Library of Ruin

Library of Ruina is a complex and highly acclaimed turn-based deck-building RPG developed by South Korean studio Project Moon. It serves as a direct sequel to the studio's previous work, Lobotomy Corporation, and continues the narrative set in the brutal, dystopian metropolis known as "The City."

Plot: The Library's Quest

The game centers on the Library, a mysterious, sprawling edifice that appears following the collapse of the mega-corporation that housed the events of the previous game. The Library is directed by the former AI of that corporation, Angela, who is obsessed with collecting "The One Absolute Book"—a legendary volume believed to hold the key to her becoming fully human.

To achieve this goal, Angela sends out cryptic invitations to various individuals and factions from across The City, inviting them to visit the Library. These visitors—known as Guests—must be defeated by the Library's staff of Librarians (including the cynical co-protagonist, Roland). Upon defeat, the Guests' very essence is transformed into Books containing their stories, experiences, and abilities, thus expanding the Library's knowledge and power.

The story unfolds through these "Receptions" (battles), which serve as vignettes, revealing the harsh, often horrific, politics, technologies, and moral compromises of life in The City.

Gameplay: The Library Battle Simulation

Library of Ruina is often described as a "Library Battle Simulation" due to its unique fusion of mechanics:

• Deck-Building (The Shelves): Before a battle (or "Reception"), the player builds a deck (called a Bookshelf) of nine Combat Pages for each Librarian. These pages represent the actions, attacks, and defenses the character can take.

• Key Pages and Passives: Librarians' core stats and permanent abilities are derived from Key Pages, which are obtained by defeating powerful Guests and "burning" their Books. This process of acquiring and attributing abilities from defeated enemies is core to the game's progression and custom team-building.

• Clash and Dice Rolls: Combat is turn-based and revolves around the concept of clashing. When a Librarian's action targets an enemy's action, the two enter a clash. The effectiveness of the chosen Combat Pages is determined by dice rolls (often multiple rolls per page). The higher roll wins the clash, nullifying the loser's attack and allowing the winner's attack to proceed, adding a massive element of strategy, luck, and risk management.

• Emotion Level: During combat, characters gain Emotion Coins by winning or losing clashes, or by achieving certain battle outcomes. Raising an Emotion Level grants tactical advantages, such as recovering energy, increasing max capacity for energy (Light), and unlocking powerful, temporary Abnormality Pages (unique buffs/debuffs).

The result is a highly challenging, tactically deep RPG where success depends on meticulous deck construction, resource management (Light and Emotion), and careful turn-by-turn planning to control the crucial "Clash" mechanic.