The Handbook Reviews

Pretty fun! It is really hard tho. I died and lost a couple levels and upgrades :( I think sprinting would be better if it doesn't use mana, or at least subtract less from it. Congrats to the team, hope to see more games from you guys soon!

This was a fun game to play that offers a classic action rpg gameplay with a charming hand-crafted art style. We play as a wizard apprentice in the search of a handbook while protecting a small town from all kind of enemies. There is a big map to explore, with secrets to find and all kind of spells to learn. I had encountered a game breaking bug near the end that prevented me to complete the game, but thankfully, the devs were finally able to fix it and I could finish the game. There might still be a few glitches here and there in the final part of the game, but nothing gamebreaking anymore. Now that the devs fixed the game, I recommend it. It was a fun play!

As I near what I think will be the end, or nearly the end, of The Handbook I feel that I can give a fair assessment of the game. I like it a lot! I got it cheap when it was on sale and boy what a deal I got! I really like the artistic design of the game as well as the relatively brief amount of dialogue, diversity of monsters/bad guys and the controls. A really fun game for lovers of the rpg genre.

[i] My Experience [/i] The fact that I actually enjoyed [b]The Handbook[/b] must be a testament to how personally appealing I find the ARPG structure, because to tell the truth, the only thing I found particularly appealing about the game is the visual style. I often found myself smiling as my cardboard-cutout wizard cast his elemental spell at a cardboard-cutout wolf, and I cracked up as my wizard ascended the cardboard central mountain. However, the game certainly possesses some flaws: [list] [*]It was misleading about when I could safely enter a new part of the map. [*]It was easy to get lost in the southern forest with the wolves. [*]The "loot" system is a bit irritating as you're constantly trying to enlarge your backpack to minimize your trips back to town (to sell). [*]The priests that surround themselves with golden shields were rather irritating to fight. [*]Like fellow reviewer [i]dim[/i], I was confused when I clicked on a piece of loot in my inventory and it disappeared. [/list] Although many aspects of the game were somewhat shoddy and low-budget, I don't regret playing it! [b]Developers take note![/b] ARPGs are super fun to play, and more competent ones need to be made!

Nice game for less than one pound in sale. Very interesting graphic and good music in background.

I can't believe this game was made by two people only. The atmosphere, the gameplay, and the graphics were all charming and fantastic. You owe it to yourself to play this wonderful game, especially since it is at such an affordable price.

Even though i am yet to finish it, i can safely say that The Handbook is a thought out and beautifully made game, as it is clear the developers themselves had fun coming up with the concept and making it. It's a quick and fun adventure that i am sure anybody would enjoy.

Very interesting artstyle choice, it really does create an enjoyable atmosphere in tandem with the music! Some of the balancing and level design aspects could be improved, but overall presents an exciting and unique experience.

2-2.5 out of 5 if judging it by comparison to the gaming market. 3.5 if judging it based on expectations for this game only. Gameplay is pretty fun although a little grindy. Plot is nothing special, but there were a few silly moments and cool details. I will be recommending this for people who are considering buying it, but unfortunately I don't really see why one would, as this game is pretty simple and nothing innovative. Here are the details of my feedback throughout my playthrough, probably of more interest to the devs than the public: - In total, I have found: 18 grammar or spelling errors - I have laughed 7 times, including chuckles - I have found 16 bugs. - Wolves shouldn't make such a cute noise when they die. It makes me pity them. :( - I clicked the loot in my inventory and didn't know why it disappeared. - IDK how I feel about being able to exchange money for XP, but I guess it's not that bad. - I wanna know at which point on the bar my HP stops regenerating. Also how much out of how much I have, without entering my inventory. - How annoying the first spell is is actually pretty cool! GG. (Next quality of life update must include a counter on how many missed water bullets you have) - The difficulty of the game is fine. Final boss was a piece of cake tho (~level 30 or so? maybe I grinded too much). - I want to be able to sell only one loot and buy more than one potion at once. - I want to know the mana cost and cooldown of spells when I read their info on the spell wheel. - I need an indication of which spell is equipped, like maybe a change in the color of the staff's orb or something. - Cool climbing segment but please fix the horrid rock texture. All in all, good job on this studio's first released game. :)

Found the game very fun and cute. Very much enjoyed the art style. The game play itself is simple and fun but does require some grinding in the beginning. Being able to turn gold into money helps with buffing up your strength when getting more loot. As other reviews have said clicking on your loot will make it disappear. They do not open up, just get sold as is. Helps keep the simplicity of the game without needing to worry about changing gear or such all the time. Near the end though found what I will consider a feature that lets you get a certain spell to become way overpowered by being able to kill thousands of wolfs in no time. Over all it focuses on what I think makes a game fun so I would very much recommend. (=^;^=)