving every minute of it. The game offers such a creative and unique experience by letting you dive directly into different stories and interact with them in ways that constantly feel fresh and imaginative. Every world has its own personality, and exploring them was genuinely exciting. The atmosphere, writing, and overall concept pulled me in immediately. It’s the kind of game that reminds you how inventive storytelling in games can be. I went in…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The art and music of this game are great, but it's a shame how bland and inconsequential everything else is. You venture through 5 different books that are clear references to real books, taking major plot points and items from said real books and implementing them straight into the game. This isn't entirely a bad idea. Yet, the developer has stated before that they are all original. I don't understand why. It's obvious to anyone who plays the game that this simply isn't true. If it's a joke,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Writers writing about writers writing is a well-trodden area of all facets of art and entertainment. This game was fine. Had some nice art, and the gameplay was point-and-click adventure with occasional turn-based combat. The puzzles didn't feel particularly difficult, nor did the combat overwhelm. It was a nice experience that I probably won't revisit.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wish I could recommend this game. Idea is great, but execution is very shallow. I liked music and art, but "puzzles" and progression were quite linear and simple. Plus the game is kinda on the short side and replayability for farming all achievements is extremely tedious and uninspiring.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had many issues with this game, but perhaps my pettiest nitpick (that nonetheless bothered me to no end) is this: the protagonist, a writer, likes to complain about poorly-written characters by other authors, and fancies himself a much better writer. This is ironic, because he himself is one of the worst-written characters I have ever seen in published media. The irony could make for some fun meta commentary... if it had been intentional, that is. Unfortunately though, I don't think this…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Boring and shallow. Annoying to play.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Bookwalker, a narrative game that mixes isometric point and click maps with first person sections, focusing on puzzles and deduction. So far I'm loving the story and the writing seems solid. Full game comes out tomorrow.
positive · AI labelView post →Heya folks, here's a 1st short featuring an indie adventure game called The Bookwalker by DO MY BEST and tinyBuild. I started on this one last night, and it's quite interesting so far. I like the mix between first person and isometric gameeplay. #hebookwalker #videogames #indiegames #shorts
neutral · AI labelView post →Combat either should have been a bigger focus of the game or removed entirely, the overarching storyline isn't that interesting, the lack of any actual puzzles just makes this a go one place - click something - walk back - click something else kind of game, and the ending is so sudden and just kinda happens... Still, there's something about the world and ideas, and a couple of the books have some interesting ideas going on too. It's short enough, and looks good too, that I didn't mind playing…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I recommend it, but you should choose to play it understanding that despite the appearance of the game it's a very linear story with a very specific sequence of events and character development that you can do little to impact. It's more like a normal point-and-click game in how the game flows than something like Telltale or Disco Elysium or whatever. Good: * Novel chapters with unique environments, concepts, characters and stories * Overarching mystery that you gradually figure out as you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Bookwalker delivers an engaging narrative that more than makes up for its mechanical shortcomings. While its attempts to refresh point and click gameplay fall short due to systems that never fully come together, the worldbuilding, dialogue, and overall story are compelling from start to finish. The premise is creative, the meta elements are intriguing, and the blend of exploration, puzzles, and strong writing creates a memorable experience. Choices narrow a bit later on and the combat can…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I didn’t expect to do it, but hey, one last game finished on the last day of October 🫡 #TheBookwalker
neutral · AI labelView post →God it's boring... The trappings are alright, but the writing/pacing/mechanics are tired. Combat is passable. A skeleton of a game. Could be good - just ain't.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →⋆⭒˚.⋆ Jan 05- Jan 11 ⋆⭒˚.⋆ Totally not late We keeping the week simple well also trying to return to our normal schedule. Thanks to a friend we have a new game to play, The Bookwalker, I look forward to playing it with all of you Friday shall be a work/study with me evening with some lofi energy
neutral · AI labelView post →Last week @monozaki.bsky.social gave away some Steam keys in his Discord and I grabbed The Bookwalker. I just finished it. It was a very good game. Not difficult at all but a really interesting story and maybe a 5-6 hour playthrough. I really enjoyed it.
positive · AI labelView post →That wizard was out of spells, but not out of shells!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Excellent puzzle/mystery/diorama game with fantastic music and dialogue. I'm honestly shocked by how good this was with my low/no expectations going into it. Basically you go into a book and do some detective work to figure out what's going /where to procure the object you must obtain for your client. You can search pretty much anything and common objects can help you craft something useful for exploring or combat. Controller worked flawlessly and there were no crashes or bugs. Takes about 8.5…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love how thematically different the different worlds are. Feels like a Disco-lite, which scratched the itch I've been having for that game. The setting is gorgeous.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dude, I give up. I should’ve asked for a refund last year. Tried to play back then and got a black screen right at the start, but I thought they’d fix the bug eventually or that maybe it was my PC. Now I’ve got a brand-new rig that runs almost everything on max settings, and the same problem is still there. Got almost 2 hours on Steam without actually playing a thing. Still stuck with the same black screen. It’s beyond frustrating.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Etienne Quist was a successful author until he committed an unspeakable crime. He is sentenced to writer's shackles for thirty years. Unable to write something of his own, he needs to work off his punishment at one of the publishing agencies doing monotone work. To escape this ordeal, he turns to not-so-official means. The boss of the criminal underworld offers him a series of jobs with the promise of releasing him from the shackles. All he has to do is enter a book and steal a legendary item…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Bookwalker is a cool title that surprised us when we played it for Game Club. Check out our episode here: tvgp.tv/v2/2023/08/2...
neutral · AI labelView post →For my latest double indie game review, it's two very different adventure games with The Bookwalker and Stasis: Bone Totem https://youtu.be/Eu3X-93sOCM
neutral · AI labelView post →"The Bookwalker" (the other game) looks pretty interesting too. Now I just need to put D4 down long enough to play another game
neutral · AI labelView post →Solasta DLC, Hifi Rush, and Elden Ring mostly. I'll be trying The Bookwalker later.
neutral · AI labelView post →[Xbox Game Pass] Need for Speed Unbound, Bramble: The Mountain King and more join Xbox Game Pass. cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/PCGaming/t/63014 > Joining: > > * Need for Speed Unbound (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X|S) EA Play – June 22 > * The Bookwalker (Console and PC) – June 22 > * Bramble: The Mountain King (Cloud, Console, and PC) – June 27 > * F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – June 27 > * Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town (Console and…
neutral · AI labelView post →I have nothing but praise for this game. The art style, level design/gameplay, and the characters are all amazing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Which is more real -- the world you are born in or the worlds you live in? You create, though at what cost, and what are you willing to give up for... love? You travel through books, because you need to write... but you are shackled. In your way, there are many. Beside you, there is one. Are they just characters, or real people in their own worlds? Your choices in the game do not matter, but they can affect you, because the characters in the books you traverse, including Etienne whom you play…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales (2023) You play as Etienne Quist, a novelist who lost his ability to write books. He does have a special power - he can enter stories and remove items from them. You work for a underground black market boss who promises to help restore your ability to write if you help him recover certain items from different stories. I have to say, this is a really cool idea for a video game. You get to experience different stories in one game, just short enough to learn…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game features a very tasteful concept and maintains a strong pacing throughout. When it comes to the story and characters, there are a few minor flaws that could have been improved through certain in-game situations or more refined dialogue. The overall length felt just right, and the game never drags unnecessarily. The environments are excellent, and the core concept of a writer entering books to steal artifacts is incredibly unique and engaging. I am not sure I have seen anything quite…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →there's some great pieces here, a fun world, great environments. But also ludonarrative dissonance. We listen to how important neighbors are, but then regardless of any player action are forced to 'forget' to return key items or favors. Rather than going anywhere this arc gets completely discarded. Likewise, early missions hint that we have autonomy in our decision to help the characters or exploit them; but you don't really have a choice with most missions having 1 forced outcome. There's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO i love this game it's so beautiful and has everything that i personally love in a game. COMBAT, BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENTS, GREAT SOUNDTRACK, INTERESTING CHARACTERS, COOL PREMISE, SICK AS HELL UI i love it thank you for making this i will be continuing this. If you like games like death's door or smushi come home or uhhhh cool games you will like this probably we are the same.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This got this game because it looked like disco elysium but Christ all mighty this was so good even better than disco elysium if I do say so myself at this point I just want more it if it makes sense or not
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is built on a highly original concept and is very well crafted.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A quaint game with an amusing premise. Not original but very well executed. There were definitely some frustrations (like the walking speed of the character) but I found it to be a fun little excursion and particularly enjoyed the ending of the game. While I don't think it's going to win any awards for originality, it has a charm that I'm sure old-school adventure players will appreciate, and there's a degree of challenge to be had in the combat (or not combat) mechanics of the game. It's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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