The Book of Outcasts

Midplayz
Nov 23, 2025
4 min read

Snow, Sorcery, and Suspiciously Empty Maps

The Book of Outcasts drops you into the frozen, haunted beauty of Conussia, where the winters slap harder than reality on a Monday morning and everyone acts like stoic is their national sport. As a disgraced ex-soldier drafted into the Tsarina’s covert crew of investigators (the Sparrows), I found myself juggling dungeon crawling, village management, rogue-mage hunting, and…ummmm…some very very adult situations. It’s an ambitious mix of RPG exploration, horror, strategy, and sex. And honestly? It’s a ride…sometimes great, sometimes bumpy, sometimes face-palming, but definitely a ride.

Note: The developers are consistently releasing patches, offering some assurance that the existing issues will be resolved. Hopefully, they will address as many of these problems as possible.

About This Game

Storyline

This is where the game shines and stumbles, sometimes in the same breath. I loved the setup: being shipped off to some remote snowy village built on top of ancient horrors? Yes, please! Being told to track down a mysterious wooden-masked mage who might be connected to my own past? I’m listening. Getting sucked into wizard politics with a literal order of undying sorcerers? Chef’s kiss.

The early and mid-game writing actually hooked me pretty hard. There’s a solid sense of atmosphere; icy forests, cursed ruins, weird villagers, forbidden magic, all that good stuff. At first, the dialogue feels sharp and immersive, and the world gives off a structured, “there’s a lot going on here under the surface” vibe.

But then…the wheels wobble a little.

As I went further, the writing started to feel rushed and occasionally childish. Some interactions felt unfinished or just skipped over, like the writers ran out of steam or time. The story also throws in some choices that seem important, but end up affecting absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, moments that should give you choices just…don’t. By the end, things drift into a bit of Deus-ex-machina territory, and the ending suggests a Part 2, which I wasn’t totally thrilled about given how unfinished things already feel.

Still, the worldbuilding is strong, and even with the flaws, the plot kept me curious enough to push on. Just…temper expectations.

Gameplay Mechanics

This is an RPG dungeon crawler and village-management sim, but imagine it getting caught between ambition and execution. Combat is simple…like, very simple. I basically ran the whole game with two attacks, a spell, and potions. The challenge is minimal, unless you accidentally wander into a quest the game really didn’t want you touching yet (ask me how I know 😭).

Exploration is a mixed bag. Yes, the world is big…but that sometimes means too big, with lots of empty tiles, slow travel, and maps that feel more like scenic voids. No fast travel doesn’t help, especially when the game has you running back and forth between characters. Oh, and the map? Buggy, empty, and missing door labels. I didn’t sign up for Morrowind-style navigation by vibes.

The management system: upgrading the village, fending off attacks, crafting; sounds great on paper but ends up feeling mostly unnecessary because loot is plentiful and the village basically runs itself once you get the basics going.

And then there’s the UI. Let’s just say it’s…clunky. Saving takes ages, quest tracking is inconsistent, some quests don’t even appear in the journal, and others stay marked active forever. I get the vibe that QA and playtesting were “optional activities”.

Visuals & Audio

The art style is honestly nice; moody, distinct, and fitting for the dark-fantasy setting. The problem is more with quantity and consistency. The game teases a huge amount of lewd content, but what I actually saw felt limited: some static images, some barely animated scenes, and long stretches of text-only moments. Even with the new patches, the gallery situation is a bit of a disaster…bugged, incomplete, or missing scenes that supposedly got unlocked.

Outside the adult content, the general aesthetic works well enough. Audio isn’t groundbreaking, but it does the job and doesn’t get in the way.

Pros

Strong worldbuilding with a mysterious, atmospheric setting
Early game writing is genuinely engaging
Good visual style and some nicely animated 2D scenes
Solid story foundation with intriguing lore
Feels like a big step up from The Book of Bondmaids in structure and ambition

Cons

Writing quality drops noticeably in the second half
Buggy systems (maps, quests, saves, gallery)
Combat lacks depth and variety
Large, empty maps that slow down exploration
Choices often feel meaningless
Adult content is far less frequent and less polished than expected
UI issues: slow saves, hidden icons, clunky navigation

Conclusion

Overall, The Book of Outcasts feels like a game with a ton of potential that doesn’t fully land its punches yet. The story pulled me in, the world had me curious, and the tone of the setting is honestly great. But technical issues, map bloat, underwhelming combat, and inconsistent writing hold it back from being the polished RPG-management hybrid it wants to be.

I still enjoyed my time with it, but it’s definitely a mixed experience, half compelling dark-fantasy adventure, half “why is this door not labeled again?” If you’re patient, drawn to the Conussia universe, and willing to overlook bugs and rough edges, there’s definitely something here to enjoy. Just don’t expect a perfectly smooth or fully complete experience for now.

Rating: 6/10

If the village survives the winter, maybe my patience will too.