Stories are a strange thing. Though inherently tied to the authors that write them, stories take on entirely new identities once in the hands of the public. They mean different things to different people. No two readings are the same, yet all matter to how a book is understood. Stories, by their very nature, do not solely belong to the people who author them. Developer Do My Best takes this idea and runs off into the night with it.
The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales is a narrative puzzle adventure that puts players in the shoes of Etienne Quist, a writer moonlighting as a thief with the ability to dive into books. Once inside a literary work, Etienne must steal the story’s central prized possession and bring it back in one piece. It’s a unique concept done with a lot of flair, and is almost the enchanting read it hopes to be.
The Bookwalker switches between the real world that Etienne exists in and the world of each book he steals from. Starting in the former, we are quickly introduced to the way the thief’s world works, and it’s mildly brilliant. Etienne is a Writer, an author of novels with powerful manipulation abilities. Or, he was before an unnamed crime landed him in hot water with the authorities.
The worldbuilding here is incredibly engaging. I’m a sucker for complex hierarchies embedded in the natural order of a world, and The Bookwalker absolutely delivers on the concept. Etienne’s power-limiting shackles; the jobs he must complete to free himself of them; the shady, nerve-wracking nature of work coming from a phone call then left unattended at his door. All of these elements are quickly introduced yet slowly fleshed out, creating a real sense of place despite so much of The Bookwalker taking place in Etienne’s dingy apartment. This worldbuilding is expanded on with the titular tales themselves. For each job, Etienne is given a case with details on his target, the book the legendary item is in, and a container for said item. Following a stylish diving animation that never gets old, the Writer enters a book for his next mission. From here, the perspective switches from first-person to isometric, and the meat of The Bookwalker’s gameplay begins.
From the very beginning of the first book, we’re introduced to Roderick, our stalwart talking lantern companion who found himself trapped in a novel after his previous owner… well, he died. Roderick then partners up with us, and acts as a perfect foil to Etienne. He questions the titular Bookwalker’s actions at every turn, and even made me question what I was doing. More on that later.
In each book, Etienne must locate and pocket the item of interest for his client. Each environment offers puzzles and roadblocks to solve and overcome, with different tools to find and entire character arcs to fulfill. There’s even turn-based combat! It’s not very good, but it’s easy, relatively infrequent, and consequence-free, amounting to a stylish extra touch to the main puzzling proceedings.
Each book acts as a large, interconnected series of lock-and-key puzzles. Find X to get Y and unlock Z, which will lead you back to A. So on and so forth. Each book allows use of three tools: the crowbar, lockpick, and pliers. You’ll have to build them once per book, which requires further exploration of the environment to find the necessary materials. Maps aren’t overly large, and each room offers plenty to interact with without feeling overwhelming. Learning each book’s layout is a comfortable process, which adds a lot to the satisfaction of puzzle-solving. Every so often, you’ll hit a roadblock that requires an item Etienne has in the real world. Hop out, grab the item, hop back in. It’s seamless and never stops feeling fun. As you grow familiar with your surroundings, you’ll also find NPCs to talk to: the literal characters of the book you’re in. This is where the pages really start turning.
Every major NPC is a fictional character to Etienne, yet still has convincing motivations of their own. They have goals, dreams, and people they want to make happy. Such heart does not go unnoticed by Roderick, who constantly pressures Etienne to help out where he can. Despite being a nonsensical premise—these characters don’t ultimately exist, after all—the thief cannot help but play along. I don’t blame him. Character dialogue is well written, deftly treading the line between banter and seriousness. Roderick’s passion is infectious. Both Etienne and I found ourselves further convinced that there were ways to change these characters’ fates for the better. The Bookwalker’s gameplay even does a brilliant job of lulling you into believing this.
In the second book, a clever riff on the Norse mythology of Thor and Odin, I was confronted by a group of villagers right at the end. Angry at their fate at the hands of Thor’s carelessly-run energy company, these villagers were ready to storm the final room and grab Mjolnir—which also happened to be my target. Based on the layout and general vibe of the room, I was preparing myself for a combat slog. Instead, the dialogue gave me more options. The experience was sublime. Using both general knowledge of what the book was adapting and context clues from notes I had found in the level, I completely avoided a fight with deft negotiation. I felt smart, and incredibly vindicated for taking my time with The Bookwalker’s environments and systems.
Brilliantly, this sensation manages to persist throughout despite the story going in the opposite direction. I created options for myself, and felt as if I was making an impact on characters’ lives. Yet, much like the books I stole from, the story marches on, and little can actually be done for the poor NPCs. Through Roderick’s cutting observations and Etienne’s attempts to do right, The Bookwalker feels like a series of increasingly well-intentioned mistakes, ratcheting up the sense of impending dread when combined with the mystery narrative in the real world.
A series of enjoyable aesthetics, relatively interesting puzzles, and persistently tight writing make The Bookwalker a joy to play. It’s hampered by uninspired combat and mild pacing issues with some of its books, and I do wish these were better to make for a more complete experience. What it lacks in gameplay, however, it makes up for with its worldbuilding and storytelling. With short, engaging character arcs and an ever-intriguing narrative, The Bookwalker truly made me feel like the driving force of a narrative. For that, this is one tale that deserves a place on your shelf.
Sarim played The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales on PC with a code provided by the publisher. The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
