Black Book is the indie to watch this year

Russian broody goodness.

It’s a new year and that means there are plenty of new indies to get excited about; Black Book seems like an excellent place to start. This brooding Russian title is a blend of turn-based and adventure game mechanics, and its quite pretty too. We smell the makings of a new title to watch.

You play as a young girl named Vasilisa who is destined to become a witch. Instead she does rather the opposite of the tales we usually hear, and decides to marry her beloved. But that doesn’t last very long, as her betrothed dies in mysterious circumstance. It’s narrative beginning very befitting a game with such grey and black tones.

Vasilisa ventures out to seek the Black Book an object that, once all 7 seals have been uncovered, is able to grant the owner one wish. But she’ll need to journey across the Russian countryside to find it. The blend of turn-based mechanics with adventure gaming sees the combat and story of this game take place via cards. Collect spell cards on your journey to progress, all while taking in the mythology of Northern Russia.

It’s giving us mildly Witcher vibes, and that can only be a good thing. To keep up with all new development on the game, keep an eye on Black Book’s Steam page.