Roguebook is the latest entry in the ever-growing deck-building roguelike genre. These indie games combine the two popular styles to create a gameplay loop that draws players in and keeps them engaged for run after run by challenging them to make it further next time. While Abrakam Entertainment's collaboration with Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield may, on the most basic level, feel incredibly familiar to those who have played other card battlers (particularly Slay the Spire), Roguebook introduces unique mechanics that allow it to establish its own identity.

The game is set in the colorful fantasy world created in Abrakam's debut game Faeria. In this world, there is said to be a Book of Lore full of legends and stories of adventure that was lost in a well. However, rather than going off on a search for this mythical tome, players have become trapped inside of it and must take two heroes (out of a total of four) through the Book to uncover its secrets. The pages of the Roguebook are ever-changing, serving as the procedurally-generated map that roguelike players expect.

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Much of the map is hidden at the start of each level, and uncovering as much of it as possible is as important and strategic as the battles themselves. By using magical paintbrushes and ink, players can uncover more of the map's hexagonal tiles, revealing additional cards, fights, relics, healing items and more. After starting each chapter with five paintbrushes (which reveal a large area around the player's current location), players can explore and fight to gain ink, which reveal more tiles in various patterns.

Managing your supply of paintbrushes and ink is vital. While there are no random encounters and a path to the chapter's boss is visible from the start, those fights are quite challenging. Players will want to have as many advantages as possible, whether that's in the form of additional cards, relics that provide additional abilities and benefits, or pages that allow you to purchase permanent upgrades that are useful in between runs.

These permanent upgrades are one area where Roguebook deviates from a game like Slay the Spire. While that game does have elements of progression in the form of new cards and relics that unlock over the course of various runs, Roguebook takes this a step further with its many Embellishments. By spending pages before starting a new run, players can unlock new features, like wells that offer more energy or more starting health for their characters. These provide helpful bonuses without taking away from the game's overall challenging nature. It also alleviates some of the frustration associated with having to start from scratch in a roguelike, turning death into as much of a step forward as it is a setback.

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While Roguebook's gameplay loop of attacking, blocking, buffing and debuffing by using cards that consume set amounts of energy are familiar, the fact that players are controlling two heroes adds a unique level of strategy to the game in the form of positioning. One hero will always be in front of the other, with both sharing whatever block they build up during a turn; any damage not covered by the team's block will (with some exceptions) only hit the character in front.

Each character has their strengths and weakness here, which the starting characters exemplify perfectly. Sharra hits harder when she's leading, but Sorocco has more HP and an ability that provides extra block if he's leading at the end of a turn. When playing with these two, switching at the right times during a turn is important for maximizing damage dealt while blocking out as much incoming damage as possible.

Roguebook is generally a pretty iterative game, building upon the foundations of existing roguelikes and card battlers. However, the mechanics is does introduce are pretty compelling. In combat, players can use certain cards to gain allies, which provide unique skill like allowing the characters to switch positions or dealing damage to the leading enemy at the end of your turn. Also great are the game's gems, which allow players to craft their own card upgrades, adding a new level of customization for players to experiment with.

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Another feature that sets Roguebook apart is how the game rewards players for expanding their decks during a run through useful upgrades. Unlike other card battlers, which essentially reward smaller decks that can effectively and consistently pull off a chosen strategy, Roguebook provides actual bonuses for building up a larger deck. After hitting certain thresholds, players can choose a new skill from three options that benefit either one of the characters or the party as a whole.

All-in-all, Roguebook does not reinvent the wheel where roguelike card-battlers are concerned -- but it doesn't need to. Existing games have proven that this is an exciting, addicting gameplay loop that can keep players entertained through run after run; Roguebook build upon that solid foundation with its unique mechanics and customization options that make each playthrough feel like unique.

Developed by Abrakam Studios and published by Nacon, Roguebook will release on June 17 for PC via Steam, with PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch launches planned for a later date. A review copy was provided by the publisher.

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