

The vocal performances are pretty strong throughout the game as well. The soundtrack is appropriately atmospheric and moody. Thankfully, the sound design helps elevate the experience a bit. When characters speak to one another, they appear in well done hand-drawn stills, but even these are limited. I worry that the poor graphics will turn most people off and they won’t give it a fair chance. It’s a shame too, because Black Book could have been something truly special if Morteshka had more financial backing. There are a lot of fascinating demons you’ll face, but they aren’t intimidating because they’re so poorly designed and animated. Regrettably, this is one of Black Book‘s biggest hindrances. Perhaps the mini interactions wouldn’t feel so monotonous is they were visually appealing. The combat is far from dynamic with these rudimentary animations. The venue was once home to TRADE a members club for The Hospitality Industry, which had a Black Book of hand-scribed fine and rare wines, the secret. This also affects the villagers greatly, as well as your ending. The more sinful or pious you become will open up various new sidequests and dialogue options depending on which route you take. Sending your demons out for tasks will get you bonuses, but you’ll become more sinful. That’s not to say every demonic encounter is all sunshine and rainbows, but there is a surprising amount of weight to many of your actions. Killing every demon you come across right away might grant you some nice experience points and items, but you might miss out on additional sidequests, premium items, and deeper knowledge into their lore. Each action and decision you make has a consequence. Lawrence Durrell, Henry Miller (Editor) 3.33. You see, there’s a morality system in Black Book. You’ll gain experience points, money, and other beneficial items for doing so. You can send one to poison the livestock at one farm, another to place a disease on another farmer’s crops, etc. As everyone whos anyone in Chicago scrambles to get their hands on the elusive black book, no ones motives can be trusted. This might seem harsh, but if you let your chorts hang around long enough without something to occupy their time, they’ll become very destructive. There’s also an interesting aspect of Black Book where you can send the demons under your charge (called chorts) out into various parts of the map to inflict mayhem upon the townsfolk.

After defeating this winged demon, he’ll join forces with you.
