Fabledom, a happily ever after is just a courtship away.
I don’t typically play games that are in early access, and I know that seems unfair, because they are being worked on and “early access” doesn’t necessarily mean the game isn’t going to be good. It’s just there are so many complete games out there, that…I feel like I’d have to constantly come back to an early access game to constantly keep up with the updates.
Kind of like with My Time at Sandrock. Very good game, but it’s constantly being updated, so we constantly have to go back to it.
Not a bad thing, but…not something I enjoy doing a lot.
- Developed by Grenaa Games
- Published by Dear Villagers, Doyoyo Games
- Available on Steam
Who is this game for?
Explanation to Negative Feedback
Can’t do anything after a certain point
As with some other early access games, Fabledom isn’t able to progress forward any more after a certain point, and while I have not yet played the demo, there have been some people mention that you don’t get much farther in the game than where the demo ends.
Personally, it took me around the four hour mark until I completed everything I was capable of completing at the current stage that the game was in.
Can’t move placed buildings
One of the things that really bothered me while playing Fabledom is the fact that once you place a building, it’s there. You can’t pick it up and rotate it or move it somewhere else on the map. If you want it somewhere else, you’ll have to buy another building, and then get rid of the old one.
Maybe this is how it goes with other city builders as well, but man…what a pain.
The Hero is pointless
And that’s because there’s not much to do in the game so far. Once you’ve built the area for your hero and extend your territory, there are some places that you can move him to and get to interact with. One being an old wizened tree and another being ruins. But after they’ve explored whatever they can regarding those two things…they just kinda stand wherever you left them, pointless.
Well, they’re also used for a specific quest, which can be failed if you’re unable to investigate anything at the time.
Not much for “fable”
There are pigs with wings. And an old wizened tree that has a face and can speak.
I think…those are the only things in the game so far that scream “fable” to me.
Explanation to Positive Feedback
Cute prince/princess art
When you’re meeting people from different territories, you’ll get to see what they look like, and I really enjoy their art style and subtle movements when you’re merely on their screen. They can wave back and you and flirt, plus they might send you messages that’ll have them popping up on your screen along with what they have to say.
Marry whichever gender
You might be happy to note that this game allows you to marry whichever gender you so choose.
Links Worth Checking Out
- Nothing here
Gameplay
Achievements
None as of right now
Plot
Once upon a Village… Set in a wholesome fairytale world, Fabledom is the ideal laid back City builder. Enjoy the growth of your settlement, trade and use diplomacy to ally or challenge your neighbors, and most importantly, find yourself a prince or princess and live happily ever after!
Game Length
Around 4 hours
Replay Value
No
Genre(s)
You don’t start with much of anything at all, but over time you grow your little settlement into a vast kingdom by expanding your territory.
Fabledom Review
I don’t typically play city builder games. I’m more of a farm simulator type of chick, but hey, there’s some farming in this game and it looked cute so I decided to give it a try, despite it being early access.
First off, there is a narrator that pops in from time to time to say certain things, some of them took me by surprise and made me laugh (like in the screenshot), other ones were either silly or a little helpful nudge in the direction you’re supposed to go with progressing the game. So far, he’s the only voice of the game, and that’s fine–I don’t think the rulers of other kingdoms need a voice at this point.
Next, there’s a bit of difficulty to the game when it comes to ways to improve your ranking as a ruler. Certain events will happen–people will want to join your village and only be able to do so if you have enough housing for them, beggars will ask you for resources, townsfolk want a better area to live in, etc.–and if you’re unable to fulfill these events within the appropriate time, you will lose 5 of your ranking.
It’s super easy to lose ranking if you’re not expecting it.
Obviously in early access, there’s not much of a problem, but when the game expands, it’s definitely going to affect how other territory leaders see you or even how your citizens see you.
Another thing you have to keep an eye on is your food resources, especially with the larger population you have. It’s extremely easy to run out of food in the winter time, because you’re unable to grow any crops on your farms. You’re basically relying on windmills for flour and bakeries for bread.
One of the things I hated and didn’t understand were all the resource areas. A farm can hold a certain amount of resources. A granary can hold a certain amount of resources. Which of these resources get used? How often do they get picked up by the buildings that need them? I had so much wood, and had my coal-making building placed near both lumberjack people as well as the storage for the wood, but I never had much coal for the winter.
I just don’t understand the logistics of so many places having so many ways to stock resources, but never knowing what was going to happen to which resources where.
It’s obviously a work in progress, and I wish them luck, as the game has a lot of potential that’s not quite seen at the start.
