Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 81 | 18 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 92% | 86 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 93% | 87 | 14 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 40 reviews sampled · 26 total reviews in window · weighted 26.5 up / 2 down · computed 9h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (23)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 80
“There is plenty to do and see in this game that justifies the price of entry. However, Black Book's most valuable asset is the rich setting and lore that it showcases with pride.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“"Stunlocked by spells and poor mechanical decisions."”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Black Book is a great mix of Slavic folklore, engaging card game, and an interesting story.”
read full review ↗ - 100
- 75
“At its core, Black Book is an engaging deck-building card game featuring terrifying tales from the Russian countryside a century ago. Local superstitions and folklore, combined with authentic Slavic mythology, come to life against a backdrop of simple visuals and, together with the music, create a truly dark atmosphere. For a reasonable price of €25, even with its many flaws and drawn-out gameplay, card game enthusiasts are sure to find something to enjoy.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The real reason to stick with it is the great attention to detail regarding Slavic folklore and how it weaves into the gameplay in ways that can make the player feel clever. It won’t be the flashiest game anyone plays this year, but there is a good time to be had.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“I have nothing against those games, but it is wonderful to see something play with their vocabulary to make something fresh. While many games of its ilk rely on the broad strokes of fantasy, Black Book dares to be particular. It is all the richer for it.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Whenever you see new titles show up in a genre that seems to be currently having its moment you end up taking a moment to see what it has done to differentiate itself from the pack...”
read full review ↗ - 60
“It's hard to rate something like Black Book. It's a mix and match of things that are generally fun and refreshingly new, but the whole thing carries with it a lack of polish and balance, which could make this dark tale of witchcraft and demonology shine much brighter. This is basically a high 6, or a low 7. A mediocre, repetitive CCG/RPG, with some neat moments that'll - barely - manage to keep you interested. If looking to experience something outside of generic medieval fantasy, though, do give it a try. Morteshka's creation is basically Slavic Pagan Mythology: The Game.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“If you can immerse yourself into the story early on, Black Book will be your go to for many, many gaming sessions. Black Book is structured in a way that you can spend hours on end playing through it or pick up and play it mission by mission without losing your way in this incredibly well-crafted RPG adventure.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Black Book is a bewitching combo of deck-building RPG and D&D-esque storytelling, with a bucket load of ideas where some work better than others. With some refinement and editing, Black Book could have been a must-play release. Without it, it’s still an intriguing mix of gameplay systems that is bolstered by its striking visual style and incredible attention to detail with its Northern Slavic mythology and well-thought-out story-telling. It’s definitely like nothing else I’ve played this year, which is worth celebrating. Despite its shortcomings, I couldn’t help but be under Black Book’s unique spell.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Black Book is an amazing offering from the five-person team at Morteshka. Its highs, lows and everything in between is bursting at the seams with the love and care Vladimir Beletskiy, Ildar Alimov, Mikhail Shvachko, Andrey Khudozhidkov and Darya Solonets put into the project. Black Book will take you 20-ish hours to finish and, if you're anything like me, you'll treasure every second of it.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Fintendo
GameMAG
3DNews
Gaming Professors
RPGamer
Paste Magazine
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
NintendoWorldReport
Checkpoint Gaming
AltChar…and 11 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Patch Note: Japanese, Korean & MoreAug 22, 2023
- Black Book: Fixes, updates, additions #1Feb 21, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- The Endless Battles are out!Feb 18, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Mac Update 1.0.48Oct 26, 2021
- Update 1.0.42Oct 6, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.0.41Sep 2, 2021
- Update 1.0.40Aug 27, 2021
- Update 1.0.39Aug 26, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.0.36Aug 19, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.0.30Aug 15, 2021
- Hotfix 1.0.29Aug 14, 2021
- Update 1.0.28Aug 13, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.0.25Aug 12, 2021
- Hotfix 1.0.24Aug 11, 2021