La oscuridad sobre Arkham: Libro juego

by Jonathan Green, Laura Isabel Vázquez García (translator)

Asume el papel de un Investigador para mantener a los Antiguos a raya en el extraordinario mundo de Arkham Horror

Contempla Arkham desde otra perspectiva a medida que tus decisiones cambien el curso de la historia en los nuevos Libro juegos de Investigadores

Cuando un famoso profesor aparece muerto y su cadáver, derretido, les toca a los Investigadores de Arkham descubrir qué horrores ocultos han sido los responsables de su destino.

Elige tu camino, tu Investigador, y reúne aliados sobre la marcha para dar caza a su asesino antes de que vuelva a actuar.

Sin embargo, Arkham está llena de misterios y muchos desean que la verdad siga sepultada, ansiosos por dar comienzo a una nueva era llena de muerte y oscuridad que devorará el mundo tal y como lo conoces. ¿Podrás detenerla antes de que sea demasiado tarde?

Genres: Horror, Historical Fiction

308 pages, Paperback

Published September 18, 2024

About the author

Jonathan Green is a writer of speculative fiction, with more than seventy books to his name. Well known for his contributions to the Fighting Fantasy range of adventure gamebooks, he has also written fiction for such diverse properties as Doctor Who, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, Sonic the Hedgehog, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Moshi Monsters, LEGO, Judge Dredd and Robin of Sherwood.

He is the creator of the Pax Britannia series for Abaddon Books and has written eight novels, and numerous short stories, set within this steampunk universe, featuring the debonair dandy adventurer Ulysses Quicksilver. He is also the author of an increasing number of non-fiction titles, including the award-winning YOU ARE THE HERO – A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.

He has recently taken to editing and compiling short story anthologies, including the critically-acclaimed GAME OVER and SHARKPUNK, published by Snowbooks, and the forthcoming Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu.

To find out more about his current projects visit www.JonathanGreenAuthor.com and follow him on Twitter @jonathangreen.

Reviews

[RodroinRainbows · Rating 2 out of 5]

A ver, está entretenido, pero me parece frustrante.

No siento que esto recree bien la experiencia Arkham Horror. Hay una cantidad muy elevada de rutas y toma de decisiones a ciegas que llevan a soluciones inconclusas o a la muerte, no es como en otras experiencias Arkham Horror donde lo común son victorias amargas o fallos catastróficos que dan lugar a que un primigenio chungo despierte y el mundo explote. Hay una especie de sección de mazmorreo que o tomas la ruta correcta para conseguir el objeto necesario para avanzar o... Mueres. Fin. Y no hay forma de saber cuál es la ruta correcta más allá de reintentarlo una y otra vez.

Hay otra ruta en la que te dan un código con una clave chulísima (un ejercicio chulísimo, por cierto) que significa algo tocho, más concretamente una profecía chunga, pero con una decisión que tomas en dos escenarios adelante tienes a una señora contándote la profecía entera. Algo falla aquí.

No sé, no me gusta estar dando palos de ciego en un juego de investigación hasta que algo funcione y me deje seguir avanzando. La prosa está chula y eso. Se nota que es un juego para ir afrontando con cosas que has aprendido en el pasado, como localizaciones a investigar que no te dicen en unas rutas y otras sí. En otro momento le daré con otro personaje y toda esta nueva información, pero ahora mismo no tengo ganas de seguir.

[His Ghoul Friday (Julia) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Darkness Over Arkham is a gamebook where you try to solve the mystery behind a deceased renowned professor, but as you unravel the mystery you find out there's something far more sinister going on.

I haven't read a gamebook since I was a kid so this was a lot of fun! This one involved solving puzzles, character sheets, and dice to determine your fate. I loved that the book included pre-made and blank character sheets, so you can make your experience different every time.

This was also my first introduction to Arkham Horror and I enjoyed the vibe of it. It's very Lovecraftian and atmospheric. The storyline was really engaging; I ended up playing a bunch of times and I loved that each of my endings was a grim one.

The Darkness Over Arkham was such a cool experience, I highly recommend reading this when it comes out in May!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for the gifted copy!

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Darkness Over Arkham by Jonathan Green is another fun and atmospheric Arkham Horror story. I'm so glad I started reading this series because it's a great historical fantasy horror series. This one is a bit different as it's a gamebook, also known as a choose your own adventure story. I haven't read one of those in a long time and it was cool to see how the story worked out in this type of format. Plus, I loved going back and changing up the story with my choices throughout.

[T. · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Fun but it’s more involved than your typical CYOA. You need to track clues and stats, plus roll dice, and therefore it’s a bit more complicated than just reading. I’ll read again but for now the ancient ones are still threatening the city.

[Emily Fravel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the world of Arkham Horror and to get a choose your own adventure style book is a dream come true. Its more involved that your average children's choose your own adventure so make sure you have everything you need and time to explore the story. Definitely pick this up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte for the ARC!

[Monty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Az elején ígéretesen indult, aztán nagyon random lett, semmit nem kellett nyomozni vagy összerakni, csak elmondták, mizu. A végén azt se tudtuk, most ez jó befejezésnek számít-e, a nyomokkal semmit nem kellett kezdeni a végén. Csak annyi volt a kohézió, hogy találkoztál-e ezzel a névvel vagy tárggyal és kész, pl. a Kórházba nem tudom, hogy lehetett volna eljutni és túl is élni.

[Manolito Sabrosson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Saecio más malo que una resaca de lirios

[Siobhain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up playing the fighting fantasy adventure games and have played several solo adventure game books since. I am also an avid RPG player be it by book or videogame. Unfortunately being an adult cuts into gaming time and makes it difficult to find a time when all the crew are free so solo game books or solo adventures are always a fun way to scratch that itch. I am glad to say that The Darkness Over Arkham does just that. I adored being an investigator and playing through this one and best of all it’s got lots of reply ability too!
Like the previous game books by Aconyte (set in the Marvel universe) I was sure this one would work just as well and I have to say I think it is my favourite so far. With the Moon Knight title coming a close second. You are able to plan and plot and potentially fail as you play and best of all it’s got all the things you could expect from Arkham Horror.

I would recommend to any one who is a fan of choose-your-own-adventure books or a fan of Arkham Horror who wants to try something new. There is loads of re-playability as well so it’s a win-win. I’ve already ordered a physical copy!

[Morrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is cosmic horror choose-your-own-adventure for adults and it was so fun! If you're familiar with any of the Arkham Horror universe, you'll find that the cosmic horror from yesteryear vibes are captured perfectly. It really felt like playing through a solo version of the lore from the games. The choose-your-own-adventure elements are crafted very well. I found myself reading through multiple times to try different characters and options in an attempt to see as many secrets and possible endings as I could. After several run throughs, it still felt like there was a ton of content to explore.

This is a neat concept executed well. This book would work for anyone, but especially fans of TTRPGs looking for a solo option. Fans of other AH content are in for an especially big treat.

Special thanks to Aconyte Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for review.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Aconyte Books for an advance copy of this new gamebook that puts you in the body of an investigator in the town of Arkham, where evil and madness are just one bad page flip away.

Arkham, Massachusetts is a town where people where many different garbs. One for example can be a waitress with a secret, a boxer out for vengeance, or reporter looking for a story. Some might even be pretending to be human. Arkham is a strange town, full of smells, and noises that nothing living could emit or utter. Where residents need a particular set of skills to keep their health and their will power. A place where the thin line between sanity and madness is a dice role away. The Darkness Over Arkham:An Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook by author and game designer Jonathan Green is a book that leaves the story up to the reader, with a little help from some dice, and a whole lot of luck.

One is either working, getting story ideas, or even better eating at the local diner, when two other diners draw attention to themselves with the loudness of their argument. And strange eating habits. The couple, older and looking scholarly leave, and the your keen eyes spot a notebook on the floor. One can follow the couple, losing them in the busy streets of Arkham, or one can look inside and see the book is loaded with strange writing and sketches. Maybe the strange words can lead to a story, or a magical possibilities, even a chance at fighting the darkness that fills Arkham. Maybe one should have the notebooks looked at. Since there is a name inside the notebook, maybe a trip to the university is in order to return piece of found property. Each decision is the readers and can lead the seeker on many paths. One can be accused of muder. Attacked by cults. Or far, far worse. Even by chance, a decision could be made just to go home, and though one knows something is happening, something evil, for this investigator the case is closed.

A fun adventure for readers needing only paper, pen, dice, and imagination. Oh, a lot of luck. Those unfamiliar with gamebooks will enjoy the introduction which does a far better job than I telling one what to do. This is sort of like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story, with dice, and a love more creatures from beyond. Readers can be three different investigators that come with the book or download more from the website, along with character sheets that tell about the character, and the stats needed to play. Each part is numbered and as one reads, rolls dice and flips pages, readers are told at the end what chapter to flip too. The story is good, spooky in places, violent in others, and all fun. One does have to pay attention as questions are asked of readers that don't appear in the text, and some addition might have to be done. So make that a full pad of paper.

Recommended for people going on trips, who like the world of Arkham, or really enjoy playing gamebooks. The story is good, the plot really moves, and there are plenty of different ways to do things for a bit of replayability.

[The Rat's Attic · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC received through NetGalley.
Like many my age, the "Choose Your Own Adventure" and "Fighting Fantasy" style of gamebook of the 80's and 90's were a great source of fun and an early gateway into roleplaying games. Though this genre fell somewhat by the wayside as videogames and other distractions took centre stage, there has been a strong revival of screen-less entertainment in the last decade or so. I first noticed this with board games, but I have also dived deeply into the world of modern gamebooks and found that they have aged well.
Enter "The Darkness over Arkham", a entry into the genre based on the Arkham Files games from Fantasy Flight Games.
In it, you play an investigator of your choice from three pre-made characters familiar to Arkham Files fans- Agnes Baker (the descendant of an ancient witch queen), Nathaniel Cho (a boxer with a mob issue), or Rex Murphy (a comically unlucky/cursed reporter). Starting at Velma's diner, you find a notebook full of strange designs, which leads you to the Miskatonic University, Murder, and Mystical Mayhem. Very Arkham.
If you're a fan of the board and card games, you will enjoy finding all the references which appear throughout this adventure, and it does offer something a little different by having a choice of character to play. Aconyte press has even mentioned the possibility of adding more free characters on their webpage, so I'm curious to see what new investigators will bring to the table. Being a player of the FFG games, I also enjoyed using components from those games for this gamebook - clues, doom, resource, damage and sanity are all here!
The gamebook is also very easy to get into, as most of the rules are explained as you play, but there is one major difficulty here: you need to pay attention. There were several points where the book asked me to remember information, and come up with a number based on that information, so as to know where to go next. If you have no idea what the book is talking about, then it's game over. I like this. It reinforces the idea that you are an investigator looking for answers, and forces you to read carefully. Obviously, for some this may prove an issue if you miss a vital clue and have to start all over again, but that is not unusual for gamebooks.
Would I recommend it? It was fun. Not the deepest of modern-day gamebook offerings, but I enjoyed my time with it, especially as an Arkham player.

[Darren K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars. On one hand, I really love having Arkham game books, and am excited to have more in the future. Even this one, I will probably replay a few more times. On the other hand, it took me a bit to start enjoying this gamebook.

Due to its nature, I failed the first part of the book about six or seven times in a row, trying to find the right path that would let me continue the story. It opens up a bit more after that, but those first dozen choices will lead to quick ends unless you're really lucky with the dice or really lucky in your choices.

Speaking of the dice, the early checks are rough. Until you start gaining more resources or clues, you're likely to fail every single check you make. Except for combat. In combat I never struggled at all for some reason. This makes the early game even rougher.

The first actual puzzle you run into is a simple substitution cipher, but it's a longer one and had my eyes glazing over. It really wasn't that bad when I got started on it, but there was a moment where I was staring at it and deciding if it was worth my time to continue through the book or not.

But you know what? Once you get past that substitution cipher, everything becomes a lot better. The plot picks up, there's more meaningful choices, you're unlikely to have to restart as often, and it makes the early game worth slogging through.

From what I can tell, there's several secrets and endings that you can get, making it worthwhile to replay. It also comes with three characters to choose from and the option of using more if you want (which could be very nice if future game books have a wider assortment of characters that can be mixed and matched).

Overall, the book is solid and worth it if you're willing to take some time, and if we get more in the series they could be a worthwhile investment.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

This felt like more complex version of the choose your own adventure books. You have that ability to forge a path through the book by choosing options to take you to different pages, but you also have RPG elements such as dice rolling and character traits and stats and abilities. Where the book gives instructions at the start, it’s best to follow these closely to get the most out of the game, and definitely give yourself a way to track what you collect throughout.

This was a fun and entertaining venture into Arkham Horror. I played through as the Waitress. It was quite challenging and I failed several times, progressing a little bit more each time before I managed to solve the game by making the best choices (there are lots of different outcomes and endings). Sometimes the early ‘the ends’ came as quite a surprise and were unexpected which was a nice touch as it meant the game didn’t feel too easy.

The theme and story were good, there were lots of recognisable elements from Arkham Horror. Story wise it was quite familiar and wasn’t introducing anything groundbreaking, but it was more being able to take control of the narrative yourself and choose what to investigate that was really interesting. You are trying to uncover a mystery and there’s lots of different routes you can take so you can play through this a few times, experiencing a different story each time.

An enjoyable addition to the Arkham Horror universe. Fun to play through and a cool investigation in a book.

[Cat Treadwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you want to play an Arkham game, but are stuck alone with nobody else willing to brave the weirdness with you? Fear not! Jonathan Green has you covered.

This book is so much fun. Written in a 'Choose your Own Adventure'-style, the reader picks a character (three are given in the book, with more online) and follows their path, turning to the relevant page based on their skills and decisions. No two readings will be the same, and it's the best sort of way to play an Arkham game if you can't get out to a physical board with friends.

As always, Jonathan Green's writing is excellent, as mood ramps up and decisions become increasingly critical. These aren't just characters on a page, after all - this is us making the choices for them! They could very well die at the next turn... or suffer a fate even worse. This is Lovecraftian adventure, after all.

My only quibble was that the Kindle formatting of this title made it rather hard to see the details of images (particularly character information). I'm hoping that a physical book will rectify this; that would certainly be preferable in terms of flipping pages as well. I remember the old Fighting Fantasy books fondly, and ebooks will never overtake that for me!

A great setting for an interactive adventure, with writing that draws the reader in. Excellent fun.

I was kindly sent an early copy of this book by the publisher, but the above opinions are entirely my own.

[Meredith Katz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Darkness Over Arkham is a solo rpg: for those who aren't terribly familiar, it's essentially a choose your own adventure, but with a character sheet and dice rolling to determine whether you succeed or fail at certain of the challenges (so, some of the pages you choose which to turn to, and some, luck determines for you).

It uses one of three possible starting investigators (with more available from the website, it looks like), which are provided on specific pages of the book. It doesn't seem to allow you to roll your own, but for a self-contained book that makes perfect sense. On top of that, the characters offered are familiar faces from the Arkham Horror franchise.

The best selling point of this is its complexity (it's HUGE for a choose-your-own style solo rpg) and the fact that it is extremely well-written. You definitely feel like you're living out an arkham horror novel as well as playing in your own rp, and it balances both beautifully. The mystery and narrative is strong, and the writing really sells it.

Highly recommend it, and looking forward to further Arkham Horror game books.

[Cosmic Circus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even if I feel like the endings could have been improved on, I really liked this latest offering from the Arkham Horror line. The story was engaging and exciting, with mystery and adventure everywhere. Jonathan Green does a great job keeping things interesting.

I also really liked having the smaller puzzles to solve. They were like having mini-games within the game, and who doesn’t love a good mini-game? I thought having the three different characters to choose from at the beginning also really improved the adventure. It made the game play even more customizable and added a level of planning to the game that is missing when you just always start off with the same stats.

[It should be noted that the publisher provided a copy of this book for the purpose of reviewing it. All of our reviews are written honestly and independently regardless of whether a copy of the book is provided by the publisher or purchased by the reviewer]

Read an extended version of the review here:
https://thecosmiccircus.com/book-revi...

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received as an ARC from Netgalley:

Back in the day, I owned a number of fighting fantasy books, but for whatever reason I never actually played them. After checking out The Darkness Over Arkham and finally playing one of these, I was missing out.

This was tremendously fun for an evening of investigation and intrigue. I ended up running through a game as both the reporter and as the waitress. As the reporter I found myself hitting a brick wall in terms of investigation, but luckily as the second character I managed to run through the entire story. Admittedly with a few instances of classic "woops made the wrong decision, time to backtrack".

A fun story with a lot of twists/turns that kept me entertained throughout. I was shocked how well this worked as an ebook, but for books like these I'd always recommend a physical copy.

[Lavender Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the Arc on Netgalley It's an interesting concept with a good plot so far. I like how each decision you make as a reader can take you in different directions but still lead you to the essential points that drive the story. Recommended for those who actually want to play a game book and not just reading it for the plot because then you might be disappointed by hitting dead-ends (happens very easily) . It requires patience to enjoy and you will need to break out a pen and paper to keep track of a lot of things. I have yet to complete it because I keep hitting dead ends but it's still kind of fun to do. (I just use the search bar to backtrack my decisions. Is that cheating?) Enjoying it so far

[Juan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting plot and good atmosphere but sloppy execution. While I enjoyed the narrative and the slow pacing, and some of the puzzles, the game was hard and came with plenty of dead ends that seemed illogical.

Good mechanics and tests (albeit hard) and overall an improvement over FF books of old, with dead ends and all but still less punishing. However I found errors along the way, like characters I haven’t met being mentioned or other errors that alude to events I didn’t witness. Some further editing could have helped with these I guess.

That said I’m interested in reading other books in the series, and I did push through to one of the endings.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this gamebook. All the characters were fun to get to know. You, the reader, go through the story and choose different ways that your character moves within the story. My character always ends up dying or doing nothing to solve the mystery within.

This book was fun to read. It had action, adventure, and suspense throughout. There were a few giggles within.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest, unbiased opinion.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Choose Your Own Adventure with some game play involved. I kept getting stuck due to dice rolls or not knowing what to do next. While I wouldn't expect a game book to be easy, I didn't expect to want to throw the book away because there wasn't enough information to continue or the information provided led in circles. Three stars because I looked for tips and tricks online. Once I got the feel of what was supposed to happen, I enjoyed the book/game. I feel I shouldn't need to do that

[Join the Penguin Resistance!]

THE DARKNESS OVER ARKHAM is the newest Interactive Gamebook from Aconyte Books, set in the game world of "Arkham Horror." Deeply founded in the Cosmic Horror of H. P. Lovecraft, these Gamebooks are fictional interactions to guide players into solving occult mysteries based in Arkham, Massachusetts, and combatting Eldritch Horrors [the Ancient Ones].

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much fun, and definitely something you’ll want to read again and again because each time will have a different outcome. Sort of like a grown-up version of those classic Choose-Your-Own Adventure books from youth! So. Much. Fun!!!!

[Babydemon1998 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read with all 3 base characters (not the DLC ones you can download). Found 21/48 secrets, 9/30 super-secrets.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the writing style and atmosphere but didn't love all of the gameplay elements. Will give this one another go at some point.

[Coleccionista de finales tristes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo he leído dos veces y no he logrado resolver el misterio. Me gustan los libros juego

[Ruth Fernandez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lo de siempre. Mucho monstruo, mucha tirada de cordura….
Se le ven demasiado los hilos como para resultar entretenido

[Ал Торо · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the name suggests, "The Darkness Over Arkham" is a Lovecraftian themed story. Without saying too much, there is a strange scene that the main character witnesses and thus he/she decides to investigate further and no matter the cost get to the bottom of the mystery and there what you expect from Lovecraftian story follows - ancient artefacts, otherworldly beings, mysterious houses, cults, etc...

Jonathan Green is experienced in writing light interactive horror, based on popular fiction and the text here is fluid and there are several good scenes. For the most part, he plays too safe and the scenes feel more like a themed board game cards text, instead of true Lovecraftian horror, though. It doesn't help that players can pick among a few characters (and more to come online, so far none of which is actually an investigator, regardless what the synopsis says) and thus during the adventure the main character has zero personality. And zero motivation as well - they just are thrown in the adventure, which is rather short and without sufficient built up, we reach the finale, where (excluding minor breadcrumbs) the entire story is told. I find the storyline itself as the strongest part and not a bad story itself, but personally, I couldn't get too immersed in the adventure.

Each selectable character has different main attributes (Intellect, Combat, Willpower), used for checks; stats (Health and Sanity); resources (Resources, Clues, Items); as well as abilities and weaknesses, which might provide bonuses/penalties, as well as branch the story at some places. Considering this variety to be taken in consideration on just 300 sections, it seems clear why the story feels so short - whichever character you get, many possibilities will be either locked directly, or through checks you are unlikely to succeed in. This and the nearly 100 "secrets and achievements" probably aim at increasing the replayability, but this is in absolute conflict with the concept of centering the adventure around an investigation - this story is worth completing successfully once and then you already know everything major interesting about it, as well as where to go, what are the secret locations' codes and so on and I doubt many players will feel like replaying it again and again.
As a balance it feels unfairly hard and without really making full analysis, I feel many or all characters will require a lot of luck to pass the major checks - some I think might be doomed really early on, before even understanding what the story is about. Gameplay choices are also lacking - entering a random wrong room might be dooming, there are direct deaths after choices like "you decide to wait", as well as "you decide not to wait" and many many situation are decided by the dice, not by choices. There are tedious calculations of location numbers, on every 2-3 section you need to tick a checkbox of a secret (practically for every scene, which quickly wears off and no "secret" found feels really secret, the mechanic becomes underwhelming due to its overusage). Overall, the gameplay it is not too bad, but it is definitely not great.

As a conclusion, there are a few good parts and nothing is too bad, but it feels more as a craftsman's work by the book, packed as another Lovecraftian product with "unimaginable", "unnamable" and "impossible geometry" spammed within, rather than something actually capturing the heart and soul of this sub-genre. It also feels too much as a board game and not enough as a book with actual strong characters, dialogue, motivation, conflict. However, the potential is there and if this endeavor continues as a series, I'd love to see what comes next.

[Steven Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an eARC of The Darkness Over Arkham in exchange for a honest review.

The Darkness Over Arkham is a gamebook set in the Arkham Horror universe in which you investigate the murder of a professor from Miskatonic University.

You pick your path through the adventure and you will need to roll dice and pass certain tests. The book is more focused on investigation rather than the more combat heavy fantasy based gamebooks.You will collect Items, Abilities and Weaknesses which will aid and hinder your character. The game part of the book plays very similar to Marvel Multiverse Missions books also published by Aconyte.

One new mechanic that I really liked is the Clues and Resources which you collect during your investigation. These can be spent in order to help you succeed on a skill check or in combat.

You get the choice to play as three different investigators that have their own stats, strengths and weaknesses which makes each one unique and adds replayability to the book.

I think anyone who enjoys other gamebooks such as Fighting Fantasy, Lone Wolf etc would enjoy this as a break from the combat focused fantasy adventures. This would also be great for RPG players to play between their normal TTRPG sessions.

I look forward to the physical version being released and I hope there are more books to come in the Arkham Horror: Investigation Gamebooks series.