『An incident in the afterlife?』

💎 First Impressions 

Do you believe in the afterlife?

For me, the afterlife feels less like a religious concept and more like a fascinating storytelling device, often explored in fiction.

Think of the vivid depictions of hell in Along with the Gods, the popular webtoon-turned-film, or the comedic glimpses of heaven in The Simpsons.

Now, suppose the afterlife is real—what would it look like?

Some might envision crossing the Sanzu River, the Jordan River, or the River Styx.

Instead, it could be a more structured journey, like a guided tour leading souls to their next destination.

But what happens when something goes wrong on this journey? How would you handle it?

That’s exactly what A Guidebook of Babel sets out to explore.

⌚Gameplay 

『The smallest shifts

Changes the story dramatically』

<The screen you see is the gameplay itself—simple and intuitive>

When I first started this game, I hadn't paid much attention to its genre, having only seen the trailer.

So, I was a bit caught off guard when the game immediately threw me into piecing together a story.

Most games begin with a "Start" or "New Game" button in the menu, after all.

It was only then that I became curious about what kind of game this actually was.

The store page describes it as adventure, puzzle, and casual, but that doesn't tell the full story.

Judging by its atmosphere and mechanics, it feels more like a detective-style puzzle game where you search for the correct narrative path.

(In fact, games like LumineNight and Loco Motive, which are also mystery games, are categorized as adventure & puzzle on their store pages as well.)

<If your story hits a dead end, find the cause and fix it>

Let’s dive a little deeper into what it means to be a mystery game where you uncover the "correct" path of the story.

Imagine you're an office worker who needs to get to work on time.

You have a set routine to ensure you arrive by 9 AM—your phone alarm rings at the scheduled time, you get ready, have breakfast, pick an outfit, and head out the door.

"

Behind every event lies

a small, seemingly insignificant cause.

"

Now, suppose you drank too much the night before and forgot to charge your phone.

As a result, your alarm never goes off, and instead of making it to work by 9 AM, you don’t even wake up until then.

There’s no way to be on time.

But what if you hadn't overindulged?

What if you had gone home at a reasonable hour, plugged in your phone, and gotten a full night’s rest?

Then everything would have played out as planned.

That’s the essence of A Guidebook of Babel—you analyze the cause-and-effect chain and make adjustments to steer the story in the right direction.

If you’ve ever heard of the butterfly effect—the idea that a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil can set off a tornado in Texas—then you already have a good sense of how this works.

<A character’s story unfolds Across Multiple Scenes>

To better understand how the game’s narrative works, let’s take a closer look at its storytelling structure.

Each character’s story is divided into several key moments, which, for convenience, we’ll refer to as scenes. 

Every scene is connected, either as a continuation of the previous one or as a setup for the next.

What’s crucial is that a character’s story flows seamlessly from the first scene to the last. This means that an action you witness early on might have a direct impact on an event in the final scene.

If your progress is blocked by an incident in the last scene, the solution might lie all the way back in the first one. To move forward, you’ll need to rewind time and retrace your steps, carefully examining past events to uncover what needs to change.

<If you solve it correctly, the Butterfly Effect screen appears, and the story is reconstructed>

Once you carefully analyze the events, identify the root cause, and make the right adjustments, the story will be reconstructed.

Up until the point of modification, everything unfolds the same way.

However, once the cause is altered, the story shifts accordingly, reshaping itself based on the changes you've made.

That said, just because the story has been reconstructed doesn’t necessarily mean all problems are resolved.

You'll have to keep playing to see if any unforeseen consequences emerge—after all, one event can trigger a chain reaction of new complications.

📌 Final Thoughts 

『A fresh take on narrative-driven mystery games』

Looking back, even the game’s title has a bit of a parody-like charm.

It seems to draw inspiration from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the famous sci-fi comedy novel.

Maybe that’s why the game carries a similar sense of quirky, cult-like humor.

As a result, there were moments when I didn’t fully grasp what was happening—but I just went along with it.

All conflicts are resolved through card games in a certain world, after all.

That being said, the way the story unfolds is refreshingly unique.

The more I played, the more I wanted to uncover why I ended up on the Babel Ark and what kind of place it really was.

Most of all, I loved the gameplay mechanics—it was unlike anything I had experienced before, making for an incredibly enjoyable ride.

I can confidently recommend A Guidebook of Babel.

If the game ever goes on sale for around $8 USD, I’d highly recommend picking it up without hesitation.

That concludes our journey through A Guidebook of Babel—a traveler's guide to the afterlife!

▶ Go to Store

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