[Average Reading Time: 7 Minutes]
Not the game I knew I needed, but I'm glad I know now.
When I was a kid growing up, I loved the Paper Mario franchise. It would be a good number of years before I played the Nintendo 64 title, but I would play The Thousand Year Door and Super Paper Mario extensively. While I loved Super and still do, I would hope that the next game would follow in the same style as TTYD, since I found the gameplay to be a bit more engaging. Sadly, I didn't get my wish, as Sticker Star and Color Splash went in directions that only disappointed me. It truly seemed that this would be the direction the franchise would be taking from there on out, and I longed for a day where Nintendo would give the older gameplay style another shot.
Little did I know, though, that it would not be Nintendo that would make the game I wanted. Instead, Moonsprout Games would answer the call. In January of 2018, they would launch an Indiegogo Campaign for their new game, an adventure RPG that is taking heavy inspiration from TTYD. Needless to say, people were drawn in like moths to a flame, and the game would reach its funding goal. Almost two years later, we'd get the completed project, titled Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
While I didn't back the campaign or buy the game at launch, it still remained heavily on my radar, as I've been itching for a traditional Paper Mario experience that also offered a new world to explore. All these years later, I've finally gotten to see this game to the end, and man, this game is full of surprises!
When you first enter the world of Bug Fables, the first thing you'll notice is the presentation. They go for a style here that uses 2D characters in 3D environments. They use this very effectively, creating interesting environments and amazing character designs! Your main trio of characters all look great, and the NPC designs are all unique and highly memorable! Meeting new characters and entering new environments was always a treat, as I never knew what would be waiting for me as I traversed through this game's unique world. Speaking of the world, they do a great job playing with the fact that you're playing as bugs! You get a great sense of scope as you find more human-made objects littering the world you're exploring. Seeing how the bug citizens of this world take advantage of these objects to enhance their ways of life is always charming, as well.
As you start going through the first chapter of the game, you'll get introduced to the combat mechanics almost immediately. Like the older Paper Mario games, battles are turn-based, and when you attack, you play a small minigame to maximize damage. You also have special moves that use TP, which is this game's FP. You can block enemy attacks with well-timed button presses, with even less damage being taken with better timing. This is all standard Paper Mario fare, for the most part, and it all works very well. It never felt like it was the game's fault if I missed an action command or mistimed a block.
Things get even more interesting as you obtain party members. You have three characters of your party in total, and they all fight at once. During battle, you can switch who is in the lead, and the leading party member will do additional damage as a bonus. Each party member has their own specialty, as well. You have one that can target flying enemies with ease, one that can topple enemies, and one that can freeze enemies to prevent them from attacking. As you progress through the game, you'll discover more moves for your party that allow for some interesting strategic approaches to tougher fights.
To add to this, you can find a large variety of medals, which is this game's answer to the badge system. Like badges, you have points that you can use to equip them, and each will have a unique effect. There are medals that get equipped to the whole party, and there are some that can only be put on one character. This adds even more to the strategy of fights, as now you can have specific "builds" that allow you to make characters insanely strong under specific conditions.
I'll give an example. There are a variety of status effects in this game. One of these is poison, which damages you each turn. While there are medals that decrease your likelihood of getting poisoned, there are a ton of medals that reward you for getting poisoned, doing things such as buffing your defense and attack. There's even also a medal that make it so poison no longer hurts! To add to this, you can equip a medal that causes you to get poisoned whenever you consume an item, allowing you to activate your poison buffs whenever you want. This is just one way you can get super strong in this game, and playing with the medal combos to find out which builds work best for you can be a highly rewarding time.
If you don't want a risk/reward build and just want stuff that helps you out with no strings attached, though, you're gonna need to play the game for a while. Frequently as I visited shops and explored the overworld I would find mostly risk/reward medals, which was disappointing since I didn't really want to do a crazy build. Thankfully, though, the more you play and explore the game, you'll find more medals that strictly aid you, so this is a short-term problem.
A good source of medals and other goodies are the side quests! As you progress, more and more side quests become available, that each have their own story to them and end with a reward, whether it be currency, medals, or other things. One of the most important tips I could give to a new player is to explore as much of the world as you can! There's secrets hiding all over the place! Optional dungeons and bosses await those seeking a challenge, and you'll be rewarded very well for your efforts!
I had an excellent time exploring the world of this game, especially as more overworld moves were unlocked. Each party member brings with them a growing toolkit of moves to allow you to search every nook and cranny for secrets. They're also all used to solve fun simple puzzles that keep you engaged as you explore the world. Some of the most fun I had in this game was taking time between chapters to explore with new moves I unlocked to see what secrets were hiding around!
Now, I won't be spoiling the story here at all, but I do want to vaguely gush about how much I loved what they did here! They do such a great job fleshing out the world! There's all sorts of factions in this bug world and there's so much lore to discover for each one! You even have a menu where you keep track of discoveries in the world that you can review at any time to refresh yourself on the inner-workings of this land. You find lore books that add backstory to the creation of the kingdoms, as well as answering questions like why are there bugs that behave like people and others that behave like animals. It gets pretty deep, and those along with the story beats flesh out the world in such an exciting way. The further I played, the more I wanted to learn about the world and all its quirks!
What is a world without its people? The characters you meet in Bug Fables are all varied and interesting, both in design and personality! I loved interacting with characters and seeing their reactions to the events happening in the story, as well as seeing how they develop during side quests. The personalities of the main trio also shine super-brightly here, as well. Watching them interact with each other and the world around them was always a treat, and by the end of the game you'll easily love them all. They all also have interesting backstories that you learn about as you play, leading to some very heartfelt moments that will make you smile.
Their personalities shine in the game's tattle system, as well. All three characters have the ability to tattle enemies, revealing their health and defense. Along with this, each character has something unique to say about every enemy in the game! You don't even need to tattle the enemy three times to see all the dialogue, either! You can check the bestiary and it'll have each character's line in it! They stop at nothing to make sure you see every character's take on an enemy or boss, and I think that's amazing!
Outside of tattling enemies, you can also press a button in each area of the overworld to learn more about the area you're in, as well as potential hints to solving a puzzle. You can also do this near NPC's to see the characters have a small conversation about the NPC in question, and sometimes these will change after you talk to a character and learn new information! They did so much work fleshing out dialogue and lore and all this stuff and it adds so much to this game. Exploring and seeing every exchange between characters was endlessly rewarding, and it was easily one of my favorite parts of this game!
Overall, I loved my time playing Bug Fables! The combat was rewarding and exploring the world was highly satisfying! It also doesn't overstay its welcome, either! My in-game timer said 30 hours by the time I finished, but it was more like 28 because this game does that thing I hate where the timer continues to tick even when you're in the pause menu doing nothing. You can probably finish this game faster if you don't do as many side quests, but I can't recommend doing them enough due to all the goodies they give ya. This is a game that you should take your time with and really get immersed in the world. You won't regret it!
If somehow none of what I said has convinced you to play this game, please look at Tanjerin. Look at this boy. He is so precious. You can talk to him in the game and he's really cute. You like cute little guys, right? R-right?
Not the game I knew I needed, but I'm glad I know now.
When I was a kid growing up, I loved the Paper Mario franchise. It would be a good number of years before I played the Nintendo 64 title, but I would play The Thousand Year Door and Super Paper Mario extensively. While I loved Super and still do, I would hope that the next game would follow in the same style as TTYD, since I found the gameplay to be a bit more engaging. Sadly, I didn't get my wish, as Sticker Star and Color Splash went in directions that only disappointed me. It truly seemed that this would be the direction the franchise would be taking from there on out, and I longed for a day where Nintendo would give the older gameplay style another shot.
Little did I know, though, that it would not be Nintendo that would make the game I wanted. Instead, Moonsprout Games would answer the call. In January of 2018, they would launch an Indiegogo Campaign for their new game, an adventure RPG that is taking heavy inspiration from TTYD. Needless to say, people were drawn in like moths to a flame, and the game would reach its funding goal. Almost two years later, we'd get the completed project, titled Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
While I didn't back the campaign or buy the game at launch, it still remained heavily on my radar, as I've been itching for a traditional Paper Mario experience that also offered a new world to explore. All these years later, I've finally gotten to see this game to the end, and man, this game is full of surprises!
When you first enter the world of Bug Fables, the first thing you'll notice is the presentation. They go for a style here that uses 2D characters in 3D environments. They use this very effectively, creating interesting environments and amazing character designs! Your main trio of characters all look great, and the NPC designs are all unique and highly memorable! Meeting new characters and entering new environments was always a treat, as I never knew what would be waiting for me as I traversed through this game's unique world. Speaking of the world, they do a great job playing with the fact that you're playing as bugs! You get a great sense of scope as you find more human-made objects littering the world you're exploring. Seeing how the bug citizens of this world take advantage of these objects to enhance their ways of life is always charming, as well.
As you start going through the first chapter of the game, you'll get introduced to the combat mechanics almost immediately. Like the older Paper Mario games, battles are turn-based, and when you attack, you play a small minigame to maximize damage. You also have special moves that use TP, which is this game's FP. You can block enemy attacks with well-timed button presses, with even less damage being taken with better timing. This is all standard Paper Mario fare, for the most part, and it all works very well. It never felt like it was the game's fault if I missed an action command or mistimed a block.
Things get even more interesting as you obtain party members. You have three characters of your party in total, and they all fight at once. During battle, you can switch who is in the lead, and the leading party member will do additional damage as a bonus. Each party member has their own specialty, as well. You have one that can target flying enemies with ease, one that can topple enemies, and one that can freeze enemies to prevent them from attacking. As you progress through the game, you'll discover more moves for your party that allow for some interesting strategic approaches to tougher fights.
To add to this, you can find a large variety of medals, which is this game's answer to the badge system. Like badges, you have points that you can use to equip them, and each will have a unique effect. There are medals that get equipped to the whole party, and there are some that can only be put on one character. This adds even more to the strategy of fights, as now you can have specific "builds" that allow you to make characters insanely strong under specific conditions.
I'll give an example. There are a variety of status effects in this game. One of these is poison, which damages you each turn. While there are medals that decrease your likelihood of getting poisoned, there are a ton of medals that reward you for getting poisoned, doing things such as buffing your defense and attack. There's even also a medal that make it so poison no longer hurts! To add to this, you can equip a medal that causes you to get poisoned whenever you consume an item, allowing you to activate your poison buffs whenever you want. This is just one way you can get super strong in this game, and playing with the medal combos to find out which builds work best for you can be a highly rewarding time.
If you don't want a risk/reward build and just want stuff that helps you out with no strings attached, though, you're gonna need to play the game for a while. Frequently as I visited shops and explored the overworld I would find mostly risk/reward medals, which was disappointing since I didn't really want to do a crazy build. Thankfully, though, the more you play and explore the game, you'll find more medals that strictly aid you, so this is a short-term problem.
A good source of medals and other goodies are the side quests! As you progress, more and more side quests become available, that each have their own story to them and end with a reward, whether it be currency, medals, or other things. One of the most important tips I could give to a new player is to explore as much of the world as you can! There's secrets hiding all over the place! Optional dungeons and bosses await those seeking a challenge, and you'll be rewarded very well for your efforts!
I had an excellent time exploring the world of this game, especially as more overworld moves were unlocked. Each party member brings with them a growing toolkit of moves to allow you to search every nook and cranny for secrets. They're also all used to solve fun simple puzzles that keep you engaged as you explore the world. Some of the most fun I had in this game was taking time between chapters to explore with new moves I unlocked to see what secrets were hiding around!
Now, I won't be spoiling the story here at all, but I do want to vaguely gush about how much I loved what they did here! They do such a great job fleshing out the world! There's all sorts of factions in this bug world and there's so much lore to discover for each one! You even have a menu where you keep track of discoveries in the world that you can review at any time to refresh yourself on the inner-workings of this land. You find lore books that add backstory to the creation of the kingdoms, as well as answering questions like why are there bugs that behave like people and others that behave like animals. It gets pretty deep, and those along with the story beats flesh out the world in such an exciting way. The further I played, the more I wanted to learn about the world and all its quirks!
What is a world without its people? The characters you meet in Bug Fables are all varied and interesting, both in design and personality! I loved interacting with characters and seeing their reactions to the events happening in the story, as well as seeing how they develop during side quests. The personalities of the main trio also shine super-brightly here, as well. Watching them interact with each other and the world around them was always a treat, and by the end of the game you'll easily love them all. They all also have interesting backstories that you learn about as you play, leading to some very heartfelt moments that will make you smile.
Their personalities shine in the game's tattle system, as well. All three characters have the ability to tattle enemies, revealing their health and defense. Along with this, each character has something unique to say about every enemy in the game! You don't even need to tattle the enemy three times to see all the dialogue, either! You can check the bestiary and it'll have each character's line in it! They stop at nothing to make sure you see every character's take on an enemy or boss, and I think that's amazing!
Outside of tattling enemies, you can also press a button in each area of the overworld to learn more about the area you're in, as well as potential hints to solving a puzzle. You can also do this near NPC's to see the characters have a small conversation about the NPC in question, and sometimes these will change after you talk to a character and learn new information! They did so much work fleshing out dialogue and lore and all this stuff and it adds so much to this game. Exploring and seeing every exchange between characters was endlessly rewarding, and it was easily one of my favorite parts of this game!
Overall, I loved my time playing Bug Fables! The combat was rewarding and exploring the world was highly satisfying! It also doesn't overstay its welcome, either! My in-game timer said 30 hours by the time I finished, but it was more like 28 because this game does that thing I hate where the timer continues to tick even when you're in the pause menu doing nothing. You can probably finish this game faster if you don't do as many side quests, but I can't recommend doing them enough due to all the goodies they give ya. This is a game that you should take your time with and really get immersed in the world. You won't regret it!
If somehow none of what I said has convinced you to play this game, please look at Tanjerin. Look at this boy. He is so precious. You can talk to him in the game and he's really cute. You like cute little guys, right? R-right?
The devs are truly kind people and their Discord server is a place that fosters intelligent discussions on the Paper Mario franchise
literally everything I ever wanted ever. play it or you suck
I am not going to go into the whole discussion about what Paper Mario should be and all of that stuff right now, but regardless Bug Fables was an absolute joy from start to end. The combat was fun as hell, the story was deep, the characters were memorable, the side quests were fun, the world of Bugaria was very interesting, and the music was pretty good. My only complaint is an unavoidable one. This game is pretty janky and buggy at times, not enough to ruin the game but enough to intrude at points. On top of that, there are one or two sequences, especially in chapter 4, that I really did not like, but I still love this game. I recommend all of you play it! This was an absolute delight and I can't wait for what Moonsprout does next.
If you ever feel useless, just remember there's an ant with a fat fetish just chillin in the main plaza
Turn-based RPGs are often a long, boring drag to me, but Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling kept me engaged from hour 5 until the end. The start is quite slow, which is unavoidable in games like these. However, after the main introduction to the cast and overall gameplay elements was done, this game just kept on surprising me with interesting new moves and trinkets.
And that is the best part of Bug Fables by a mile: you can customize your build in hundreds of different ways whenever you want with the use of medals (and later on in the game by switching stats). I have truly never felt this much control over my overall damage and defense in a turn-based RPG. Moves are only effective when you make the right decision, and blocking has a small, but incredibly effective window of opportunity for negating incoming damage. I felt myself getting better at judging the timing, too, which I found immensely satisfying.
In addition to this, the game offers a lot of quality of life features that I wish other games had. Shortcuts, fast-travels, hints for hidden items, lists of enemies, quests and recipies, to name a few. Bug Fables is already quite long if you want to complete it 100%, but these features thankfully shave off so much unnecessary time finding your way and walking around.
It is clear that Bug Fables is made by people who are fans of the Paper Mario series by the art, music and overworld mechanics. Yet, it never felt like a copy to me. The developers did a very good job of making this their own title in the genre. Sometimes the amateurism shines through a bit, especially in the art, but the game still feels very consistent and solid despite this. I am just appreciative the developers made this game, are proud of the outcome, and receive well-deserved praise for this wholesome story.
Apart from a few minor gripes, I don't have a lot of major criticism for Bug Fables. I hope the developers decide to continue making games (preferably in different genres), because I think they touched a very big audience with this title.
And that is the best part of Bug Fables by a mile: you can customize your build in hundreds of different ways whenever you want with the use of medals (and later on in the game by switching stats). I have truly never felt this much control over my overall damage and defense in a turn-based RPG. Moves are only effective when you make the right decision, and blocking has a small, but incredibly effective window of opportunity for negating incoming damage. I felt myself getting better at judging the timing, too, which I found immensely satisfying.
In addition to this, the game offers a lot of quality of life features that I wish other games had. Shortcuts, fast-travels, hints for hidden items, lists of enemies, quests and recipies, to name a few. Bug Fables is already quite long if you want to complete it 100%, but these features thankfully shave off so much unnecessary time finding your way and walking around.
It is clear that Bug Fables is made by people who are fans of the Paper Mario series by the art, music and overworld mechanics. Yet, it never felt like a copy to me. The developers did a very good job of making this their own title in the genre. Sometimes the amateurism shines through a bit, especially in the art, but the game still feels very consistent and solid despite this. I am just appreciative the developers made this game, are proud of the outcome, and receive well-deserved praise for this wholesome story.
Apart from a few minor gripes, I don't have a lot of major criticism for Bug Fables. I hope the developers decide to continue making games (preferably in different genres), because I think they touched a very big audience with this title.
the best paper mario game
Teixeira insect.
idk man this game's probably really good it's just that it's only ever talked about in the context of being Almost Paper Mario
I'm stanning this shit until I die
My first game of 2023.
Like previous 2 year, I started my year with a "paper mario like" game. This time it was Bug Fables, a game that isn't really made for me I think. The combat and music are pretty good, but other than that the game wasn't so interesting for me. Clocking at 20h and 38m, I'm happy the game is done. I did a few side missions, like the story of Leif.
My thoughts:
(+ = (mostly) positive; - = (mostly) negative)
+ Gameplay;
The battles are pretty solid. The timed- and button combination attacks are fun to do. Once I got frozen drill, it was my go-to attack. (for me) it seemed like the move was way more powerfull compared to the other moves you have, which isn't a good thing imo.
The controls and puzzels in the overworld were not so good. I've had several times that I had to throw the boomerang like 3 times to hit something, just because it's so hard to aim. There was also a puzzle where I was just stuck, but it seemed like I wasn't the only one. When I had to look up online what to do, I saw several who had the same problem.
+ Music;
Music ia pretty good. catchy battle tunes and fitting overworld music. The music is probably the best the game has.
-- Graphics;
The visuals are aweful in my opinion. it looks like they had 1minute to draw every character and called it a day. Some could say it's an artistic choice, but I just find it rather lazy. Clearly no artist worked on the game.
- Story/Characters;
The story was pretty boring. I didn't really care about the characters, because they weren't interesting to me. The side characters were also not looking to look forward to meeting again.
Recommend?
I don't know really. I'd rather recommend a paper mario game, before playing this one. If you REALLY like paper mario, then this game might still your hunger for more for a bit.
Like previous 2 year, I started my year with a "paper mario like" game. This time it was Bug Fables, a game that isn't really made for me I think. The combat and music are pretty good, but other than that the game wasn't so interesting for me. Clocking at 20h and 38m, I'm happy the game is done. I did a few side missions, like the story of Leif.
My thoughts:
(+ = (mostly) positive; - = (mostly) negative)
+ Gameplay;
The battles are pretty solid. The timed- and button combination attacks are fun to do. Once I got frozen drill, it was my go-to attack. (for me) it seemed like the move was way more powerfull compared to the other moves you have, which isn't a good thing imo.
The controls and puzzels in the overworld were not so good. I've had several times that I had to throw the boomerang like 3 times to hit something, just because it's so hard to aim. There was also a puzzle where I was just stuck, but it seemed like I wasn't the only one. When I had to look up online what to do, I saw several who had the same problem.
+ Music;
Music ia pretty good. catchy battle tunes and fitting overworld music. The music is probably the best the game has.
-- Graphics;
The visuals are aweful in my opinion. it looks like they had 1minute to draw every character and called it a day. Some could say it's an artistic choice, but I just find it rather lazy. Clearly no artist worked on the game.
- Story/Characters;
The story was pretty boring. I didn't really care about the characters, because they weren't interesting to me. The side characters were also not looking to look forward to meeting again.
Recommend?
I don't know really. I'd rather recommend a paper mario game, before playing this one. If you REALLY like paper mario, then this game might still your hunger for more for a bit.
This is the pinnacle of the homage game. While I would say that Thousand-Year Door is a more polished, and overall better than this game, Bug Fables is no slouch.
Really tried to finish this one, but not gonna lie, I dropped it as soon as I realized I had to do this godawful stealth segment in chapter 4. This is the second time I've tried to complete this game, and once again I am baffled by the acclaim. The developers' hearts are in the right place, and it definitely has some semblance of an idea about what Paper Mario players want. The problem is that it has a severe lack of polish that makes it obvious that these guys are amateurs.
The turned-based combat has the right idea, but I feel like it's way too heavily focused on badges to a fault, and ends up pigeonholing you into specific builds for each party member. It's lacking the freedom that Paper Mario gives you in terms of customizability. Too many badges have a negative aspect to them as well, which inherently makes me not want to use them, and even the ones that don't aren't particularly interesting. I also find it really annoying how enemies seem way too beefy in terms of health, and have slightly more attack power than I feel like they should in comparison to how measly your HP and attack power is. It makes combat feel like a slog sometimes.
Outside of combat, the game is filled with janky puzzles that are never really fun to do. One type of puzzle that comes up frequently is using the bee character's boomerang, which is always a pain to aim properly. The other type of puzzle involves freezing dripping water to make a block of ice that one of the other characters can move to use as a platform to reach higher areas. Problem is getting the right angle you want the ice block to move in can be a major test of patience. Then you have to do one of these puzzles during the aforementioned stealth segment! I cannot fathom how anybody could play that part and not only think it was designed well, but think it was fun.
It's a shame. I can kind of see why people like this, but to put it on such a high pedestal doesn't make sense to me. Sure it's better than the Paper Mario games we've been getting since Sticker Star, but that's not exactly a high bar. I'd hesitate to call the game bad, but I'd rather just play through any classic Mario RPG again than stick with this.
The turned-based combat has the right idea, but I feel like it's way too heavily focused on badges to a fault, and ends up pigeonholing you into specific builds for each party member. It's lacking the freedom that Paper Mario gives you in terms of customizability. Too many badges have a negative aspect to them as well, which inherently makes me not want to use them, and even the ones that don't aren't particularly interesting. I also find it really annoying how enemies seem way too beefy in terms of health, and have slightly more attack power than I feel like they should in comparison to how measly your HP and attack power is. It makes combat feel like a slog sometimes.
Outside of combat, the game is filled with janky puzzles that are never really fun to do. One type of puzzle that comes up frequently is using the bee character's boomerang, which is always a pain to aim properly. The other type of puzzle involves freezing dripping water to make a block of ice that one of the other characters can move to use as a platform to reach higher areas. Problem is getting the right angle you want the ice block to move in can be a major test of patience. Then you have to do one of these puzzles during the aforementioned stealth segment! I cannot fathom how anybody could play that part and not only think it was designed well, but think it was fun.
It's a shame. I can kind of see why people like this, but to put it on such a high pedestal doesn't make sense to me. Sure it's better than the Paper Mario games we've been getting since Sticker Star, but that's not exactly a high bar. I'd hesitate to call the game bad, but I'd rather just play through any classic Mario RPG again than stick with this.
replay ttyd instead. its like paper mario if you got less cool moves, less cool badges, the characters were eh, the music was forgettable. still enjoyed it an ok amount so its not bad though
Bug Fables is a phenomenal spiritual successor to the first two Paper Mario games that is packed to the brim with content. I spent about 55 hours playing this delightful $24.99 RPG on my Switch and fell head over heels for its expansive lore and quirky characters.
While very similar to early Paper Marios in gameplay style, a tried-and-true formula I already adored, I have to say that I now honestly prefer Bug Fables. I love how you follow one group of three talkative explorers and really get to know each of them deeply along the adventure, Mario himself was never given much of a chance to emote or really develop in his RPG spinoffs.
To cap things off, Bug Fables is super creative and full of so many different things to do that I adored. It’s complete with mini games that are actually a blast, original creature designs that totally rock across the board, a number of surprisingly unsettling segments, fantastic music, charming humor, and heartfelt character dynamics. It’s one of my favorite games of all time now that I’ve played all the way through it, and it’s without a doubt my favorite in the RPG genre. I would happily go on another quest in this world with Kabbu, Vi, and Leif if the developers were to ever make a sequel, but this is such a complete and delightful package that I‘d also be fully content with the story ending here!
A+
While very similar to early Paper Marios in gameplay style, a tried-and-true formula I already adored, I have to say that I now honestly prefer Bug Fables. I love how you follow one group of three talkative explorers and really get to know each of them deeply along the adventure, Mario himself was never given much of a chance to emote or really develop in his RPG spinoffs.
To cap things off, Bug Fables is super creative and full of so many different things to do that I adored. It’s complete with mini games that are actually a blast, original creature designs that totally rock across the board, a number of surprisingly unsettling segments, fantastic music, charming humor, and heartfelt character dynamics. It’s one of my favorite games of all time now that I’ve played all the way through it, and it’s without a doubt my favorite in the RPG genre. I would happily go on another quest in this world with Kabbu, Vi, and Leif if the developers were to ever make a sequel, but this is such a complete and delightful package that I‘d also be fully content with the story ending here!
A+
The biggest pitfall of the spiritual successor, in my opinion, has always been the fear of upsetting a fanbase that it has no actual allegiance to. While indie games have the potential to be experimental, pioneering, boundary-pushing, spiritual successors are often derivative, inoffensive, fine but forgettable. The big irony here is that the OG Paper Mario can be looked at as the greatest spiritual successor of all time. While it's not technically a sequel to Super Mario RPG, it uses the concepts established in it as a springboard towards a totally unique identity. The half-baked action commands became the basis for one of my favorite turn-based combat systems ever, a strategic game of simple arithmetic and 1s and 2s instead of obtuse number crunching. The idea of an explorable Mushroom Kingdom was adapted into a cozy, easy to look at world where even the most basic of Mario enemies are given carefully considered characterization. It's a great game because it took lessons away from what came before it, not because it was trying to make Super Mario RPG, again.
Now: Bug Fables. What makes up its identity besides just being a spiritual successor to Paper Mario? The most obvious answer here is that it's party based. This doesn't separate its combat all that much from its spiritual predecessor, as the battles play out in similar fashion, but it's part of a larger effort to "RPG-ify" Paper Mario. Along with the party, the story's played more straight than goofy for example, and there's also a ton of sidequests. Most of these elements aren't very successful: the three main characters are poor even before their clumsy attempts at arcs, the sequence of events is dull, the setting isn't all that imaginative, as you've probably seen it done half a dozen times in various PG-rated films. But, there's one thing here that actually resonated with me, and, ironically, it's one of the only major parts of Super Mario RPG that Paper Mario didn't really attempt to adapt in any form: optional content. There's a surprising amount of secret locations, bosses, and abilities to find in Bug Fables, and a lot of them are accessed through sidequests that don't seem all that special at first glance. This really adds to the world in a way that's perpendicular to how Paper Mario does it, but there's also a problem with it. You need to get through 2 or 3 chapters of fighting recolored Goombas and Koopas to actually get to the good stuff, which is pretty representative of the game as a whole. It's much more interested in showing off what makes it like Paper Mario than what makes it unlike Paper Mario, which doesn't sit right. The original Paper Mario wasn't satisfied in just being an acceptable sequel to its spiritual predecessor, so why should this game be?
Now: Bug Fables. What makes up its identity besides just being a spiritual successor to Paper Mario? The most obvious answer here is that it's party based. This doesn't separate its combat all that much from its spiritual predecessor, as the battles play out in similar fashion, but it's part of a larger effort to "RPG-ify" Paper Mario. Along with the party, the story's played more straight than goofy for example, and there's also a ton of sidequests. Most of these elements aren't very successful: the three main characters are poor even before their clumsy attempts at arcs, the sequence of events is dull, the setting isn't all that imaginative, as you've probably seen it done half a dozen times in various PG-rated films. But, there's one thing here that actually resonated with me, and, ironically, it's one of the only major parts of Super Mario RPG that Paper Mario didn't really attempt to adapt in any form: optional content. There's a surprising amount of secret locations, bosses, and abilities to find in Bug Fables, and a lot of them are accessed through sidequests that don't seem all that special at first glance. This really adds to the world in a way that's perpendicular to how Paper Mario does it, but there's also a problem with it. You need to get through 2 or 3 chapters of fighting recolored Goombas and Koopas to actually get to the good stuff, which is pretty representative of the game as a whole. It's much more interested in showing off what makes it like Paper Mario than what makes it unlike Paper Mario, which doesn't sit right. The original Paper Mario wasn't satisfied in just being an acceptable sequel to its spiritual predecessor, so why should this game be?
A low-stats, badge-based, action-commands, overworld-explorin' RPG about a plucky trio of bug adventurers which proudly wears its inspirations of the first two (and only good two) Paper Mario games on its sleeve. Bug Fables has a simple, charming main storyline, but a surprising amount of sidequests, challenges, minigames, side areas, even a freakin' card game; highly recommended and an absolute must-play for Paper Mario fans.
Oh btw, did you guys know that you can play that card game online? Link: https://spy-cards.lubar.me/
Oh btw, did you guys know that you can play that card game online? Link: https://spy-cards.lubar.me/
(9-year-old's review, typed by his dad)
I don't like RPGs, and I want to squish a bug
I don't like RPGs, and I want to squish a bug
I was skeptical at first, since this was my first foray into the "Paper RPG" genre, but my friend Thomas446, the smash brothers genius, urged me to continue playing, and I found myself heavily invested once I was about halfway through. I was seriously impressed by the level of storytelling and emotional weight this game brought to the table. Everything was extremely compelling and the pacing was phenomenal. I had a couple slight hangups with the combat and how some stuff felt a little unfair, but I was playing the whole game with the Hard Mode badge on for the extra perks, so that one is on me.
Overall, an incredibly satisfying and memorable experience that I will look back on extremely fondly
Overall, an incredibly satisfying and memorable experience that I will look back on extremely fondly
The only Paper Mario games I've played were 64 and Sticker Star. One completely left my mind entirely after a few days of reaching the end, the other was an enjoyable if maybe overly simplistic RPG. I liked 64 a lot for what it is and have replayed more then once, yet it never quite gave me the same satisfaction as with other RPGs. It was fun, but didn't give me anything more then that. Bug Fables gave me more of what I was looking for.
Right off the bat, favorite part was easily the playable trio. Not only do they actually have story arcs, character development, and actual dialouge (I get why Mario in Paper Mario was mute but man Bug Fables not having any silent protagonists was so refreshing) but everyone has so much optional party conversations. Nearly every NPC or room in the game can allow the trio to converse with each other, and the amount of character this adds is fantastic. Dragon Quest does this too, but from I remember it was only one off remarks directed to the player, never back and forth conversations. There's a lot to learn about the protagonists which only endeared me to them more. If they weren't as half as charming as they were then I'd probably would have put the game down.
Not to say everything else was bad, not at all. I really like a lot of the alterations to the battle system compared to Paper Mario. Being able to exchange turns at the cost of damage gives a welcome amount of options to consider. Sometimes you may want to go all out with one character, or maybe you want to set up buffs and debuffs so the attack penalty might not be an issue. Helps that every one of the trio has a healthy amount of abilities they slowly unlock that allows for creative party setups. Though I will say, the setup I found worked maybe too good. Won't say what it is and it isn't foolproof (nor that hard to come up yourself) but with enough MP reserves it trivialized a lot of boss patterns and gimmicks. However, I do like the high difficulty of this game. I stuck mostly to hard mode and I really enjoyed being forced to give it my all, even in some random encounters. Not the hardest RPG out there, but it made me think which is more then enough for me.
This ain't some hard-core RPG though, it's cute, colorful, light hearted, yet mature enough to not talk down to you. A kid could enjoy this a lot (assuming they've at least played one other RPG, maybe a tad too hard for a first ever RPG but can't say for certain) as much as any adult can. I think the pacing of the last portions of the game kind of went way too quickly. It didn't fall at the finish line, moreso "Let's wrap this up now" kind of feeling. It took me 30 hours to get to that point, after doing a ton of optional side content, but I felt that last chapter could've had more to offer.
Still this was a lovely game and am glad to have played it after so long.
Right off the bat, favorite part was easily the playable trio. Not only do they actually have story arcs, character development, and actual dialouge (I get why Mario in Paper Mario was mute but man Bug Fables not having any silent protagonists was so refreshing) but everyone has so much optional party conversations. Nearly every NPC or room in the game can allow the trio to converse with each other, and the amount of character this adds is fantastic. Dragon Quest does this too, but from I remember it was only one off remarks directed to the player, never back and forth conversations. There's a lot to learn about the protagonists which only endeared me to them more. If they weren't as half as charming as they were then I'd probably would have put the game down.
Not to say everything else was bad, not at all. I really like a lot of the alterations to the battle system compared to Paper Mario. Being able to exchange turns at the cost of damage gives a welcome amount of options to consider. Sometimes you may want to go all out with one character, or maybe you want to set up buffs and debuffs so the attack penalty might not be an issue. Helps that every one of the trio has a healthy amount of abilities they slowly unlock that allows for creative party setups. Though I will say, the setup I found worked maybe too good. Won't say what it is and it isn't foolproof (nor that hard to come up yourself) but with enough MP reserves it trivialized a lot of boss patterns and gimmicks. However, I do like the high difficulty of this game. I stuck mostly to hard mode and I really enjoyed being forced to give it my all, even in some random encounters. Not the hardest RPG out there, but it made me think which is more then enough for me.
This ain't some hard-core RPG though, it's cute, colorful, light hearted, yet mature enough to not talk down to you. A kid could enjoy this a lot (assuming they've at least played one other RPG, maybe a tad too hard for a first ever RPG but can't say for certain) as much as any adult can. I think the pacing of the last portions of the game kind of went way too quickly. It didn't fall at the finish line, moreso "Let's wrap this up now" kind of feeling. It took me 30 hours to get to that point, after doing a ton of optional side content, but I felt that last chapter could've had more to offer.
Still this was a lovely game and am glad to have played it after so long.
This is a fairly normal RPG that is elevated so high by three of the most likable and effortlessly funny game protagonists of all time. The sheer amount of banter between them is insane, and plenty of this game's best moments just come from the party gossiping about random NPCs
It did that thing where I was captivated to play it for hours on end for days on end
I always feel a little bad about comparing indie games to their influences, but this game is so aggressively "classic Paper Mario" that it's kind of impossible not to.
That said... it holds up pretty well against classic Paper Mario! There's just a lot to love here - the world is charming, the characters are charming, the art style is charming, it's just a good time all around. That's married with a surprisingly good amount of content (it took about 40 hours for me to clear, doing most sidequests along the way) and a battle system that lets you do some really fun builds once you get far enough in the game.
It's not perfect, though - the "once you get far enough in the game" is doing a ton of heavy lifting in that last sentence. Up until about the halfway point I was feeling pretty battered by the game's strict economy; even a regular battle can take a ton of time and resources, so healing is paramount, but free heals are few and far between, and items are costly enough and money scarce enough that I was always scrambling to stay afloat. Most of the game's interesting build options also don't show up until about halfway through, and then you're limited by how many points you've put into medal capacity. Eventually I found my feet and had a pretty good time with the battles, but I don't blame people who tap out before that.
I do wish the quest and level design was a bit stronger. A lot of sidequests in this game are about running all over the world, and while fast travel options eventually open up that still means a lot of time spent walking through the same few towns and dungeons. And speaking of dungeons, this game is big into environmental puzzles based on positioning and using your overworld abilities, a la Golden Sun... but when everything is paper-styled and there's limited indication of where you're actually facing, it can get real frustrating real quick. There's one puzzle room in the last dungeon that had me gritting my teeth so hard I thought they might shatter, because it was clear the devs had wanted a puzzle that required all three characters' abilities but the result was a frustrating, slow mess where I was fighting the controls and collision detection all the way.
"Wow that's a lot of negatives" you might be saying about now and honestly yeah, but I still think this game is worth it. It's just a solid, fun indie RPG and while it's got its share of headaches, they were never damning for me. Ultimately the joy of this world and the strengths of the gameplay well outweighed the frustration. Strongly recommended.
That said... it holds up pretty well against classic Paper Mario! There's just a lot to love here - the world is charming, the characters are charming, the art style is charming, it's just a good time all around. That's married with a surprisingly good amount of content (it took about 40 hours for me to clear, doing most sidequests along the way) and a battle system that lets you do some really fun builds once you get far enough in the game.
It's not perfect, though - the "once you get far enough in the game" is doing a ton of heavy lifting in that last sentence. Up until about the halfway point I was feeling pretty battered by the game's strict economy; even a regular battle can take a ton of time and resources, so healing is paramount, but free heals are few and far between, and items are costly enough and money scarce enough that I was always scrambling to stay afloat. Most of the game's interesting build options also don't show up until about halfway through, and then you're limited by how many points you've put into medal capacity. Eventually I found my feet and had a pretty good time with the battles, but I don't blame people who tap out before that.
I do wish the quest and level design was a bit stronger. A lot of sidequests in this game are about running all over the world, and while fast travel options eventually open up that still means a lot of time spent walking through the same few towns and dungeons. And speaking of dungeons, this game is big into environmental puzzles based on positioning and using your overworld abilities, a la Golden Sun... but when everything is paper-styled and there's limited indication of where you're actually facing, it can get real frustrating real quick. There's one puzzle room in the last dungeon that had me gritting my teeth so hard I thought they might shatter, because it was clear the devs had wanted a puzzle that required all three characters' abilities but the result was a frustrating, slow mess where I was fighting the controls and collision detection all the way.
"Wow that's a lot of negatives" you might be saying about now and honestly yeah, but I still think this game is worth it. It's just a solid, fun indie RPG and while it's got its share of headaches, they were never damning for me. Ultimately the joy of this world and the strengths of the gameplay well outweighed the frustration. Strongly recommended.
The Mario RPGs have undoubtedly had a shaky legacy. While Super Mario RPG (SNES), the first two Paper Mario games and the first and third Mario & Luigi games were critically acclaimed, there have been many entries into the series which have been quite middling, especially as of recent. You can debate whether they are good or not all you like, but it's undeniable there is a market for people who liked those games, and are displeased with the modern entries. There have been games that directly cater to this demographic, and probably the most notable of these is Bug Fables.
From the get go, I have to say, there was a ton of heart and passion put into this game. Seriously, just walking around the overworld you can see how many unique character designs there are. It basically never reuses assets even for extremely minor characters. This is absolutely a step up from the newer Paper Mario games, which are content with reusing the same enemies and toads but with "unique" names. It gives the world of Bug Fables a really "lived-in" feel, these are people and they're living their lives separate from the main plot; definitely huge for not only a game, but an indie game at that.
This is a good segue into the world building and general story, which is pretty good. That might not sound like much, but keep in mind, I usually hate video game stories. Relying too much on cliches and heavy handed storytelling, which is expected. It's hard to have a focus on subtle character writing in a medium where taking control away from the consumer is viewed as a bad thing. But Bug Fables manages to mostly avoid this through good use of foreshadowing and a consistent tone; it's a little goofy but it knows when to get serious. It isn't entirely devoid of tropes but it takes the time for them to feel genuine, so I'm fine with it personally. For spoiler reasons, that is all I'll say about the story, so if you want a deeper dive, check out this video by Max Dunevitz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEMGOaOJF0o
However, what a lot of people like about Paper Mario and the Mario RPGs, me included, is the gameplay, and Bug Fables is no slouch, I haven't played TTYD yet, but I'll say this is a step up from Paper Mario 1. You have your action commands alongside the simple to grasp low number stats, you only have 3 party members which are always active, rather than having to switch them out, but it makes up for this with a few unique mechanics. The first one is the Relay mechanic, where you can sacrifice a turn for one party member to give another party member an extra turn, with the caveat of lower damage on the extra turn; it adds a new layer to strategy and the game's enemy design is good enough to incentivise it. Secondly, it also introduces Bros. attacks from the Mario & Luigi series, which take a turn from two party members, and if you use a turn for one party member and then use the attack, the party member will be unable to do anything for the next turn. For the latter portion of the game, it definitely adds some depth to the numerous boss encounters.
Another great addition is having numerous optional bosses. You have the bounties as well as quest specific bosses that are very challenging if you don't understand their mechanics. At a certain point, they do become much easier, but I appreciate the side content, which is another thing I like about this game. The Mario RPGs had great main plots but outside of that, there wasn't much to do. You had the challenge node and a couple of attack based minigames in Bowser's Inside Story, alongside some optional bosses in BiS as well as TTYD, but nothing to write home about. Bug Fables blows all of them out of the water by having a lot of quests, each varying in what you have to do, and they're worth doing too thanks to rewards ranging from just more currency to badges and even entirely new abilities.
So if I've sung its praises so much, why is it only a 4.5/5? Well, the graphics and sound design leave a little to be desired. Now, I'm not a graphics whore, I mostly play older games, but there was a lack of detail which I think could've elevated the areas in this game, considering how competent the worldbuilding is, but to the game's credit, it does have a lot of variety in visuals. The sound design is slightly better off with having a good few tracks, but there are some I don't enjoy as much, and the sound effects aren't that satisfying; these are just nitpicks and they didn't sour my enjoyment of the game too much.
Bug Fables is a great game for those who wanted more of the classic style of Paper Mario, I had a great time with it, and I hate turn based RPGs. It's 20 USD (or just over 15 pounds/euros) on Steam, and it's also on Xbox One, PS4 and Switch, and it definitely earns its price tag. I look forward to whatever Moonsprout Games does next.
From the get go, I have to say, there was a ton of heart and passion put into this game. Seriously, just walking around the overworld you can see how many unique character designs there are. It basically never reuses assets even for extremely minor characters. This is absolutely a step up from the newer Paper Mario games, which are content with reusing the same enemies and toads but with "unique" names. It gives the world of Bug Fables a really "lived-in" feel, these are people and they're living their lives separate from the main plot; definitely huge for not only a game, but an indie game at that.
This is a good segue into the world building and general story, which is pretty good. That might not sound like much, but keep in mind, I usually hate video game stories. Relying too much on cliches and heavy handed storytelling, which is expected. It's hard to have a focus on subtle character writing in a medium where taking control away from the consumer is viewed as a bad thing. But Bug Fables manages to mostly avoid this through good use of foreshadowing and a consistent tone; it's a little goofy but it knows when to get serious. It isn't entirely devoid of tropes but it takes the time for them to feel genuine, so I'm fine with it personally. For spoiler reasons, that is all I'll say about the story, so if you want a deeper dive, check out this video by Max Dunevitz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEMGOaOJF0o
However, what a lot of people like about Paper Mario and the Mario RPGs, me included, is the gameplay, and Bug Fables is no slouch, I haven't played TTYD yet, but I'll say this is a step up from Paper Mario 1. You have your action commands alongside the simple to grasp low number stats, you only have 3 party members which are always active, rather than having to switch them out, but it makes up for this with a few unique mechanics. The first one is the Relay mechanic, where you can sacrifice a turn for one party member to give another party member an extra turn, with the caveat of lower damage on the extra turn; it adds a new layer to strategy and the game's enemy design is good enough to incentivise it. Secondly, it also introduces Bros. attacks from the Mario & Luigi series, which take a turn from two party members, and if you use a turn for one party member and then use the attack, the party member will be unable to do anything for the next turn. For the latter portion of the game, it definitely adds some depth to the numerous boss encounters.
Another great addition is having numerous optional bosses. You have the bounties as well as quest specific bosses that are very challenging if you don't understand their mechanics. At a certain point, they do become much easier, but I appreciate the side content, which is another thing I like about this game. The Mario RPGs had great main plots but outside of that, there wasn't much to do. You had the challenge node and a couple of attack based minigames in Bowser's Inside Story, alongside some optional bosses in BiS as well as TTYD, but nothing to write home about. Bug Fables blows all of them out of the water by having a lot of quests, each varying in what you have to do, and they're worth doing too thanks to rewards ranging from just more currency to badges and even entirely new abilities.
So if I've sung its praises so much, why is it only a 4.5/5? Well, the graphics and sound design leave a little to be desired. Now, I'm not a graphics whore, I mostly play older games, but there was a lack of detail which I think could've elevated the areas in this game, considering how competent the worldbuilding is, but to the game's credit, it does have a lot of variety in visuals. The sound design is slightly better off with having a good few tracks, but there are some I don't enjoy as much, and the sound effects aren't that satisfying; these are just nitpicks and they didn't sour my enjoyment of the game too much.
Bug Fables is a great game for those who wanted more of the classic style of Paper Mario, I had a great time with it, and I hate turn based RPGs. It's 20 USD (or just over 15 pounds/euros) on Steam, and it's also on Xbox One, PS4 and Switch, and it definitely earns its price tag. I look forward to whatever Moonsprout Games does next.
It was a sure thing that someone would make a Paper Mario clone after Nintendo went off and started doing fucked up things with that franchise. The use of the exact aesthetic without the storybook framing of Paper Mario or the leaning into the physicality of paper that all the sequels did is so interesting to me. It's a nice look but if you somehow had no idea of the source it might be strange to you that everyone is flat what they turn around. It looks like this for just one reason: so that when you see it you say 'oh it's a Paper Mario.' And it worked!
If you know Paper Mario and TTYD you'll immediately get everything the game is doing mechanically. The main difference in control is that you have a party of three real characters instead of one Mario and a rotating chair of not-Marios. The formation and order you make your guys attack in is key to battle strategy and gives some nice mechanical space to not just be a direct copy of the source material.
Mainly, though, the thing about being made by the most dedicated sicko devotees of the first two PMs is that this is quite a bit harder if you let it be. You have a zero-cost medal (badge) that puts the game on hard mode and technically gives you slightly greater rewards but really is mostly just you saying 'fuck me up captain' and so I played with it on the whole way. It was honestly hard to get used to at first. One's brain does not expect actual difficulty from something it associates with a pretty simple baby RPG for children. It does not like random battles being non-trivial. However, those battles don't respawn unless you leave the area, healing in dungeons is available, and you gradually get more options to work with as you complete the game's ludicrous amount of side content. Eventually, I became very comfortable and happy for the challenge. I've never bothered using the cooking function in Paper Mario because who cares baby game, but I surely used it plenty in Bug Fables. Lowering or piercing defense is a rare treat in Paper Mario, but basically standard in Bug Fables where most enemies on hard mode have at least one point of defense.
All that said, we really play Mario RPGs for the charm factor. Luckily, there is as much love of charm (and bugs) here as there is love of that one game Nintendo put out on Gamecube and then ignored forever after. The party is a real ensemble cast, with none of the three feeling like the main character more than any other, and they have just enough love for each other combined with just enough bickering to make the dynamic a lot of fun. Lots of cool looking bugs and cute pals to be found. I like these guys! I'd enjoy spending more time in this world.
Complaining time: They put a lot of world details in "Lore Books" and I hate that they're called that. Don't call it lore in-universe that makes no sense. Character voice is spotty, with characters switching almost randomly between very formal and informal forms of speech. The story is a very bog-standard affair about how we need GOOD despotic monarchs and not BAD ones, and you can tell I never wrote it because they don't spend hours examining the role of a "Queen" in insect society being entirely about breeding and the absurdity of grafting romanticized human social dynamics onto it and how this biological need to have a central mother figure would really run afoul of the up and coming bourgeoise class and their natural desire to obtain political rights and
deep breath
The termites open a video arcade and you can play flappy bird
If you know Paper Mario and TTYD you'll immediately get everything the game is doing mechanically. The main difference in control is that you have a party of three real characters instead of one Mario and a rotating chair of not-Marios. The formation and order you make your guys attack in is key to battle strategy and gives some nice mechanical space to not just be a direct copy of the source material.
Mainly, though, the thing about being made by the most dedicated sicko devotees of the first two PMs is that this is quite a bit harder if you let it be. You have a zero-cost medal (badge) that puts the game on hard mode and technically gives you slightly greater rewards but really is mostly just you saying 'fuck me up captain' and so I played with it on the whole way. It was honestly hard to get used to at first. One's brain does not expect actual difficulty from something it associates with a pretty simple baby RPG for children. It does not like random battles being non-trivial. However, those battles don't respawn unless you leave the area, healing in dungeons is available, and you gradually get more options to work with as you complete the game's ludicrous amount of side content. Eventually, I became very comfortable and happy for the challenge. I've never bothered using the cooking function in Paper Mario because who cares baby game, but I surely used it plenty in Bug Fables. Lowering or piercing defense is a rare treat in Paper Mario, but basically standard in Bug Fables where most enemies on hard mode have at least one point of defense.
All that said, we really play Mario RPGs for the charm factor. Luckily, there is as much love of charm (and bugs) here as there is love of that one game Nintendo put out on Gamecube and then ignored forever after. The party is a real ensemble cast, with none of the three feeling like the main character more than any other, and they have just enough love for each other combined with just enough bickering to make the dynamic a lot of fun. Lots of cool looking bugs and cute pals to be found. I like these guys! I'd enjoy spending more time in this world.
Complaining time: They put a lot of world details in "Lore Books" and I hate that they're called that. Don't call it lore in-universe that makes no sense. Character voice is spotty, with characters switching almost randomly between very formal and informal forms of speech. The story is a very bog-standard affair about how we need GOOD despotic monarchs and not BAD ones, and you can tell I never wrote it because they don't spend hours examining the role of a "Queen" in insect society being entirely about breeding and the absurdity of grafting romanticized human social dynamics onto it and how this biological need to have a central mother figure would really run afoul of the up and coming bourgeoise class and their natural desire to obtain political rights and
deep breath
The termites open a video arcade and you can play flappy bird
Bug Fables takes a lot of inspiration from the Paper Mario series, and then builds upon those foundations to create a fun and memorable game in its own right that easily rivals the very game it's taking inspiration from.
I love indie games. Nintendo might have abandoned and forgotten about everything that made the Paper Mario games worth playing, but the people who grew up playing them didn't.
Completed on Hard Mode; Vi really becomes a beast with the right medal setup, damn.
I love indie games. Nintendo might have abandoned and forgotten about everything that made the Paper Mario games worth playing, but the people who grew up playing them didn't.
Completed on Hard Mode; Vi really becomes a beast with the right medal setup, damn.
While it didn't quite capture the perfection of Paper Mario, it's the closest I've ever seen a game get. All the charm and elements that make PM great are here - the only thing missing is a few more party members to meet along the way.
This is a fantastic game. It's even better than the original paper Mario and only is slightly outdone by Thousand-Year Door.
This game has so much life and charm poured into it and I love it very, very much. The protagonists all have excellent chemistry and work off of each other really, really well, and they’re easily the highlight of the game. The gameplay itself, however, is also very good; the combat is well-designed and the bosses especially feel good to fight against and that’s ESPECIALLY if you’re playing on hard mode (which you should if you can, by the way). The game looks and feels great and has so, so much to interact with and so much to do and I really can’t recommend it enough.
Bug Fables lives in my mind rent free