Video Game Fables tells the story of characters trapped in a video game that hasn’t been played in years. We see a knight going to a castle when a rainbow bridge appears, the word PAUSED appears above and he closes his eyes; he is stuck. We see Princess Aru, the damsel in distress, who is kidnapped (again) by Gator, the villain of the game they are in. He tries to teach his son Tator to kidnap princesses and become a successful villain. Tired of constantly being rescued, Aru takes matters into her own hands. She uses her 2.5D character design to turn sideways and walk out of her cage. Aru decides to change the script and do things her way. She has a feisty attitude about her, and some of her comments are hilarious!
After escaping the fortress and leaving Pallin – the large throne she promised to take, but whose ass was too big to fit through the hole – Aru jumps on a chariot with Nate and his horse. When Nate discovers the princess, he is excited and thinks he can save her, although she regularly points out that he is just giving her a lift. He is so excited and has the perfect helmet to make him look like a real warrior that he bought at the last Hero Con. The car encounters a slime in the middle of the road. Nate can’t wait to protect the princess and show her how to fight. Aru didn’t care; she just wants to hurry up and get out of town.
Here we learn how the combat system works in Video Game Fables. If you’ve played a turn-based RPG in the past, you’ll have a basic idea of how this will work. You can choose to attack, use magic or use an item. Once it’s your turn, the enemy will strike, but in this game, some new mechanics will change the mindless tapping of the button in battle. You have the choice to select which turn you want to make your attack on and whether you want to spread the attacks of the whole team so that someone always deals damage to the enemy on every turn. It’s not always necessary to plan out attacks like this with the weaker enemies you encounter, but if you’re fighting bosses it would be nice to have an attack; then, after the enemies are turned over, someone automatically has the party healed.
When Nate brings Aru back to Castleton, where the princess comes from, her father, the king, asks her if she understands the consequences of her actions. This is not how the script is supposed to go! He sends a guard to escort her to her room, and she protests and punches him in the face. Tator is as confused as everyone else, claiming that the entire script is now ruined. Once he says this, The Forsaken Princess (who is also a witch) and the Famous Knight (whom we met in the beginning) begin to team up. They have captured the King, Lord Gator, the guards and the entire castle and put them in a large hole in the ground blocked by glowing pink chains. It’s up to Aru, Nate and Tator to save the kingdom and fix the game’s script.
The in-game characters that are not captured will help you on your journey; they think it’s better if the team of three goes and they stay and do what they do best. Riko is a clock that is incredibly moody but will save your game progress. His cousin Samico will act as a compass when you travel outside the city, and his uncle Ray is the Battle Timer who will help you in battle. The longer it takes you to make decisions, the more sleepy he will become and the less helpful he will be. There is a chef who will make special attacks called Mods for you if you bring her the right ingredients. The town smith will give you a selection of weapons to use in battle and upgrade them as you progress. Video Game Fables XP used to perform many actions, it will be necessary to equip weapons, mods, levels or turn on your existing gear. If you’re low on XP but need a spell, you have the option to level up and get XP back. This was really different for me as I’m used to needing XP to level up!
The team has an encyclopedia of the monsters – Monstronomicom – you’ll be fighting in this world, so it’s helpful to take a look first to get hints before traveling to different dungeons around the world. Riko also has tips to share with you to defeat the bosses you’ll face next, as there’s always a point where you can save before going into battle. Video Game Fables you will have to grind a lot to get stronger and progress. The XP you earn is used for pretty much everything, and having gold is always nice to get supplies or upgrade your weapons. Make sure to visit the store regularly as the stock changes regularly as you progress through the story. There is a transport spot, usually next to the storage point, that will allow you to travel back to Castlelot to buy equipment or replenish your health by sleeping in the hotel. Make sure you take advantage of this as it makes more sense to recover for free than spend all your money on potions.
The visual style is charming and reminiscent of the characters in the first Paper Mario game. They are flat but can pivot so you can see their super slim profile. Video Game Fables has a great 8-bit aesthetic that creates adorable sprites with amazingly expressive expressions. Some of the outside worlds you explore on your journey feel a little sparse, but this could be due to the fact that the game was created by just one person – Matt Sharp. Spending time on characters and story makes much more sense than random trees in the background. The music was catchy and upbeat, with a variety of songs to accompany you on your journey to take down The Forgotten Princess and the Famous Knight.
Video Game Fables is a title that will appeal to fans of classic turn-based RPGs. There are many grinding levels here and battles with tons of smaller enemies. If you’re not a fan of these kinds of titles, you’ve been warned. The fact that the entire game was created by one person is incredibly impressive! Plus, it was refreshing to see a humorous story that hasn’t been told a thousand times before to be able to play as characters that wouldn’t be your typical heroes. Video Game Fables I actually feel guilty about all the role-playing games I own that I haven’t played in years…
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