With our Book of Hours guide, you will immerse yourself in a relaxing and fascinating Steam game filled with the occult and books. This unique indie game comes courtesy of the creator of Cultist Simulator. It has a similar feel but with an updated, more seamless design without the hectic, life-threatening playstyle. The game drops you into the shoes of a librarian as you work to restore a degrading occult library. There’s much to discover and appreciate. Our guide will share some simple tips to help you enjoy it as much as possible.
Guide To Getting Started in Book of Hours
Onto our beginner’s guide about Book of Hours, the slow-paced role-playing game offers no combat, but there’s plenty of lore building. It’s a card game without any deck building. So, it’s far more casual, and you can spend hours immersed in this compelling world.
Let’s start our Book of Hours walkthrough for beginners with the basics. Once you start the game, you will wake washed up on a shore with no memory. There’s a brief tutorial to explain controls. However, we’ll share some tips that will make the transition smoother.
Collecting and Using Cards
How you use cards remains the same throughout the game. The text box will hint at which card goes into the empty space.
An easy way to choose a card is to discover which cards you can use. When you click the box, some cards glow. Book of Hours will guide you to a collection of cards, but it’s up to you to figure out what goes into the box from there. If nothing happens, then there’s nothing you can do.
When you figure out what cards you can use in Book of Hours, your next step is to guide one to the empty box. If you cannot click the “start” button, the card is not suitable for the situation. Remember: it’s best to start out with the “book” card as that steers you along the right path.
Unlocking Other Areas
Next up in our Book of Hours guide deals with the townsfolk. When you first enter the village, you’ll notice most don’t trust you. So, there are several locked areas. The only way to unlock them is to fill the empty card slot. If you click on it, Book of Hours will provide you with a text box that shows three conditions:
- An essential factor
- What that essential factor must have
- What that essential factor must not have
Book of Hours will also guide you to hire some help now and then. Your friend will work for free no matter what. Others will want payment, so come prepared for that. It’s best to hire people since they can help you unlock new areas.
Gaining Skills
Let’s address the basics of skills in our Book of Hours guide. When you choose a skill, the rest will disappear. However, they will show up throughout the game for you to select them again. Note that there are two main ways to gain skills:
- Purchasing
- Refreshing
If you have the money to spend, you can refresh your skills. However, if you are not in a rush, wait for the day to pass and dawn to arrive. Your skills will constantly refresh with the daily changes.
Skills are not just for you. You can help your assistants or friends gain new skills too. Talk to them, and a new empty card slot will show up next to theirs. You can add either a soul fragment or your memories. It will further help you unlock new areas.
What Else Can You Do?
To wrap up our beginner’s guide to Book of Hours, note that there are several other things the game requires of you. First, you will spend most of your time in the Hush House. You’ll do things such as use the fireplace for burning or brewing, the crafting station to empower souls, and the bed to repair damaged souls.
There are also challenges when the stats of the book are vital. That’s why it pays in Book of Hours to read everything so you can guide the right cards to the slots. There are typically three slots in challenges:
- Soul
- Skill
- Memory
You can fill all three if you have the right cards. Otherwise, just one should suffice. The game will always give you hints in the text box so that you aren’t left without guidance. This allows you to fully enjoy this laidback RPG.
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Book of Souls is available on PC.
