Item: Black Book RPG
Rating: 91
Author: Dinsun

Our Site Score

91/100

Black Book is a dark, atmospheric masterpiece that blends Slavic folklore with deck-building RPG mechanics. It is hauntingly beautiful, using a stark low-poly art style to tell the story of Vasilisa, a young sorceress seeking to revive her beloved. The writing is exceptional, pulling you into a world where every crossroad has a ghost and every choice feels heavy with consequence.

The combat system is deep and rewarding. You build your 'Black Book' with spells (pages) that interact in complex ways, requiring genuine tactical thought. But it’s the lore that really shines—the game includes an actual encyclopedia of myths that makes the world feel incredibly grounded. It is a rare, mature RPG on mobile that values atmosphere and storytelling as much as its mechanical depth. It’s an eerie, spellbinding journey that I cannot recommend enough.

Reviewed on: Fri Feb 27 2026

Dinsun Review

Now this is a real video game. Black Book is a rare gem on mobile—a port of a serious PC title that doesn't sacrifice its soul. The atmosphere is thick enough to cut with a sickle; the 19th-century Slavic setting is realized with incredible research and care. It’s dark, it’s grounded in real history, and it doesn't treat you like a child.

The card combat is deep and requires actual planning. You can't just mash buttons. As Dinsun, I appreciate the difficulty—you will fail if you don't understand the mechanics. The voice acting is superb, and the art style is striking. My only complaints are that the UI can feel a bit cramped on a smaller phone screen and the pacing is slow, which might put off the typical mobile gamer. But for those of us who want a real RPG? This is it.

Overall Stats

Pros & Cons

Deep, researched Slavic folklore
Excellent turn-based card combat
Haunting atmosphere and sound design
Meaningful narrative choices

UI can be tiny on phones
Slow pacing is not for everyone
Requires a relatively powerful device

Technical Report

Performance: Occasional frame drops in busy scenes; text can be hard to read on small screens.

Accessibility:

Subtitles
Log for dialogue history

Audience Fit

Buy if: You love dark fantasy, deep lore, and challenging card-based combat.

Skip if: You want a quick, colorful game or have zero patience for slow stories.

Similar Games:

Slay the Spire
The Witcher Tales: Thronebreaker
Voice of Cards

Reviewer Context

Reviewer: Dinsun
Hardware: iPhone 15 Pro Max
Playtime: 30 hours
Status: Finished Main Story

The Game

Available on: iPhone, iPad, iPod

1619327414

Free13+★3.7 35 reviews

Author : HYPETRAIN DIGITAL LTD

Pubish Date : Mon Mar 20 2023

Last Update Date : Tue Feb 20 2024

Support Languages : English

Genres :

Version 1.2.0Tue Feb 20 2024

- Play the Prologue and Endless Battles for free
- In-app purchase the full game
Play free version of Black Book, featuring the first game chapter (approx. 1 hour of gameplay) and an endless roguelike mode.
Purchase the full game to unlock the entire adventure.
A fusion of card-based RPGs and Adventure games, “Black Book” is a haunting tale of a young sorceress, who gave her life to serve the dark forces. Dive into the cold, yet alluring world of Slavic folktales - and uncover the secrets that hide in the darkness.
A young girl named Vasilisa, destined to become a witch, decides to throw her fate away and marry her beloved - but that dream is shattered when her betrothed dies under mysterious circumstances.
Aching for her lost love, Vasilisa seeks out the Black Book - a demonic artifact, said to be powerful enough to grant any wish to the one who uncovers all 7 of its seals. Join Vasilisa in her adventures across the rural countryside, as she solves the woes of common folk by confronting demons and performing exorcisms.
UNCOVER THE SEALS OF BLACK BOOK
Unleash hellish spells on your enemies! Collect spell cards and new skills as you progress.
A HISTORIC ADVENTURE
Solve riddles and complete side-quests as you learn more about life in the Slavic countryside.
LEAD A DEMONIC FLOCK
Send demons to do your bidding, but be careful - idle demons will torture you if you don’t find them something to do!
MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Explore a world based on Northern Slavic mythology. Learn from an in-game encyclopedia, created with the help of expert anthropologists - and find all folk tales hidden within the game!
Requires iOS 12.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Play free version of Black Book, featuring the first game chapter (approx. 1 hour of gameplay) and an endless roguelike mode.
Purchase the full game to unlock the entire adventure.
A fusion of card-based RPGs and Adventure games, “Black Book” is a haunting tale of a young sorceress, who gave her life to serve the dark forces. Dive into the cold, yet alluring world of Slavic folktales - and uncover the secrets that hide in the darkness.
A young girl named Vasilisa, destined to become a witch, decides to throw her fate away and marry her beloved - but that dream is shattered when her betrothed dies under mysterious circumstances.
Aching for her lost love, Vasilisa seeks out the Black Book - a demonic artifact, said to be powerful enough to grant any wish to the one who uncovers all 7 of its seals. Join Vasilisa in her adventures across the rural countryside, as she solves the woes of common folk by confronting demons and performing exorcisms.
UNCOVER THE SEALS OF BLACK BOOK
Unleash hellish spells on your enemies! Collect spell cards and new skills as you progress.
A HISTORIC ADVENTURE
Solve riddles and complete side-quests as you learn more about life in the Slavic countryside.
LEAD A DEMONIC FLOCK
Send demons to do your bidding, but be careful - idle demons will torture you if you don’t find them something to do!
MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Explore a world based on Northern Slavic mythology. Learn from an in-game encyclopedia, created with the help of expert anthropologists - and find all folk tales hidden within the game!

Ratings & Reviews

3.7 out of 5 with 35 Counts

★★★★★

Age Rating 13+

Black Book is a dark RPG adventure that follows Vasilisa, a girl who gave up her life as a sorceress to marry her beloved—only for him to die under mysterious circumstances. In her grief, she finds the Black Book, a demonic artifact said to grant any wish. Journey through the Russian countryside, solve puzzles, and engage in card-based battles against creatures of the night in this deep, folklore-rich experience.

Features

Stunning atmospheric low-poly art style

Deep card-based tactical combat

Rich story based on authentic Slavic myths

Fully voiced characters and haunting soundtrack

Tips

Building Your Grimoire

Combine 'Orders' and 'Keys' to form your spells. Keys provide immediate effects like armor, while Orders usually deal damage over time. Balancing these is crucial for surviving longer boss fights.

Promotion Videos

Black Book - Gameplay Trailer - YouTube

Gameplays

Sin and Consequences

As a sorceress, you can send demons to do your bidding, but this increases your 'Sin' meter. High Sin can lead to darker story outcomes and tougher interactions with villagers.