The Bookwalker was mildly disappointing. Not greatly, midly. Its setting and premise offered a promise the game couldnt really live up to but it remains a perfectly serviceable game. Im not entirely sure what it is the game messes up but I think I can elucidate a few reasons why I might feel this way.
If you played the demo like I did you might have been excited at the promise it showed. Half first person adventure in the house of a writer who is serving 30 years for an initally unknown crime, half isometric adventure game "atoning" for said crime by entering novels to extract certain artifacts ; hence the title : The Bookwalker.
In this fictional setting original works are no longer produced, the ability to enter worlds and manipulate them (as well as the scheme we are involved in removing elements from certain books to be transplanted into others for the benefit of subpar writers) has led to all new works being highly derivative of each other. And whilst I wouldnt say this is where the game's cleverness ends, it certainly is where it peaks.
I think the biggest missed opportunity is the fact that the novels we enter into are all entirely fictional. Obviously they are fictional since they are novels but what I mean is that they are made up by the writer of the game, they are not real. Its perhaps understandeable that making the novels fictional offers greater lattitude in setting up the various puzzles which the writer can choose entirely but I just cant help but think what a much better game it would be if we were entering the altered versions of classic works! Surely that would also greatly enhance the point of creativity being dead and new works being derivative. There would be a lot of mileage in exploring these works from new angles and clever puzzles somewhat based on an understanding of the original works.
Perhaps copyright law is to blame, there arent all that many novels in the public domain written after 1910 or so but even with older works I still feel it would have made an overall more solid experience.
The in-universe novels arent devoid of cleverness - there are themes of greed, the point of fiction, theres a climate change analogy in one of them and the last chapter I found particularly compelling in its setting but I think the game's second biggest misstep is that for a game about literature its characters are not very compelling nor does it have all that much to say beyond the surface level. The two main characters are not likeable or even very interesting and all the characters in the novels suffer from being 1. only shown in their specific chapters so there's not much time to flesh them out and 2. They are supposed to be 1 dimensional literally in-universe because the books you are stealing from were written by hack writers! Which is the lamest goddamned excuse I have seen to make the somewhat unrealistic function-as-personality that NPCs often have in videogames seem clever. There is also a running storyline through the game that touches up to danganronpa V3 in terms of its themes but without wishing to spoil, its resolution felt very unearned to me.
I have spent a lot of time railing on this game but in all honesty I didnt hate it. Its insubstantiality is also its greatest ally as the pacing is great and fast and did not outstay its welcome whatsoever in the 5 or 6 hours taken to complete it. The adventure game and turn based combat portions work fine and I found the general artstyle and GUI to be excellent, particularly the Isometric sections look gorgeous to my eyes.
The interaction between the two halves comes from the fact that whilst you cannot take anything out of the book for long, you can take anything inside, leading to amusing exchanges asking to borrow your neighbours' pickaxe or sledgehammer etc.
Its not a particularly tough game, in fact I was hoping for slightly meatier puzzles but it was fine, the game employs a semi-optional crafting system which shakes up the usual point and click inventory puzzles by including multiple solutions and a slight resource management element which also rewards diligent exploration of the relatively short levels.
Funny, this exact resource inventory puzzle idea I once saw proposed by Yahtzee Croshaw of Zero Punctuation fame in a podcast I used to listen to back when I was an insufferable teenager, I wonder if thats where the devs got it from?
Overall, Im not mad at Bookwalker, just disappointed. I have since learned this is a gamepass game and I would certainly recommend it if you are subscriber to this service, otherwise I am not too sure but perhaps you will find it more compelling than I did.
If you played the demo like I did you might have been excited at the promise it showed. Half first person adventure in the house of a writer who is serving 30 years for an initally unknown crime, half isometric adventure game "atoning" for said crime by entering novels to extract certain artifacts ; hence the title : The Bookwalker.
In this fictional setting original works are no longer produced, the ability to enter worlds and manipulate them (as well as the scheme we are involved in removing elements from certain books to be transplanted into others for the benefit of subpar writers) has led to all new works being highly derivative of each other. And whilst I wouldnt say this is where the game's cleverness ends, it certainly is where it peaks.
I think the biggest missed opportunity is the fact that the novels we enter into are all entirely fictional. Obviously they are fictional since they are novels but what I mean is that they are made up by the writer of the game, they are not real. Its perhaps understandeable that making the novels fictional offers greater lattitude in setting up the various puzzles which the writer can choose entirely but I just cant help but think what a much better game it would be if we were entering the altered versions of classic works! Surely that would also greatly enhance the point of creativity being dead and new works being derivative. There would be a lot of mileage in exploring these works from new angles and clever puzzles somewhat based on an understanding of the original works.
Perhaps copyright law is to blame, there arent all that many novels in the public domain written after 1910 or so but even with older works I still feel it would have made an overall more solid experience.
The in-universe novels arent devoid of cleverness - there are themes of greed, the point of fiction, theres a climate change analogy in one of them and the last chapter I found particularly compelling in its setting but I think the game's second biggest misstep is that for a game about literature its characters are not very compelling nor does it have all that much to say beyond the surface level. The two main characters are not likeable or even very interesting and all the characters in the novels suffer from being 1. only shown in their specific chapters so there's not much time to flesh them out and 2. They are supposed to be 1 dimensional literally in-universe because the books you are stealing from were written by hack writers! Which is the lamest goddamned excuse I have seen to make the somewhat unrealistic function-as-personality that NPCs often have in videogames seem clever. There is also a running storyline through the game that touches up to danganronpa V3 in terms of its themes but without wishing to spoil, its resolution felt very unearned to me.
I have spent a lot of time railing on this game but in all honesty I didnt hate it. Its insubstantiality is also its greatest ally as the pacing is great and fast and did not outstay its welcome whatsoever in the 5 or 6 hours taken to complete it. The adventure game and turn based combat portions work fine and I found the general artstyle and GUI to be excellent, particularly the Isometric sections look gorgeous to my eyes.
The interaction between the two halves comes from the fact that whilst you cannot take anything out of the book for long, you can take anything inside, leading to amusing exchanges asking to borrow your neighbours' pickaxe or sledgehammer etc.
Its not a particularly tough game, in fact I was hoping for slightly meatier puzzles but it was fine, the game employs a semi-optional crafting system which shakes up the usual point and click inventory puzzles by including multiple solutions and a slight resource management element which also rewards diligent exploration of the relatively short levels.
Funny, this exact resource inventory puzzle idea I once saw proposed by Yahtzee Croshaw of Zero Punctuation fame in a podcast I used to listen to back when I was an insufferable teenager, I wonder if thats where the devs got it from?
Overall, Im not mad at Bookwalker, just disappointed. I have since learned this is a gamepass game and I would certainly recommend it if you are subscriber to this service, otherwise I am not too sure but perhaps you will find it more compelling than I did.
vamos a mais um analise de um game que joguei recentemente The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales analise tambem disponivel em video:
https://youtu.be/C7YgKHz3qzs
Bookwalker é um jogo com foco principal em puzzles, onde controlamos Etienne, um escritor que se arrisca como ladrão e tem a habilidade de mergulhar em livros. Dentro dos livros, Etienne deve roubar o objeto central da história e trazê-lo de volta intacto. É um conceito único que não lembro de ter visto em outro lugar.
Em Bookwalker, também alternamos entre o mundo real e o mundo dos livros que ele rouba. Devo dizer que gostei do jogo, achei legal, mas não me conquistou a ponto de dizer que fiquei apaixonado por ele. Hoje vamos falar dos pontos que considerei bons no jogo.
Começando pela dualidade do jogo, que é um jogo point-and-click com puzzles, mas também um jogo de batalha por turnos. Tudo isso é feito de maneira muito simples no jogo. Normalmente, jogos point-and-click desse tipo costumam ter uma jogabilidade mais complexa, juntamente com o sistema de turno, que também costuma ser complexo. Aqui em Bookwalker, eles são bem simples e bastante intuitivos. Por exemplo, um dos primeiros "quebra-cabeças" que encontramos no jogo é um muro meio quebrado, e você precisa de algo para quebrá-lo. O protagonista deixa uma pista no ar de que seu vizinho poderia ter um martelo, então você precisa voltar ao mundo real, ter uma série de diálogos com o personagem e finalmente obter o martelo para continuar no jogo.
Inclusive, joguei o jogo às cegas, e a mecânica de "entrar" no livro e sair do livro me pegou de surpresa. É uma mecânica que funciona muito bem e é muito diferente. A jogabilidade geral do jogo é bastante intuitiva. Você pode explorar os cenários dos livros, interagir com os personagens e resolver puzzles e enigmas para progredir.
O jogo também conta com bastante texto ou fragmentos de textos muitas vezes. Conforme você avança, eles te dão mais ideia sobre o ambiente em que você está passando, ou até mesmo servem como dicas para resolver algum quebra-cabeça ou simplesmente para dar um pouco mais de profundidade à história. Obviamente, se você prefere jogos de ação ou aventura, provavelmente achará o ritmo do jogo lento. Eu, por exemplo, zerei em cerca de 15 ou 16 horas, o que é um tempo relativamente curto para um jogo no geral. Acredito que facilmente ele possa chegar a 20-25 horas, então é um jogo que uma pessoa não familiarizada com o gênero provavelmente se sentirá um pouco frustrada.
Em relação aos gráficos e à parte sonora, sendo um jogo indie, seria injusto julgá-lo graficamente como ultrapassado. É preciso entender a estética e a ideia que o jogo quer transmitir. Os gráficos e os cenários, por exemplo, são ricos em detalhes e transmitem perfeitamente a ideia de cada livro que você entra. Lembrando que no jogo, se não me engano, são sete livros nos quais você mergulha, e cada um deles tem um conceito e uma execução diferentes. Quanto à trilha sonora, também cada música se encaixa perfeitamente com cada história e cada livro. Então, obviamente, essa parte da trilha sonora para mim é perfeita.
The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales pode não agradar muito o público em geral, seja pela narrativa um pouco lenta ou pela jogabilidade que segue o mesmo ritmo. Mas para mim, ele conseguiu agradar. Apesar de não ser um gênero pelo qual sou apaixonado, como mencionei anteriormente, é inegável o talento apresentado pelo jogo, seja pelos elementos de literatura e jogabilidade, sua narrativa cativante e atraente, jogabilidade intuitiva e gráficos incríveis. Tudo isso cria uma experiência única e criativa no jogo.
Prós:
- Ambientação diferente e divertida.
- Narrativa cativante e atraente.
Contras:
- Sem legenda em PT/BR.
- O sistema de escolhas parece não afetar muito.
https://youtu.be/C7YgKHz3qzs
Bookwalker é um jogo com foco principal em puzzles, onde controlamos Etienne, um escritor que se arrisca como ladrão e tem a habilidade de mergulhar em livros. Dentro dos livros, Etienne deve roubar o objeto central da história e trazê-lo de volta intacto. É um conceito único que não lembro de ter visto em outro lugar.
Em Bookwalker, também alternamos entre o mundo real e o mundo dos livros que ele rouba. Devo dizer que gostei do jogo, achei legal, mas não me conquistou a ponto de dizer que fiquei apaixonado por ele. Hoje vamos falar dos pontos que considerei bons no jogo.
Começando pela dualidade do jogo, que é um jogo point-and-click com puzzles, mas também um jogo de batalha por turnos. Tudo isso é feito de maneira muito simples no jogo. Normalmente, jogos point-and-click desse tipo costumam ter uma jogabilidade mais complexa, juntamente com o sistema de turno, que também costuma ser complexo. Aqui em Bookwalker, eles são bem simples e bastante intuitivos. Por exemplo, um dos primeiros "quebra-cabeças" que encontramos no jogo é um muro meio quebrado, e você precisa de algo para quebrá-lo. O protagonista deixa uma pista no ar de que seu vizinho poderia ter um martelo, então você precisa voltar ao mundo real, ter uma série de diálogos com o personagem e finalmente obter o martelo para continuar no jogo.
Inclusive, joguei o jogo às cegas, e a mecânica de "entrar" no livro e sair do livro me pegou de surpresa. É uma mecânica que funciona muito bem e é muito diferente. A jogabilidade geral do jogo é bastante intuitiva. Você pode explorar os cenários dos livros, interagir com os personagens e resolver puzzles e enigmas para progredir.
O jogo também conta com bastante texto ou fragmentos de textos muitas vezes. Conforme você avança, eles te dão mais ideia sobre o ambiente em que você está passando, ou até mesmo servem como dicas para resolver algum quebra-cabeça ou simplesmente para dar um pouco mais de profundidade à história. Obviamente, se você prefere jogos de ação ou aventura, provavelmente achará o ritmo do jogo lento. Eu, por exemplo, zerei em cerca de 15 ou 16 horas, o que é um tempo relativamente curto para um jogo no geral. Acredito que facilmente ele possa chegar a 20-25 horas, então é um jogo que uma pessoa não familiarizada com o gênero provavelmente se sentirá um pouco frustrada.
Em relação aos gráficos e à parte sonora, sendo um jogo indie, seria injusto julgá-lo graficamente como ultrapassado. É preciso entender a estética e a ideia que o jogo quer transmitir. Os gráficos e os cenários, por exemplo, são ricos em detalhes e transmitem perfeitamente a ideia de cada livro que você entra. Lembrando que no jogo, se não me engano, são sete livros nos quais você mergulha, e cada um deles tem um conceito e uma execução diferentes. Quanto à trilha sonora, também cada música se encaixa perfeitamente com cada história e cada livro. Então, obviamente, essa parte da trilha sonora para mim é perfeita.
The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales pode não agradar muito o público em geral, seja pela narrativa um pouco lenta ou pela jogabilidade que segue o mesmo ritmo. Mas para mim, ele conseguiu agradar. Apesar de não ser um gênero pelo qual sou apaixonado, como mencionei anteriormente, é inegável o talento apresentado pelo jogo, seja pelos elementos de literatura e jogabilidade, sua narrativa cativante e atraente, jogabilidade intuitiva e gráficos incríveis. Tudo isso cria uma experiência única e criativa no jogo.
Prós:
- Ambientação diferente e divertida.
- Narrativa cativante e atraente.
Contras:
- Sem legenda em PT/BR.
- O sistema de escolhas parece não afetar muito.
Очень крутая концепция и мир игры, но, к сожалению, геймплей не представляет из себя хоть что-то интересное. Решаем самые простые головоломки в пределах одной-двух локаций, участвуем в пошаговых сражениях, где на всю игру всего 4 вида действий (3 атаки и 1 защита), а в перерывах читаем диалоги. Проблема в том, что и диалоги эти написано максимально просто. Проходил чисто из-за крутой атмосферы, и, в целом, если не ждать от игры чего-то невероятного, можно даже получить удовольствие.
Starts off really strong and then just kinda... loses itself? There's no better way to describe it. The mystery and intrigue of the story just drop off after two chapters and there's nothing left to replace it. I think The Bookwalker is fine, but it really lost me halfway through and I don't care enough to return.
é um jogo bem interessante, das 6 fases que ele tem eu só gostei de 3, mas ainda é um bom jogo
I enjoyed the conscious artifice and light philosophical quandaries in the literary sub levels, and the diversity of genre settings they use. Each level efficiently evokes its setting in a way that feels familiar without feeling derivative, where I’d actually want to read a few of these books. And then the first person bridge sections and the overarching plot between book levels tie it all together satisfyingly.
a mixed bag. the 3d segments feel straight out of a $3.49 steam game called pizzeria simulator or something (which is especially jarring juxtaposed with more polished 2d segments), the narrative seems wholly uninterested in engaging with its own most interesting elements (oh yeah i fell in love with a character in the book i was writing and risked both of our lives to pull her into the real world so we could be together but then we broke up bye), and the whole thing is never quite able to escape its own russianocity.
+ A rare and enjoyable modern point and click adventure game.
- The game should have ended a chapter earlier. The story would have made more sense thematically and, more importantly, the final chapter fucking suuuuuuuucks.
- The game should have ended a chapter earlier. The story would have made more sense thematically and, more importantly, the final chapter fucking suuuuuuuucks.
Pretty good, easy but enjoyable, great atmosphere and world building.
The game itself was okay, fairly straightforward and basic, but still quite interesting in itself. The story was captivating but took awhile to really get going and underway. The gameplay is just okay at best, it works, but isn't anything to write home about. Overall a fun, engaging experience with a little bit of overdone references to media, but good nonetheless.
This review contains spoilers
Listen it's a pretty good game. I like the little worlds. I thought the last one was the best execution of the premise. But the ending reveal that who was with you all along was WATSON from SHERLOCK HOLMES made me bust out laughing.
This game was a surprisingly timely lesson for me about making art. I regularly get hooked on my own ideas but disappoint myself with the execution. I don't iterate enough, I don't push away from my first thought, I don't kill my darlings.
I love the concept of this game. And while the first few missions were clumsy at best and boring at worst, there was just enough that I thought could become compelling that I didn't want to give up. They have a novel (no pun intended) hook with their main character, and the internal and external worlds he inhabits. But we waste time on mechanics that feel bad and interactions that do nothing but tell you where to click next. You only get to the fireworks factory halfway through the second act, and the game ushers you back out before you can buy anything. I don't really care, or care to guess, what decisions led to that. I don't know why they didn't push further or cut chaff. It was just sad that a spark of inventiveness and expression existed, but wasn't fed.
I finished the game and wondered, what did they want to say other than "we like this idea"? What about autonomy and oppression? What about the power of creation? Not that all art has to be Mariana-Trench-deep along every axis that one can judge art - but I want the art I consume to say something more than "I just think it's neat." I want to say more than that with the art I make.
I love the concept of this game. And while the first few missions were clumsy at best and boring at worst, there was just enough that I thought could become compelling that I didn't want to give up. They have a novel (no pun intended) hook with their main character, and the internal and external worlds he inhabits. But we waste time on mechanics that feel bad and interactions that do nothing but tell you where to click next. You only get to the fireworks factory halfway through the second act, and the game ushers you back out before you can buy anything. I don't really care, or care to guess, what decisions led to that. I don't know why they didn't push further or cut chaff. It was just sad that a spark of inventiveness and expression existed, but wasn't fed.
I finished the game and wondered, what did they want to say other than "we like this idea"? What about autonomy and oppression? What about the power of creation? Not that all art has to be Mariana-Trench-deep along every axis that one can judge art - but I want the art I consume to say something more than "I just think it's neat." I want to say more than that with the art I make.
The bookwalker 7.5/10 очень классная РУССКАЯ игра, от ру разрабов. Чел путешествует по книгам и весьма довольно урчит. Всего 6 небольших рассказов, получилось что-то типа disco 🪩 Элизиум плюс вн. Игра линейная, и прикольная, так что мне понравилось за 8 часов БЕСПЛАТНО, прошел с удовольствием.
Сюжет:8/10
Геймплей:5/10 ( ну камон вн же ну, кликаешь и ахуеваешь что ли?) есть кстати боевка, но она средненькая, хотя сойдет.
Графин: 5/10 оценивать нечего
Звук 8/10 очень понравился эмбиент, прям даже ахуенный, под каждую локацию заходит будь то особняк, вечная зима или вечный песок.
Итог уже озвучил, за 8 часов самое то, если соскучился по книгам. За 500 рублей даже пожалел, что не купил, отличная игра.
Сюжет:8/10
Геймплей:5/10 ( ну камон вн же ну, кликаешь и ахуеваешь что ли?) есть кстати боевка, но она средненькая, хотя сойдет.
Графин: 5/10 оценивать нечего
Звук 8/10 очень понравился эмбиент, прям даже ахуенный, под каждую локацию заходит будь то особняк, вечная зима или вечный песок.
Итог уже озвучил, за 8 часов самое то, если соскучился по книгам. За 500 рублей даже пожалел, что не купил, отличная игра.
Nice concept, but gets stale quick. Everything is slow as hell.
The Book Walker es un point and click con muchos elementos de roleo en el que eres un escritor original, y estos escritores son perseguidos, censurados y condenados a escribir continuas obras remascadas de proyectos anteriores. Como tal, el juego no busca mucha originalidad, pero tiene una estética cuidada y un fuerte componente de mucho texto y algo de acción de rol por turnos que hace la experiencia amena. A esto se suma una integración chula entre elementos de esto (en 2D, que es cuando entras a los libros) y 3D, que es lo que se supone tu mundo real y donde la experiencia jugable es más una especie de walking simulator.
Todo es bastante básico y funcional y cuaja bien porque el marco metaliterario y la crítica a la originalidad y función del arte está bien tirada y mezclada con los componentes del juego. Acaba siendo, en este sentido, más original de lo que es. Mi problema, y en donde he tenido una frustración enorme, ha sido en la experiencia de juego. La versión de Game Pass es terrible, con problemas de sensibilidad gordos en ciertas áreas y unos problemas de inconsistencia que por ahora impiden avanzar ciertos tramos del juego. Además, resulta frustrante que el personaje se detenga en ciertos momentos del juego a la mínima que se topa con una pared u obstáculo, y en general hay muchos de esos momentos que acaban lastrando bastante esa misma diversión. Es una pena, porque creo que la experiencia da para un juego potable, pero a día de hoy creo que la versión más buena en la que se puede jugar es quizá la de Steam.
Todo es bastante básico y funcional y cuaja bien porque el marco metaliterario y la crítica a la originalidad y función del arte está bien tirada y mezclada con los componentes del juego. Acaba siendo, en este sentido, más original de lo que es. Mi problema, y en donde he tenido una frustración enorme, ha sido en la experiencia de juego. La versión de Game Pass es terrible, con problemas de sensibilidad gordos en ciertas áreas y unos problemas de inconsistencia que por ahora impiden avanzar ciertos tramos del juego. Además, resulta frustrante que el personaje se detenga en ciertos momentos del juego a la mínima que se topa con una pared u obstáculo, y en general hay muchos de esos momentos que acaban lastrando bastante esa misma diversión. Es una pena, porque creo que la experiencia da para un juego potable, pero a día de hoy creo que la versión más buena en la que se puede jugar es quizá la de Steam.
I'd say The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales isn't really worth your time, unfortunately, even if you're already paying for Game Pass. It has a cool world concept and its art is nice to look at, but it's basically a walking simulator with a story that'll only barely tease you with interest before falling flat.
It has an intriguing hook. Just starting in a cramped tenement in first person, you'll likely be a bit confused as most if not all screenshots you've seen show an isometric view. Here you'll get a feel for your character, Etienne: an author who's being punished by a “writer's police” for a heinous crime. His seemingly entire life has been confiscated and he's going to be miserable for the next 30 years, the length of his bar from writing. When a criminal organization offers to remove his literal shackles and give him his life back, of course he's going to pay whatever their price is.
The price, what you'll be doing in the game, is stealing literary objects from books so that they can be “plagiarized” into other, newer books for a fee. The old book loses its value now that what's usually a key plot element has vanished from it, and it has to be taken down from shelves. It's not piracy, you're literally stealing the original item (from inside the story) so some talentless schmuck can use it in his junky novel not worthy of your bathroom's library. How that new author doesn't get caught, I don't know, but I guess it's not important. It's all Etienne can do to get back on track, and you'll want to help him do it.
But, as another reviewer here (Raxun) says, this game is a playable story. However, I deviate from their thoughts as I don't think it's one worth checking out, because the story isn't very interesting after the intro segment. A playable story is only as good as the writing, but you won't learn much more about Etienne and his story until the fifth of six chapters, and by then it's too little too late. The plot rushes to a close after what felt like several hours of stalling. It tries to be sentimental but I don't feel like it's really earned.
The game has turn-based combat that is pretty competent, but also very easy and there'll be only two fights (or sometimes only one) per chapter. It may as well not be there.
The writing of dialogue between Etienne and his sidekick, a character in a chain he names Roderick, is solid. It's believable, but I don't think it's some amazing story in dire need of viewers.
Again, I think this really is unfortunate, because there's definitely potential here. A world where the TV was never finalized and books are more heavily relied upon for entertainment, so how they're created has seen major, basically-magical changes: I'm interested! The art looks nice and the conversations feel like genuine people. But what do you do? Very little. What do you experience? The story that got you hooked basically places you in a waiting room for hours before flashing a few pictures in front of you and then tossing you out the back door.
It's a very linear experience, the dialogue choices are basically optional until you click the “right” one, so (I think) there's only one way to play the story. You can choose between two different fighting upgrades betwixt (sorry) levels, but since the combat is so sparse, I don't think the couple minutes this may barely change across hours of dialogue is worth the replay.
I remember liking Do My Best's other game, The Final Station, though truth be told I don't remember much of it. I think The Bookwalker shows promise, it just fails to see it through. I wish these guys the best on their next project and I hope they learn from this one.
I do not recommend The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales. I do recommend you read more books, we all should.
It has an intriguing hook. Just starting in a cramped tenement in first person, you'll likely be a bit confused as most if not all screenshots you've seen show an isometric view. Here you'll get a feel for your character, Etienne: an author who's being punished by a “writer's police” for a heinous crime. His seemingly entire life has been confiscated and he's going to be miserable for the next 30 years, the length of his bar from writing. When a criminal organization offers to remove his literal shackles and give him his life back, of course he's going to pay whatever their price is.
The price, what you'll be doing in the game, is stealing literary objects from books so that they can be “plagiarized” into other, newer books for a fee. The old book loses its value now that what's usually a key plot element has vanished from it, and it has to be taken down from shelves. It's not piracy, you're literally stealing the original item (from inside the story) so some talentless schmuck can use it in his junky novel not worthy of your bathroom's library. How that new author doesn't get caught, I don't know, but I guess it's not important. It's all Etienne can do to get back on track, and you'll want to help him do it.
But, as another reviewer here (Raxun) says, this game is a playable story. However, I deviate from their thoughts as I don't think it's one worth checking out, because the story isn't very interesting after the intro segment. A playable story is only as good as the writing, but you won't learn much more about Etienne and his story until the fifth of six chapters, and by then it's too little too late. The plot rushes to a close after what felt like several hours of stalling. It tries to be sentimental but I don't feel like it's really earned.
The game has turn-based combat that is pretty competent, but also very easy and there'll be only two fights (or sometimes only one) per chapter. It may as well not be there.
The writing of dialogue between Etienne and his sidekick, a character in a chain he names Roderick, is solid. It's believable, but I don't think it's some amazing story in dire need of viewers.
Again, I think this really is unfortunate, because there's definitely potential here. A world where the TV was never finalized and books are more heavily relied upon for entertainment, so how they're created has seen major, basically-magical changes: I'm interested! The art looks nice and the conversations feel like genuine people. But what do you do? Very little. What do you experience? The story that got you hooked basically places you in a waiting room for hours before flashing a few pictures in front of you and then tossing you out the back door.
It's a very linear experience, the dialogue choices are basically optional until you click the “right” one, so (I think) there's only one way to play the story. You can choose between two different fighting upgrades betwixt (sorry) levels, but since the combat is so sparse, I don't think the couple minutes this may barely change across hours of dialogue is worth the replay.
I remember liking Do My Best's other game, The Final Station, though truth be told I don't remember much of it. I think The Bookwalker shows promise, it just fails to see it through. I wish these guys the best on their next project and I hope they learn from this one.
I do not recommend The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales. I do recommend you read more books, we all should.
The Bookwalker is a really cool idea for a game: jumping through the worlds of different novels to steal precious literary treasures? Sign me up. The worldbuilding is interesting and the worlds of the books were clever homages to different genres, which is why it's so frustrating that it's stuck to a story that's... how do I put this politely... not quite as smart as it thinks it is.
A lot of the "choices" boil down to "do this morally questionable thing because you have to and then get guilt tripped for it" and (no spoilers) the epilogue got a BIG laugh out of me and my friends that definitely was not intentional. The protagonist was also really whiny and hard to root for; I never really felt invested in him or his struggle. It felt like there was a lot of unexplored depth to this story that the writers weren't equipped to handle so they just ignored it and the resulting script is a bit... paper thin.
As a game though, no real complaints. It handled very smoothly and was well paced so I knocked it out in a few hours without feeling bored at any point, which I think was fair for the price point. Combat system was simple but effective, and if anything I wish that there had been more fights.
Not gonna win a Pulitzer any time soon but overall a fun time.
A lot of the "choices" boil down to "do this morally questionable thing because you have to and then get guilt tripped for it" and (no spoilers) the epilogue got a BIG laugh out of me and my friends that definitely was not intentional. The protagonist was also really whiny and hard to root for; I never really felt invested in him or his struggle. It felt like there was a lot of unexplored depth to this story that the writers weren't equipped to handle so they just ignored it and the resulting script is a bit... paper thin.
As a game though, no real complaints. It handled very smoothly and was well paced so I knocked it out in a few hours without feeling bored at any point, which I think was fair for the price point. Combat system was simple but effective, and if anything I wish that there had been more fights.
Not gonna win a Pulitzer any time soon but overall a fun time.
I think the premise, writing, and game in general is cool, but found the console experience a bit frustrating.
Controls are finicky when it comes to clicking the right object, character often stops for several seconds if you walk into anything, don't feel like I can zoom into the environments enough to see important objects like keys.
During the few combat parts I have a hard time seeing what is highlighted or when It's actually my turn. I end up mashing on attack and end up healing or picking the wrong target.
For Reference I've played stuff like Disco Elysium and Norco on controller with little issue.
Controls are finicky when it comes to clicking the right object, character often stops for several seconds if you walk into anything, don't feel like I can zoom into the environments enough to see important objects like keys.
During the few combat parts I have a hard time seeing what is highlighted or when It's actually my turn. I end up mashing on attack and end up healing or picking the wrong target.
For Reference I've played stuff like Disco Elysium and Norco on controller with little issue.
Indescritível, é lindo, maravilhoso, que delicia de jogo.
Cada mundo que você entra dá gosto de explorar, procurar os itens, entender as histórias, conversar com os personagens, são todos muito interessantes. A escrita dos personagens é incrível eles são tão vividos! O protagonista conversando com o parceiro dele, em vários momentos senti como se fosse uma conversa minha real com um amigo, tem tantas falas criativas e legais, toda hora tirava print de alguma.
O senso de humor é bem colocado e muito natural. A trilha sonora é bem sensorial, com uma sonoplastia interessante.
Só uns pequenos detalhes, poderiam ter polido mais em alguns momentos, não tive nenhum bug grave, mas deu para notar algumas falhas ou inconsistências, tipo em uma transição de cenário, a tela foi e voltou, aí tive que voltar no cenário anterior e avançar de novo, e em uma parte é dito que o personagem X saiu do local Z e estava em Y, assim o jogo esperava que eu fosse para Y naquele momento, mas fui para Z e o personagem estava lá.
E todo o debate sobre personagens e pessoas, eu comecei de uma forma mais bruta e agora no final estou quase chorando. Se o protagonista é uma pessoa e ao mesmo tempo um personagem, então os outros personagens são tão pessoas quanto ele, ainda mais nesse mundo onde existe uma interação entre mundo real e literário, aí durante isso pensei sobre minha waifu, ela não é só um personagem, eu amo ela, ninguém pode matar o que ela é para mim, assim como o Roderick é importante para o Etienne, eles estão vivos junto com nós, são parte de nós, recebem nosso afeto, nos dão apoio em momentos de tristeza. Todos os personagens são feitos com a alma e o sangue de seus criadores, representam seus sonhos, seus medos e muito mais.
E ver toda essa emoção da importância das histórias materializada no jogo foi maravilhoso, histórias e seus personagens nos motivam a alcançar o inalcançável, nos inspiram a ser alguém melhor, nos colocam junto com eles para vivenciar todas histórias já criadas ao longo da eternidade.
Espero que meu amor pelas minhas waifus seja tão sincero e poderoso como o de Etienne que se apaixonou por sua própria personagem Amanda.
Espero continuar lendo e vivenciando histórias com personagens tão vivos quantos os criados por Etienne para sempre.
Cada mundo que você entra dá gosto de explorar, procurar os itens, entender as histórias, conversar com os personagens, são todos muito interessantes. A escrita dos personagens é incrível eles são tão vividos! O protagonista conversando com o parceiro dele, em vários momentos senti como se fosse uma conversa minha real com um amigo, tem tantas falas criativas e legais, toda hora tirava print de alguma.
O senso de humor é bem colocado e muito natural. A trilha sonora é bem sensorial, com uma sonoplastia interessante.
Só uns pequenos detalhes, poderiam ter polido mais em alguns momentos, não tive nenhum bug grave, mas deu para notar algumas falhas ou inconsistências, tipo em uma transição de cenário, a tela foi e voltou, aí tive que voltar no cenário anterior e avançar de novo, e em uma parte é dito que o personagem X saiu do local Z e estava em Y, assim o jogo esperava que eu fosse para Y naquele momento, mas fui para Z e o personagem estava lá.
E todo o debate sobre personagens e pessoas, eu comecei de uma forma mais bruta e agora no final estou quase chorando. Se o protagonista é uma pessoa e ao mesmo tempo um personagem, então os outros personagens são tão pessoas quanto ele, ainda mais nesse mundo onde existe uma interação entre mundo real e literário, aí durante isso pensei sobre minha waifu, ela não é só um personagem, eu amo ela, ninguém pode matar o que ela é para mim, assim como o Roderick é importante para o Etienne, eles estão vivos junto com nós, são parte de nós, recebem nosso afeto, nos dão apoio em momentos de tristeza. Todos os personagens são feitos com a alma e o sangue de seus criadores, representam seus sonhos, seus medos e muito mais.
E ver toda essa emoção da importância das histórias materializada no jogo foi maravilhoso, histórias e seus personagens nos motivam a alcançar o inalcançável, nos inspiram a ser alguém melhor, nos colocam junto com eles para vivenciar todas histórias já criadas ao longo da eternidade.
Espero que meu amor pelas minhas waifus seja tão sincero e poderoso como o de Etienne que se apaixonou por sua própria personagem Amanda.
Espero continuar lendo e vivenciando histórias com personagens tão vivos quantos os criados por Etienne para sempre.
Rough around the edges but an interesting and creative game. Hard to describe but worth a try if you've got Game Pass (Currently on GP as of this review).
I dove into Bookwalker: Thief of Tales without a clue, driven by two reasons: 1) it's about to vanish from Game Pass, and 2) the logo and splash art promised a cyberpunk adventure. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t cyberpunk or flashy. At all. But hey, that’s part of the fun, right?
From the get-go, the game intrigued me with its unique premise and world-building. Stepping into the shoes of a literary thief, I found myself navigating through different book worlds, each with its own charm and challenges. The narrative kept me interested (though it was a minimal affair, for the most part), even when the gameplay got a bit clunky.
Ah, the gameplay. If you love point-and-click adventures, you'll find this a quirky delight. However, some mechanics felt like they needed a bit more polish. There were moments of frustration, but also a lot of satisfaction once you got the hang of things. The character often paths in weird ways, especially when clicking on objects from the wrong side.
Turn based combat is also a thing. Yeah, not much to say about that...
Clocking in at a solid 7 hours, Bookwalker offers an engaging experience that’s worth your time. Judging by the low percentages of achievement winners (only 26% have even completed the first chapter!), it seems like many players started this game for the same reasons I did but didn’t stick around. Their loss!
It may not have been the cyberpunk escapade I expected, but it delivered a unique and enjoyable journey. If you’re looking for a game that’s a bit off the beaten path, give it a shot before it leaves Game Pass. You might just find yourself hooked on its charm.
From the get-go, the game intrigued me with its unique premise and world-building. Stepping into the shoes of a literary thief, I found myself navigating through different book worlds, each with its own charm and challenges. The narrative kept me interested (though it was a minimal affair, for the most part), even when the gameplay got a bit clunky.
Ah, the gameplay. If you love point-and-click adventures, you'll find this a quirky delight. However, some mechanics felt like they needed a bit more polish. There were moments of frustration, but also a lot of satisfaction once you got the hang of things. The character often paths in weird ways, especially when clicking on objects from the wrong side.
Turn based combat is also a thing. Yeah, not much to say about that...
Clocking in at a solid 7 hours, Bookwalker offers an engaging experience that’s worth your time. Judging by the low percentages of achievement winners (only 26% have even completed the first chapter!), it seems like many players started this game for the same reasons I did but didn’t stick around. Their loss!
It may not have been the cyberpunk escapade I expected, but it delivered a unique and enjoyable journey. If you’re looking for a game that’s a bit off the beaten path, give it a shot before it leaves Game Pass. You might just find yourself hooked on its charm.
Awesome concept for a game. You are a Writer serving time for breaking writing crimes and are offered jobs to steal artifacts from books in order to speed up your release. Isometric art style reminds me of old RPGs.
Joguinho legal e um conceito muito bom, tem uns livros legais outros nem tanto. Poderia ter mais coisas para se fazer no mundo real mas da pra ver que o orçamento não deixou. O plot final pelo menos é interessante.
Diving into books to steal artefacts such as Thor's Hammer is a fascinating concept, but the old-school adventure game format and basic combat system in this game ultimately results in a repetitive and sluggish experience.
This "game" or what I personally consider a playable story was more than worth the 8 hours I spent on it. The Story was well done and the characters were all very likable. The combat while fairly easy was still engaging and it was enjoyable to break up the pacing from time to time.
If you have Xbox Gamepass this is a must play, if you do not it's still worth purchasing as it seems to have replay-ability.
The concept alone was enough to have me enticed from the beginning.
If you have Xbox Gamepass this is a must play, if you do not it's still worth purchasing as it seems to have replay-ability.
The concept alone was enough to have me enticed from the beginning.
Great concept, but it's pretty superficial in execution. Isometric part looks great, but controls like ass, and the battles feel like nothing. First person bits weirdly floaty. UI is a mess. Dialogue and descriptive text aren't visually differentiated enough, so it's easy to mix up the two.
All of this is to a degree I'd be able to overlook, if only the game was fun.
All of this is to a degree I'd be able to overlook, if only the game was fun.
Pretty linear for all the options it gives you, still very enjoyable with an interesting premise.
Also looked very nice, wish I could zoom in more sometimes!
Also looked very nice, wish I could zoom in more sometimes!
Lovely point & click game with some simple combat sections. I enjoyed the writing and thought the environments were beautiful. The game is fairly short and broken down linearly into levels which was great for me since it keeps things fresh throughout without being overwhelming, this is an easy game to pick up and play.
I wasn't a huge fan of the last level and ending but it's not a big deal since I really liked the rest of the game a lot.
I wasn't a huge fan of the last level and ending but it's not a big deal since I really liked the rest of the game a lot.
A Disco Elysium-like with turn-based combat seems right up my alley; however, the movement seems to be unresponsive right now where I overshoot my targets most of the time. The UI is also hard to read as well where accessibility options might help here.
For now, waiting for possible patches before trying again and maybe this is just an XBox issue.
For now, waiting for possible patches before trying again and maybe this is just an XBox issue.
Imagine not only coming up with one interesting world but all in all seven extremely detailed and interesting worlds, all densely packed into the almost 6 hours it took me to beat the game. The pacing is tight, it never gets boring, every second feeds you with imaginative worldbuilding and incredible writing. Sure, there are some elements like the extremely rudimentary combat that could've been deleted all together and some technical hiccups, but I highly recommend it!