Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling

So maybe Nintendo will never make a truly great Paper Mario ever again. Lucky for us, Moonsprout Games may have cracked the chemistry of what many fans actually want from the series in Bug Fables. If you’re still mad about Sticker Star, or you’re still reeling about Color Splash, do yourself a favor and nab this masterpiece as soon as possible, and see what all the buzz is about. Rest assured, that even if Origami King turns out to be a dud, 2020 will see at least one great game with Paper Mario mechanics…even if it doesn’t bear its name.

At the end of the day, Bug Fables is wearing its inspirations proudly on it’s sleeve, and still adding on its own experiences that are both meaningful and fun for players. I had a blast with this game, and I highly recommend it to all kinds of players, whether they be looking to dive into a fun story with lovable characters, trying a more tangible, interactive combat-focused game, or just attempting a challenge. Bug Fables does not pull its punches, especially in it’s hard mode, but it gives such bountiful rewards, that I am simply left having to return the favor.

If you love classic Paper Mario games, Bug Fables is an absolute must-have. It eases you in with everything you know and love from the Nintendo RPGs, then consistently impresses with new tweaks and innovations. It may lack the built-in charm of the Mario brand, but I fell in love with the characters and story just the same. I can confidently say it has earned a spot alongside the games that inspired its creation.

Bug Fables is much more than a loving tribute to the first two episodes of the Paper Mario franchise: it is a beautifully crafted rpg adventure that any Switch owner should not miss.

A bit of a triumph, Bug Fables is a superbly polished independent tribute to the first two Paper Mario games – but that's not to say it doesn't have its own, strong identity. The sheer familiarity is a little bit wearying at times – seriously, it's like it's been traced over in places – but Paper Mario with the serial numbers filed off is still a very good time. There's plenty to see and do, a rather compulsive card game to play and hidden secrets all over the place. Add all this silky-smooth performance, a splendid soundtrack and turn-based combat that's never less than engaging and you've got a surefire winner here. Maybe now people will quit "bugging" Nintendo for a throwback Paper Mario. Pun intended. (Sorry.)

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling does an excellent job capturing the Paper Mario spirit while still being its own game and having its own identity, and the journey onto the Switch is essentially flawless. Though some of the platforming sections can be a little frustrating at times, the effort is all worth it to indulge in the fast-paced, well written tale of a trio of bugs.

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling was made as a tribute to the Paper Mario series and in an attempt to recapture the spirit of the first game of the series. While Bug Fables does not succeed in this purpose, it does deliver a good game, with an addictive combat, well structured plot (and a lot of dialogues), as well as game world that's a marvel to look at. So while the more spiritual goal to pay tribute to Nintendo's series went off the mark, the secondary objectives to make a good game are undoubtedly successful.

Simply a great game from beginning to end. It is on the same level as Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door in my opinion. The cast of characters, Vi, Kabbu and Leif is so entertaining and you quickly sympathise with all three of them. The dialouges are more dynamic, simply because there use background comments from other characters between a main dialouge. Every NPC you interact with gives you the feeling of being part in an lively world with an own unique society which really helps to connect with the world and the characters in there. Especially the Sidequest are a big step forward compared to Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door. They are more fun, more creative, you be rewarded better for fullfilling them and some of the Sidequests expand the lore for this world. So you are not only getting some useful upgrades, you also get more story information about this world and the insects and their society which gives you a better understanding. The battles are as great as they are in Paper Mario, with the difference that your three characters, Vi, Kabbu and Leif are better balanced and have their own useage in fighting the different types of enemies. Vi can attack flying enemies and put them to the ground, so the others can attack them too. Kabbu is the tank who can harm armored enemies and turn them on the back, so that their defense gets lost. Leif is able to attack enemies in the ground. Thanks to this dynamic in the battles, they never gets bored. The only issue this game has is, that the puzzle solving in the overworld is clunky sometime, especially Vis "Beemerang" is really inaccurate to use, when you need it to activate switches. Luckily there is never a scenario where you have to use the overworld abilities under pressure so it is not a big deal. One last positive thing is the content this game offers, I didn't complete the game 100% but still put 40 hours into it and there are no time strechting gameplay elements like fetch quests or something else. Every hour I spent into it was fun, enjoyable and makes me smile.

A cute game with likeable characters. But it suffers of a few badly implemented mechanics I thought wouldn't exist anymore nowadays. Three examples: - The approximative controls when interacting with the environment, especially when using the bee's weapon. - The problem you can't buy items in bulk. You have to restart the buying process for every single unit of an item. - The missing of a combat restart option. When you're in a combat and you see in advance you'll lose it, you whether have to restart the whole game to get back to the last save spot or wait until every member of the team died. Although it's got those technical anachronisms it's still a nice game to play.

Bug Fables is pleasant all around, but it really loses steam. The chapters all go on a little too long and things become tedious. I frequently found myself thinking, “oh no, not again” when activities/tasks would arise. I enjoyed the game, but the tediousness really brought the overall experience down.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Bug Fables has very cute characters, and there is a clear love for bugs in this game, but it completely lacks any accessibility features for someone who is disabled like me and simply cannot react fast enough for what it demands. Waste of my money.