Game review
New Yankee 9: The Evil Spellbook
6.7 / 10
- Developer
- Alawar Casual
- Publisher
- Alawar Casual
- Released
- 1 October 2020
- Platforms
- Windows
- Genre
- Simulation
- Monetisation
- One-time purchase, no DLC or in-app purchases.
- Players
- Single-player only
The short version
New Yankee 9: The Evil Spellbook sends players back to the age of King Arthur to defeat an evil spellbook threatening Camelot, clearing obstacles, gathering resources and rebuilding villages across a series of timed levels. Steam records just 5 total reviews, all positive — too few for a formal score, and this review read every one of them.
What this thin sample lacks in volume it makes up for in consistency: every review, including two detailed write-ups from established Steam curators, describes a solid, traditional time-management game that delivers reliably on what the long-running New Yankee franchise promises, with new level designs the main point of differentiation from earlier entries. No reviewer raises a technical complaint, and one specifically confirms smooth performance on older hardware (Windows 7 64-bit). Steam's own achievement completion data backs up a well-paced, genuinely finishable game rather than one that loses its audience partway through.
Biggest strengths
- A reliable, well-executed time-management loop that reviewers describe as delivering consistently on what the long-running New Yankee series promises
- New level designs specifically praised as a meaningful point of difference from earlier entries in the franchise, rather than a simple reskin
- Multiple difficulty modes (Expert, Normal, Relaxed) let players tune the time pressure to their preference
Biggest weaknesses
- The review sample is extremely thin — only 5 total reviews exist for this game, and this review read all of them, so this verdict rests on far less collective opinion than most titles covered in this library
- No negative reviews exist to weigh against the positive ones, meaning any real flaws with the game simply haven't been documented publicly in enough volume to surface here
- As a ninth entry in a long-running, formulaic series, the core loop is unlikely to surprise genre veterans looking for real innovation
Who it's for: Fans of time-management and resource-clearing games (Gardenscapes-adjacent, Build-a-lot, earlier New Yankee entries) looking for a reliable, low-cost genre entry.
Our recommendation: A safe, low-cost pick for genre fans — the small review sample is uniformly positive and specific about what works, though buyers should weigh that against how few total opinions exist to draw from.
6.7 / 10
Introduction
New Yankee 9: The Evil Spellbook sends players back to the age of King Arthur to defeat an evil spellbook threatening to claim Camelot, clearing obstacles, gathering resources, and rebuilding razed villages across a series of timed levels. Published by Alawar Casual as the ninth entry in a long-running time-management series, it launched on Steam on 1 October 2020 at NZ$4.44. Six years later, it has attracted just 5 total reviews — this review read every one of them.
What a small, uniform sample actually says
Rather than treating five reviews as too little to draw anything from, this review read them closely because their consistency is itself informative. "Another great installment in the New Yankee series," reads the shortest. A detailed curator review lays out the structure clearly: three difficulty modes (Expert, for players who want tighter time limits; Normal; and Relaxed, an easier pace for newcomers), plus specific praise for a feather-collecting minigame layered on top of the core path-clearing loop. A more measured, comparative review from a player who's followed the franchise across multiple entries notes "some new elements on screen when compared to previous episodes... mostly the new level designs that I've found interesting" — a useful, specific signal that this isn't simply a reskin of earlier games in the series. One reviewer confirms smooth performance "on Win7 64 bit without any problem," a small but reassuring technical data point for a budget release.
Reading the absence of complaints honestly
It would be dishonest to treat five positive reviews as proof the game is flawless — the real, honest takeaway is that not enough people have reviewed it publicly to know what, if anything, isn't working for some players. What this review can say is that Steam's own achievement completion data is consistent with a well-paced, genuinely finishable game rather than one that loses its audience partway through: even the hardest achievements sit in the 8-16% range rather than collapsing toward zero, a healthier curve than many small casual titles in this library show.
Verdict
New Yankee 9: The Evil Spellbook is, by every account currently available, a reliable and well-executed entry in a long-running time-management franchise, with genre fans specifically praising its new level designs and difficulty options. This review's full read of its entire review sample — all five of them — found no documented complaints to weigh against that praise, though buyers should note how little collective opinion exists here compared to better-reviewed titles. A safe, cheap pick for fans of the format.
Pros and cons
Pros
- A reliable, well-executed time-management loop that reviewers describe as delivering consistently on what the long-running New Yankee series promises
- New level designs specifically praised as a meaningful point of difference from earlier entries in the franchise, rather than a simple reskin
- Multiple difficulty modes (Expert, Normal, Relaxed) let players tune the time pressure to their preference
- Confirmed by a reviewer to run smoothly even on older hardware (Windows 7 64-bit), a good sign for a budget-priced casual title
- Cheap at NZ$4.44, with 42 achievements giving completionists real goals to chase
Cons
- The review sample is extremely thin — only 5 total reviews exist for this game, and this review read all of them, so this verdict rests on far less collective opinion than most titles covered in this library
- No negative reviews exist to weigh against the positive ones, meaning any real flaws with the game simply haven't been documented publicly in enough volume to surface here
- As a ninth entry in a long-running, formulaic series, the core loop is unlikely to surprise genre veterans looking for real innovation
Screenshots
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New Yankee 9: The Evil SpellbookImage: Alawar Casual via Steam -
New Yankee 9: The Evil SpellbookImage: Alawar Casual via Steam -
New Yankee 9: The Evil SpellbookImage: Alawar Casual via Steam -
How the review scores each part of the gameWanderer Editorial -
The essentials at a glanceWanderer Editorial -
The short versionWanderer Editorial