This also means that you will not be able to land on every space and collect every piece of gold, fight every battle, or open every chest. ![]() You can move a maximum of three spaces each turn, and after each turn the number of available spaces you can move to decreases by an entire row, meaning that progress is always motivated towards the top of the screen (and the level boss). The combinations of deck list, relics, and gems means that no two runs will ever be the same, but at the same time your preferences and strategies will evolve as you play.Įach level you will start and the bottom of a randomly generated map and your goal will be to make your way to the top and defeat the level boss. Sometimes they will be straight upgrades like “deal an additional 2 damage” but some of the most powerful gems offer a trade-off, such as “this card costs 1 less, discard a card.” Gems add another layer of decision making and variety to each run. Each gem provides a bonus when the card is played. Most cards have slots that gems can be socketed into. Like cards and relics, you will collect gems by winning battles and exploring the map. Gems are one of the more intriguing mechanics in the game. Generally these are straight upgrades such as “at the start of each turn gain 2 attack.” You will find these relics scattered throughout the levels and it is a good idea to pick them up when you can, but there are only so many turns and many more places to go you will not be able to collect them all. Relics are items you will collect throughout your run that will provide a passive benefit to one of your characters. Both because playing cards in the correct order can can win you the game with combo synergy, and because at the end of your turn the character in front will be the one to take the damage. While this unique mechanic may take some time to wrap you mind around, it is essential that your strategy center around it. If the next card you play belongs to the hero who is currently positioned in the back, your heroes will switch positions. Your heroes will be positioned in battle side by side one on the left (back position) and one on the right (front position). In practice, both hero's decks will be shuffled together into one draw pile. Which ever two heroes you chose will greatly affect the strategy you employ in your run. You can choose Sharra for forward attack and combo focused synergy, Sorocco for a defensive tank with a bonus to block, Aurora Mythmaker the healing turtle, or Seifer the shape-shifting wolf for a summon based run. Presently, there are four characters to choose from and each one has a unique deck style and relic, or passive bonus. This adds a new level of strategy to combat, as switching out your character to be in the lead at specific moments can mean life or death.You begin a fresh run in Roguebook by choosing a first and second character. Many cards, abilities, buffs, and debuffs in Roguebook are dependent on a character’s position–either in front or the back. Yet what makes Roguebook stand out is its focus on tag team combat. All these elements help make each run enjoyable, even if the RNG gods aren’t smiling on you. Players can also collect a number of items that can permanently impact combat and can stack effects to cards with gems found in each page. As you progress, more in-depth status effects, buffs, and debuffs are introduced, forcing players to be strategic about the cards they collect and play. Things start fairly straightforward, with each card and enemy simply dealing damage or raising defence. It doesn’t innovate on past deckbuilding roguelikes, but it does enough for its combat to become a highlight for the game. In the midst of battles, however, it can be easy to forgive Roguebook’s unremarkable presentation. Not every game needs to present never-before-seen concepts, but Roguebook’s lack of character and charm means that I’m simply unable to concretely remember anything about play sessions I’ve just spent a few hours in. Even the playable heroes Sorocco and Aurora fail to make much of an impression, ultimately blending into Roguebook’s familiar fantasy world. With the game touting the involvement of the creator of Magic: The Gathering, Richard Garfield, one would assume that more about the world would stand out. Unfortunately, Roguebook feels incredibly generic, its world, light narrative and character designs seemingly recycled from the sum of its influences and peers.
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