A Guidebook of Babel on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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A narrative-driven puzzle adventure game with the butterfly effect at its core. Board the Babel, a mysterious cruise ship that takes you on a whimsical journey to the afterlife. Use a special pen to help fellow travelers fulfill their wishes by rewriting the past, changing how the future unfolds.
A Guidebook of Babel is a adventure, story rich and time manipulation game
developed by StarryStarry
and published by Thermite Games.
Released on August 02nd 2023 is available on Windows and MacOS
in 4 languages: Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese and Traditional Chinese.
It has received 1,490 reviews of which 1,371 were positive and 119 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.7 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 14.79€ on Steam, but you can find it for less on Gamivo.
The Steam community has classified A Guidebook of Babel into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
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System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS *: Windows 7
- Processor: 1.6GHz Processor
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520
- Storage: 500 MB available space
MacOS
- OS: OS X 10.11 El Capitan
- Processor: 1.6GHz Processor
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520
- Storage: 500 MB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
This game was something I picked up mostly out of curiosity. The art style was indeed a major factor, and the idea of non-linear, parallel storytelling with butterfly effects really caught my attention. It was a bit confusing at first and I nearly lost interest, especially the rewriting of events to trigger butterfly effects but once I got used to it, the mechanic became genuinely fun and rewarding. Aside from the plot, I really enjoyed the smaller details the game offered. The notebook, where I piece together the collected evidences into a full reasoning chain, was what I really loved the most. The mindrunner’s memorabilia were great to read, it was a glimpse of some characters' backstories, and even things like the logbook stamps added a lot of charm to the game. Loved the soundtrack too, there were fun ones, and sad one near the end, made me cry. That said, I was a little disappointed with the ending. Despite having 2 choices, the outcome didn’t feel like a major change at all. Lake still sleeps regardless, and does not get to have a proper goodbye with Braith :(, props to Lanci though, he became one of my faves. But yeah, this made the ending felt a bit rushed despite all the buildup. Overall, the game is quite short but I genuinely had fun with it. Kudos!
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A Guidebook of Babel is a narrative puzzle adventure that thrives on surrealism, emotional weight, and the dizzying possibilities of the butterfly effect. Developed by StarryStarry and published by Thermite Games, it begins with a striking premise: you have died, your memories have been stripped away, and you awaken aboard Babel—a massive, dreamlike cruise ship ferrying souls between worlds. The crew treats memories as both currency and fuel, and you are handed a strange pen along with an equally mysterious guidebook that lets you rewrite events in the past. From the outset, the game positions itself as a story about cause and consequence, and about how seemingly insignificant choices can echo across the lives of strangers in ways neither you nor they could ever predict. Though wrapped in charm and whimsy, the narrative carries an undercurrent of melancholy, examining what people remember, what they choose to forget, and what they wish they could change. The story unfolds through four major chapters, each requiring you to piece together the fates of various individuals whose lives intersect aboard Babel. Rather than focusing solely on the protagonist, the game shifts perspectives frequently, inviting you into the memories and crises of a diverse cast. A pilot caught in a storm, a chef fretting over canned rations, a clown searching for his missing daughter, a swimmer entangled in moral conflict—each story thread feels distinct yet interconnected, much like passengers on a ship whose personal tragedies and hopes intertwine beneath the surface. What begins as a collection of odd, almost comedic vignettes gradually deepens into an exploration of regret, reconciliation, and the fragile bonds that connect people even after death. The tonal balance between humor and sorrow is carefully maintained, preventing the narrative from becoming too heavy while still allowing emotional beats to resonate. Central to the game’s identity is its rewrite mechanic, an elegant system that blends investigation, problem-solving, and time manipulation. As you navigate Babel’s side-scrolling environments, you gather clues, examine objects, and speak with characters to form a clearer understanding of each narrative knot. When you reach a timeline dead end, you return to earlier scenes and use your magical pen to alter a specific detail—an item swapped, a message changed, a decision nudged. These minor interventions trigger ripples that reshape later outcomes. The notebook system becomes your compass, helping you organize clues and logic paths, essentially turning the player into both detective and fate-weaver. This design encourages patience and thoughtful observation; the game rarely spells out exact solutions, instead inviting you to experiment with cause and effect until a new pathway reveals itself. A Guidebook of Babel’s presentation is immediately captivating. Its art style merges retro charm with modern stylization—bold outlines, expressive characters, and delightfully quirky animations lend both comedy and heart to every scene. Babel itself is a star: part steamship, part bureaucratic purgatory, part whimsical dreamscape. Each area—the drenched upper deck, the bustling station, the memory factory, the cavernous boiler room—has a distinct visual identity. The music supports this world perfectly, drifting between playful buoyancy and quiet melancholy, underscoring the oscillation between absurdity and emotional depth. The sound design and visual touches combine to create an atmosphere that feels comforting even when the themes grow somber. Despite its strengths, the game’s structure can be challenging, and it demands a willingness to engage with its idiosyncrasies. The rapid shifts between characters and time periods may be disorienting for players who prefer linear storytelling. The write-and-rewrite mechanic, though clever, sometimes requires trial-and-error that can frustrate if the logic behind a solution feels opaque. Some players may find the pacing deliberately slow, as the game encourages you to revisit scenes multiple times and observe subtle changes. The tutorial’s length reflects the complexity of the system, and while it prepares you for the mechanics, it does not eliminate all confusion, especially during the game’s most intricate puzzle sequences. These hurdles do not break the experience but can make it feel demanding compared to more straightforward narrative adventures. Yet for those who adjust to its rhythm, A Guidebook of Babel becomes deeply rewarding. The solutions—once discovered—feel fair and satisfying, reinforcing the sense that you are uncovering the hidden architecture beneath the story. More importantly, the game’s emotional throughlines gain impact as you begin to understand how each character’s fate is tied to another’s, and how your interventions can mend, complicate, or illuminate their lives. The interplay between the mechanical and narrative layers elevates the entire experience, inviting reflection on memory, consequence, and the tender absurdity of human connections. In the end, A Guidebook of Babel stands out as a thoughtful and imaginative narrative puzzle game with a strong sense of identity. It may not be for everyone—its pacing, structural complexity, and rewinding mechanics require patience—but for players who enjoy story-rich adventures with a cerebral twist, it offers a memorable voyage. Its mix of humor, sorrow, creativity, and thematic depth gives Babel a soul of its own. This is a game that lingers long after the credits, not because of shock value or spectacle, but because it asks you to think deeply about the past, the future, and the power of even the smallest choices to reshape a life. Rating: 9/10
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A Guidebook of Babel sure has some issues making a decent first impression. It takes its sweet time setting everything up; understandable, given how there's a slew of playable characters with varied backgrounds, with each of them requiring an introduction, but this is still a problem. What's less understandable is the game's inability to properly explain its key gameplay system, thus introducing completely unnecessary friction. I'm fully convinced that this is something that could've and should've been handled in a far more succint and neater fashion. On a related note, it'd also be swell to have an easier way of searching for missed event badges, something that may well become an issue once you are deep enough into the game. Nonetheless, once the game gets the ball rolling, it actually ends up being a pretty enjoyable experience. The superb art direction is definitely a highlight, but the characters, the story, and the setting also manage to impress. The writing is generally on point, some pesky typos aside, but those felt rare enough to matter. While definitely imperfect, in the end A Guidebook of Babel is noteworthy, as far as I'm concerned.
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It's fine, but I don't like the backstory of a lot of characters. Shout out to the pokemon reference
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this was a cute and fun game, very forgiving (sometimes a bit too much), i really liked the butterfly effect mechanic and there is something super satisfying about having all the story tiles click together to achieve the wanted result. as a puzzle game it's not very complicate and as a graphic novel the plot is not super rich, but all in all it's still very enjoyable and it had a lot of interesting plot points
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Frequently Asked Questions
A Guidebook of Babel is currently priced at 14.79€ on Steam.
A Guidebook of Babel is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 14.79€ on Steam.
A Guidebook of Babel received 1,371 positive votes out of a total of 1,490 achieving a rating of 8.74.
😎
A Guidebook of Babel was developed by StarryStarry and published by Thermite Games.
A Guidebook of Babel is playable and fully supported on Windows.
A Guidebook of Babel is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
A Guidebook of Babel is not playable on Linux.
A Guidebook of Babel is a single-player game.
There are 2 DLCs available for A Guidebook of Babel. Explore additional content available for A Guidebook of Babel on Steam.
A Guidebook of Babel does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
A Guidebook of Babel does not support Steam Remote Play.
A Guidebook of Babel is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for A Guidebook of Babel.
Data sources
The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.
Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 22 January 2026 11:21 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 22 January 2026 04:39 |
| Steam price | 28 January 2026 20:35 |
| Steam reviews | 26 January 2026 23:54 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about A Guidebook of Babel, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about A Guidebook of Babel
- SteamCharts - Analysis of A Guidebook of Babel concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck A Guidebook of Babel compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
2
Developer
StarryStarry
Publisher
Thermite Games
Release
02 Aug 2023
Platforms
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