Video Game Fables Review

Video Game Fables tells the tale of characters stuck in a videogame that hasn't been played for years. We see a knight going up 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, being kidnapped (again) by Gator, the villain of the game they are in. He's trying to teach his son Tator how to kidnap princesses and be a successful bad guy. Aru is sick of constantly needing to be saved, so she 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 spunky attitude about her, and some of her comments are hilarious! 

After escaping the fortress and abandoning Pallin — the large throne which she promised to take with her, but whose butt was too big to fit through the hole — Aru jumps onto a wagon with Nate and his horse. When Nate discovers the princess, he is excited and thinks he is saving her, though she makes sure to point out numerous times that he is just giving her a ride. He is so excited and has the perfect helmet to make him look like a real warrior he bought at the last Hero Con. The wagon comes across a slime in the middle of the road. Nate can't wait to protect the princess and show her how to fight. Aru couldn't care less; she just wants to hurry up and get out of town.

Here we learn how the battle system works in Video Game Fables. If you have played a turn-based RPG in the past, you will have a basic idea of how this will work. You can select to attack, use magic, or use an item. Once you take your turn, the enemy will strike, but in this game, some new mechanics will switch up the mindless in-battle button tapping. You have the choice to select which turn you want to perform your attack and if you want to stagger the attacks of the whole team, so there is always someone doing damage to the enemy at every turn. It's not always necessary to plan out attacks like this with the weaker foes you come across, but when you are fighting bosses, it would be nice to have an attack; then, after the enemies turn, automatically have someone heal up the party.

When Nate gets Aru back to Castleton, where the princess is from, her dad, the King, asks her if she understands the ramifications 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 punching him in the face. Tator is as confused as everyone else and claims that the whole script is ruined now. As soon as he says this, The Forsaken Princess (who is also a witch) and the Famous Knight (who we met in the beginning) start working together. They have captured the King, Lord Gator, the guards, and the entire castle, putting them into a large hole in the ground that is being blocked by glowing pink chains. It is up to Aru, Nate, and Tator to save the kingdom and fix the game's script.

The in-game characters that weren't captured will help you out on your journey; they think it's better if the team of three go and they stay and do what they do best. Riko is a clock who is incredibly grouchy but will save your game's progress. His cousin Samico will act as a compass when you travel outside of town, and his Uncle Ray is the Battle Timer that will help you out in battle. The longer it takes for you to make decisions, the sleepier he gets, and the less helpful he will be. There is a chef who will create special attacks called Mods for you if you bring her the right ingredients. The town blacksmith will give you a selection of weapons to use in battle and upgrade them as you progress. Video Game Fables uses XP to do a lot of actions, it will be required to equip weapons, Mods, gain levels, or power up your existing equipment. If you are short on XP but need to equip a spell, you have the option to drop down a level and receive XP back in return. This was really different for me as I am used to needing XP just to level up!

The team has an encyclopaedia of the monsters — Monstronomicom — you will fight in this world, so it is beneficial to check out to get hints before you travel to different dungeons around the world. Riko also has tips to share with you to defeat the bosses that you will come across next as there is always a point where you can save before you go into battle. Video Game Fables will require you to do a lot of grinding to get stronger and make progress. The XP you earn is used for pretty much everything, and having gold is always nice for getting supplies or upgrading your weapons. Be sure to check out the store often, as the stock changes frequently as you progress in the story. There is a transportation spot, usually located next to the save point that will let you travel back to Castlelot to buy equipment or replenish your health by sleeping at the hotel. Make sure you take advantage of this, as it makes more sense to recover for free than spending 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 turn so you see their super slender profile. Video Game Fables has a great 8-bit aesthetic that creates cute sprites with amazingly expressive expressions. Some of the outer worlds that you explore as you travel feel a bit sparse, but this could be due to the game being created by only one person — Matt Sharp. Spending time on characters and story makes a lot more sense than random trees in the background. The music was catchy and upbeat, with a variety of songs to accompany you during 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 a lot of grinding levels here and battles with tons of smaller enemies. If you aren't a fan of titles like that, you have been warned. The fact that the whole game was made by one person is incredibly impressive! Plus, it was refreshing to see a story full of humour that hasn't been told a thousand times before being able to play as characters who wouldn't be your typical heroes was nice. Video Game Fables actually makes me feel guilty about all the role-playing games that I own that I haven't played in years…