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) | – | 69 | 28 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 91% | 86 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 96% | 91 | 14 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 39 reviews sampled · 29 total reviews in window · weighted 26.1 up / 1 down · computed 2h 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.
- 10
“The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales feels like a nice little adventure that can hold your attention for a couple of great hours, and yet the astonishingly bad console versions make little to no reason to even touch this game.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“As a whole, the game looks very nice and solid. The exciting concept provides a lovely immersion into the book and allows one to experience what it is like to live its story. Switching between the two worlds is exciting and reasonably necessary for solving the puzzles, even if sometimes you won't understand what's happening. The solid and emotional story, which you do not so much influence, is unfortunately slightly disturbed by the audio, which is weak here. Still, it manages to stand on its own with its feet firmly on the ground, ensuring that you will question your morals.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Several stories in one game at once: the main one and those that are told in each individual book. Surely, it was difficult to make them all interesting, but the developers managed to do it. If you remove some technical flaws, you'll get a good and unique adventure which for the most part leaves a good lasting impression.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales features absolutely enchanting worlds brimming with stories, characters, and all sorts of details. I definitely enjoyed exploring everything right through to the end. Of course, I could have used a few more books, so I’m hoping the developers will release some DLC. If you love books with stories that pull you in, this game is made just for you.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales is a complicated read. It's got a fascinating story set in a series of engaging worlds, but actually interacting with it all is a little simpler than imagined. Its story focus is regularly undermined by unnecessary combat sequences that are functionally fine but a drag on the game's pace. But on the other hand, the story's surprising emotional resonance and relationship-driven experience are worth seeing through to the end. Like some of your favorite books from your youth, The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales has some nagging parts that hold it back from wholehearted recommendation, but the effect it had on me is strong enough that I'll fight for it anyway. DO MY BEST did their best, and came out the other end with a special kind of narrative experience that I think most people will find a lot to love in.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Players will find something special here, as the stories told in the overall game and the books you dive into are rich and well written.”
read full review ↗ - 94
“The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales is a refreshing combination of different genres and viewpoints with an epic story to drive everything forward. Everything from the strange but rich narrative to the characters comes together to give us something close to a masterpiece. The only downside is the minor issue that appears when trying to interact with certain objects. However, even with that tiny flaw, The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales is a must-play because of its unique take on the genres it embodies.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Prepare to be tossed into the narrative deep end”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The Bookwalker truly made me feel like the driving force of a narrative, with an engaging central relationship and a mystery that kept me turning to the last page.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“The choices lose a bit of their variety as the story goes on and the combat can be a tad simplistic, but The Bookwalker is a beautiful exercise in exploring the humanity of fiction and why we, the audience, should feel for the characters on the page.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“There are a lot of cool ideas in this, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The Bookwalker especially has some lofty intentions. As a narrative explicitly about the creation and exploitation of stories, it naturally has a lot of pressure on it to say something. But it doesn’t, beyond a milquetoast message of “be nice to people.” I could look past that if it wasn’t for the creative setting or if the gameplay was better. But as it is, it all seems hollow. Despite all this, I still really like The Bookwalker. It may not live up to its potential, but it’s a fascinating concept executed competently. The puzzles are good, even if the RPG and crafting systems seem like little more than an afterthought. The story is sufficient to pull you through, even if it doesn’t have much to say.”
read full review ↗
GameMAG
INDIANTVCZ
3DNews
Gaming Professors
video games are good
Worth Playing
GamesCreed
Games Freezer
GameLuster
GameGrin
Garage Band Gamers
Lords Of Gaming …and 11 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Version 23.7.1Jul 2, 2023
- Version 23.6.16Jun 28, 2023
- Version 23.6.15Jun 27, 2023
- Version 23.6.14Jun 24, 2023
- Version 23.6.13Jun 23, 2023
- Version 23.6.12Jun 23, 2023
- Version 23.6.11Jun 22, 2023