# Library of Babel — user reviews

> 35 indexed App Store user reviews of Library of Babel by Keiwan Donyagard, rated 4.40/5 from 43 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/library-of-babel/id1180198611/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/library-of-babel/id1180198611.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 29 · 4★ 8 · 3★ 3 · 2★ 2 · 1★ 1

## Newest reviews (12 of 35)

### 5/5 — Does this app use the same Algorithm as Basile’s Website?

*2023-06-30*

When I go to a the hexagon “0” on Basile’s website, and go to Wall 1, Shelf 1, Book 1, and page 1, it does not match up with what’s in the same “location” as the app.

Is there a reason there’s a difference?

Great app by the way!

### 5/5 — 日本語対応させて

*2023-01-09*

これってホルヘ・ルイス・ボルヘスのバベルの図書館を再現したゲームってコト！？(ハチワレ)

### 5/5 — ОФИГИТЕЛЬНАЯ ИГРА

*2022-03-01*

Очень интересно реализована задумка, но нельзя поворачивать камеру когда идёшь. А так - отлично, спасибо разработчикам за такую игру!

### 5/5 — Take it for what it is 🤷🏽‍♂️

*2022-01-18*

I only touched this app like once or twice and so far I’ve had interesting experiences that I am not sure if they’re were meant to be part of the app.
I.e. I saw the librarians that are pointed out in the description of the app, they do share bits of information but at some point they say nothing anymore even if I restart the app..
I also decided to throw myself into the pit multiple times to see if anything happens and upon respawning into the map, I spawn to a Smokey part of the library where a couple floors down, the room was on fire.
And during my adventures, the further down into the library I went, the less the books started working.
And the first and second floor at some point stopped containing books, bookshelves, and was pure wall, and now thinking about it, there were only 5 floors with endless corridors, and if I tried climbing to the next floor, I would look down to the void and noticed that I never changed floors and I was stuck in the same floor.
It felt like it was meant to be some sort of horror in it which kept it suspenseful, but nothing ever happens until you notice a small change and then you realize you’re not experience the app the same way you did when you first entered, yet the rooms are the same.

You’re weird. You’re a weird developer. I’m looking forward to your next project.

### 5/5 — Can you hear me?

*2021-05-27*

Hello! I would like to request the changing of the librarian textures. I use the Library as a meditative place, and I would greatly enjoy a monk or a wise old man in place of the abominations that currently grace Babel’s halls. 
Much appreciated, 
Dell.

**Developer response:** Hi, Dell!
Hopefully the new update makes finding a librarian a more pleasant experience :)
Best regards,
Keiwan

### 5/5 — An oddly entertaining pastime

*2020-08-06*

Whether it's the Navy Seal copypasta, the word Buffalo fifty times, the secret to unlocking Spongebob in Super Smash Bros. Melee, or the full text of this review in Latin backwards, it keeps startling me the kind of nonsense I can type in the search feature and actually have it be found. Logically, I know it has to be there, since every possible combination means every possible combination. But seeing it is still good for a laugh.

I also like to make it a bit of a game seeing what the first coherent word I can find is, like it's the world's biggest word search puzzle.

Or filling in the blanks like typing into the search something like, "The name of this alien character will be the next pronounceable string of eight characters after this sentence."

At any rate, there's a lot of ways I can amuse myself with a visit to this library.

### 4/5 — Très bonne idée seulement si...

*2020-06-17*

Comme dans le site, (libraryofbabel.info) cela aurait été parfait si il y’avais la fonctionnalité de filtré en mots Anglais.
Il y a également un bug concernant me déplacement du personnage, cela peut être plus fluide.
Sinon, je vous remercie pour cette application.

### 5/5 — Awesome app

*2020-03-12*

I love it it’s awesome but why can’t i find the same pages from this app to the site? I tied searching for something in the app then used the hexagon code, wall, shelf, book and page on the website but they are not the same.

### 4/5 — Very well done, except one thing

*2020-02-22*

I like this app, it’s very well made, and unlike other reviews say I don’t think the controls are that bad (although I have a lot of experience with mobile controls so that may be why I can use them easily). My complaint is that sometimes in some rooms there is a figure, sometimes seemingly looking at the shelves, and others, at you. I know it is purposeful, and is even featured in the pictures for the app, but there’s something that is really creepy about it. To randomly go into one and see something in an app not meant to be for entertainment, that should be all the same, and there is an eerie figure staring at you just freaks you out. There was once where when I first went into the app it was staring at me at the first hexagon. I know this is irrational, but it greatly affects how I view the app.

**Developer response:** Thank you very much for your honest review! 

I don't think this is irrational at all. The librarians are not really supposed to freak you out so if they do, it's definitely a valid issue to be brought up.

I have been wanting to switch out their 3d models for something better for quite a while but just haven't had the time to either find a good existing replacement one or to create one myself.

Would you personally say that you would feel more comfortable if they were not there at all and all rooms would be guaranteed to be empty or would you just liked them to look more like actual people (e.g medieval monks or something similar)? You can find my contact information at keiwando.com/contact in case you have any thoughts on this.

PS: The librarians are always looking at the shelf in front of them. If it seemed like they were looking at you it must have been an illusion (probably caused by the fact that they are completely black and have no texture at all).

### 4/5 — Great visualisation

*2019-10-04*

Could you please make it possible to copy text from the pages pf the books?

### 5/5 — Great

*2019-09-17*

The Game is a Great visualisation, of the actual Website!

### 5/5 — Legal

*2019-05-31*

Intrigante

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — ゴミ

*2025-12-11*

ゴミ以外言う事ないわw  星1つあげるから喜べww

### 2/5 — I miss the old librarian

*2024-06-20*

It’s a cool experience, but the new librarian model makes it less creepy and interesting.

### 2/5 — It's ok.

*2016-12-24*

It's an ok app, the controls are super clunky and hard to use even if in vr mode. It's nearly impossible to select a wall and get a book out. It would make things easier if you can just look around with your finger, not a whole other joystick. I rather use the computer version or the website itself. I'm just glad the app is free.

### 3/5 — Awesome phone app idea, needs updates before I’d recommend it

*2021-02-01*

This app’s aesthetic is largely based off of the poem made by Jorge Luis Borges in 1941. The attention to detail in regards to the recreation of the library itself based on its description in the poem is great. A lot of reviewers are saying that the library is creepy with its claustrophobic dark atmosphere. I feel that that’s sort of intentional to a certain point, but the giant, completely pitch-black humanoid figures idly standing in place in certain rooms I admit gives off some very creepy Slenderman vibes. Even if the models do improve in the future an option to remove them completely from the library would be nice.
I’m most looking forward to future updates to this app in regards to the ease of use. There are a few issues with the UI: 
-you’re able to look around the room and highlight/select walls, shelves and books even when you’re currently reading a book. 
-It is difficult to check which wall you’re looking at without selecting a specific shelf or book in the process. 
-There NEEDS to be some sort of portrait mode. Landscape orientation forces the text way too small to read, and magnifying a singular page to read it more clearly makes the text way too large, making scrolling through one page take forever.
-Copy/Pasting Hex data generated from the Library of Babel website to this app does not work I presume that not all of the hex data copied is getting fully pasted since the start of the block of copied hex data will match, but the ends will not.
-page numbers are not clear. Since there are always 2 pages on the screen, the page number on the bottom will always be some even number, so it is not clear which page the book is referring to, so when looking for a specific page in the library, it can get particularly difficult to find where you’re at.
Overall I really want to see this app work. I just hope to see most of these issues addressed in the future.

**Developer response:** Thank you very much for your detailed review!

I unfortunately haven't yet had the time to address all of the issues you mentioned but the latest update swaps out the old librarian model for a more fitting monk design.

Regarding copy & paste from the website: 
Since the 3.0.0 update this app does not use libraryofbabel.info to generate the pages any more. I wrote my own algorithm which runs offline so you don't need an internet connection , it's much faster to load the pages and the app continues to work when the website server is unreachable. However, this also means that the page locations are not the same as on libraryofbabel.info

### 3/5 — Controls

*2020-02-28*

The controls are really bad and slightly unbearable but if you can fix it I would love the game

### 3/5 — Ehh

*2019-01-26*

Almost amazing, aside from the horrible controls, it’s good. However, it is difficult to pull a book from a wall, and rather laggy. Typing seems to always lag. The music makes it 10x better though.

### 3/5 — It’s alright

*2018-09-09*

As far as an interactive version, it’s okay. I saw a couple of those shadow people at the start, but then none ever again as I went further. It was a tiny bit disappointing, especially since the search feature wasn’t as refined as I’d have thought.

Fun to try out though, give it a chance.

### 4/5 — Wow

*2021-06-25*

I’m not sure what this is, but it’s fascinating and a bit creepy

### 4/5 — I love this but I half died

*2020-12-27*

Okay I got this recently and it’s so cool and relaxing and fun. I was just wandering the halls lost in the rooms with music in the background when I come face to face with this nightmare. It kind of reminded me of those wights from the Miss Peregrines Peculiar Children book series. Needless to say, not fun. I think it’s supposed to be a librarian but it’s all black and somehow super tall and seems to stare at you. In my rush to try and get away I somehow got myself stuck in something staring at the thing and I couldn’t get out. After I left the app and came back on I was fine though. I still like it but boy I’m going to have nightmares.
Maybe in the next update make them more human with eyes? I don’t really care what but I really hope I don’t find any more. My heart is still beating.

**Developer response:** Hi!
I'm really sorry about that!
I just swapped out the librarian model for something more fitting and less jarring. Hopefully you can now look forward to finding a librarian in the endless halls of the library.

### 4/5 — 4.3 stars

*2020-10-10*

All in all this is pretty sweet. My only point of criticism so far is with one aspect of the controls: you can't turn the view while moving.

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — bug

*2026-06-01*

If you jump down from the railing in the middle and jump to the floor without bookshelves, there will be no stairs. The place that should be the stairs leads to the void.

At this time, if you jump into the void, you will keep falling, and there is no button to reset your position. You can only exit the app.

### 5/5 — Mind Bending Experience

*2026-04-26*

Here you will find written everything that ever happened in the world, everything that didn't happen and also your name. Even this comment, i swear !!! If you look long enough... 💀

### 5/5 — I like the idea

*2026-03-03*

Are you supposed to read this I don't want to sound dumb but all of this I cannot read

### 5/5 — Cool game

*2026-02-13*

Interesting

### 5/5 — AMAZING

*2025-10-07*

I played for 7 hours yesterday. And found dyo and bagel I’m so happy

### 5/5 — Genius

*2025-09-08*

Fix the text input field in landscape mode in iPhone and add search with English words.

### 5/5 — Это сломало мой мозг

*2025-03-16*

Потрясающе

### 5/5 — Hey

*2025-01-20*

Hey keiwan not sure if youre active anymore but I love your projects and this is no exception. Just make it so i can move while turning and it will me a much smoother experience. Thanks!

### 5/5 — Nice but

*2025-01-14*

I found a black doorway so I walked into it and I exited the library of babel so yeah

### 5/5 — Beautiful app.

*2024-12-09*

This is one of the better apps on this App Store of ours. I love how it supports VR, and has the features the famous website you (I’m guessing) based it on, as well as the original book, of course. The graphics are changeable, it’s very immersive, the ambience is nice, you can play it offline (amazing) but…. It needs a touch more.

As you may know, the website has a feature where you can generate random pixels, and there is a chance you may find a picture of the beginning of the universe, or something like that. I would like this in the app. Also, here’s a good idea that hasn’t been taken yet: a random sound generator. If you can do text and visual, surely you can do a low bitrate sound generator? If you can, thank you.

Also, I would like to be able to disable the VR mode. For example, look around with swiping, so you can use it in a confined area, or on a PC, or on a car ride.

But here’s my final question:
I’m a music creator, and I’m looking for a way to make my music more popular. I make every genre except any singing, and the music is, to be frank, quite repetitive. So reply with an email or something, so I can maybe get your number and send you free songs. Music is about 40% of the game experience, and it would be nice if you had 10+ tracks in-game.

Thank you for your time, Keiwan.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-28.*