Video Game Fables Review 

Game: Video Game Fables
Genre: RPG
System: Steam (Windows & Linux)
Developer|Publisher: Momiji Studios
Controller Support: Yes
Price: UK £15.49 | US $19.99 | € 16,79
Release Date: July 15th, 2022

Review code provided with many thanks to Momiji Studios.

Lost on Steam

Video Games Fables is an RPG developed by one solo developer. On first impression, this game kinda just looks like the first attempt at an RPG. But after spending some time with the experience I discovered something with an impressive amount of depth and enjoyment. An RPG may take inspiration from what’s come before but clearly attempts something original. This is one title that deserves as much attention as possible and is not worthy of being lost in the endless sea of the Steam store. If you love RPGs or are looking for a new project don’t miss this.

The general plot see’s the King and main villain of this realm being sucked into a portal by a mysterious witch. So you form your party of misfits on a quest to rescue them. The game starts with a rather large amount of story and dialogue before you get to actually play the game. You’re introduced to the Princess, a rather hot-headed character who’s not entirely happy with her role as a video game Princess. Then you have Nate, an overly happy chappy person who just wants to be a hero. Lastly, you have the son of the bad guy Tator whos a little more nervous than one would expect.

Each character feels well crafted with a unique personality and plenty of witty dialogue shared between them. It’s one of the more unusual parties I have come across in a video game but it works. Generally, I liked the story but it does lean into a self-aware humour style which feels like it’s become a bit overused. So much so that having a story that takes itself more seriously would actually feel more original. That being said, the story has plenty of charm and heart which is suitable for all ages.

Turn-Based With a Spin

The gameplay is typical of a turn-based RPG. You can play the game with a mouse and keyboard or controller. Whichever option you opt for the game will change its instruction prompts giving you a gentle reminder of how to play the game if you need it. The game also gives a clear indication in the bottom left of the screen of where your next objective is.

The help doesn’t stop there. A handy clock NPC which allows you to save will opt to give you hints for upcoming sections of the games if you need it. This game presents itself very well for those new to the genre. But don’t let that put you off if you’re experienced there is still plenty of challenge to discover. When you explore the world a random smog will appear and chase you. You can choose to avoid it or engage to enter into a battle.

Turn-based battles feel familiar to the genre. Pick your move or ability and wait your turn for your character to proceed with the selected action. A unique feature of this game is the use of critical strikes. Usually, in an RPG your character will just strike a critical blow by chance. The critical move is stored as a red square next to the character. You can then choose to activate a critical strike, use a special attack move or just save it for later. This design took me back to the days when I played Final Fantasy 7 and would stall my character using a special move so I could use it on the boss.

This offers a much more convenient option for the player. Some of the moves are just downright hilarious like Nate smacking enemies with a frying pan or Tator mocking the enemies with insults to lower their stats. There is an incentive to perform actions quickly to gain some additional bonuses to your attack by a small clock counting down at the bottom of the screen. The battle system felt fun and flexible and I surprisingly didn’t mind grinding away at it which is often the biggest issue for RPGs for me.

When you level up you spend your experience points to unlock new ability slots or level up your party. This can be amended later if you need to rejiggle things later or if you just feel the new build doesn’t suit your party members. I really liked this mechanic as often you’re forced to commit to choices in RPG and this just allows you to play the game and course correct if a build doesn’t suit. Characters can be equipped with multiple weapons which can be upgraded over time. New abilities can be unlocked, provided you have the right crafting material.

New content is fed at a decent space over time preventing the typical grindy RPG formula from becoming too stale. You can engage in a variety of mini-games such as fishing and some light gardening. Platforming segments are also added to the dungeons which were a bit hit and miss for me. One section set the camera angle to an isometric view which made it tricky to navigate platforms. But these don’t overly get in the way and even if you do hit a hazard it only comes at the light cost of a little health. 

Emotional Depth to a Basic Look

The game’s presentation is colourful but basic. Character sprites are 2D pixel characters inhabiting a 3D world. The characters, even being 2D, are often played for jokes in the game’s narrative. It doesn’t exactly push artistic boundaries but despite the developers’ clear limitations, you can really feel the effort they have put in to bring this simple world to life.

There are many charming attentions to detail such as how the characters’ eyes will move to give you an indication of how they are feeling. Even during battle, their eyes will look towards the character who is about to take a turn. Enemies also come in various odd forms like celery sticks with running shoes, bats with specs and fences with fencing swords. Probably that last one is when my eyes started to roll a bit.

It’s generally impressive how the developer took such a simple style and added so much heart to it. For some reason the game’s art style also turned the head of my 7-month old which says a lot since he often doesn’t care about games. So clearly he notices something special about this one so I trust his instinct. That or he was thinking which character he wanted to shove in his mouth since they kinda look a bit like baby teethers.

Conclusion – A Worthy Fable 

Video Game Fables is an example of a game you shouldn’t judge by its cover or in this case graphical style. It’s clear the solo developer has put a lot of hard work into creating this world whilst adding some unique flavour to the RPG mechanics with its levelling system and use of critical moves. With flexibility in the levelling system, it allows the player to really create the RPG experience that suits them. Sure the game has a little grinding and some sections feel they go on longer than needed. However, the sheer originality and effort on display here, is why I decided to give this the highest recommendation. I found plenty to love and hopefully you will too. 

Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up