Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling Reviews
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.
The game takes around 30 hours to finish but there are plenty of side quests and collectibles to find which will add to an already packed adventure. This really is a game you can sink your teeth into and get lost in for hours at a time. Like a really really long satisfying picture book. Bug Fables is a wonderful bug riddled adventure. In a good way not the gaming way. Charming characters with fun witty dialogue. It’s adventure that feels suitable for the entire family. The only trouble is, since it is single player, you may need to fight over who gets to play. Good thing the game provides additional files. While I struggled with pressing the right button many times I was constantly smiling while playing this game. A wonderful piece of gaming more people should discover for themselves. Don’t let it buzz you by.
While Paper Mario may boast a larger selection of allies, Bug Fables still holds its own as an unofficial sequel of sorts. This is a game that matches the style, feel, and humour right down to the even the smallest things that made the Paper Mario games so iconic to begin with.
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling offers an enjoyable and charming adventure that fans of Paper Mario are sure to adore. The battling is surprisingly strategic and fun, the puzzle-solving is clever, whilst the world itself is super creative and vibrant in design – it all comes together to make for a very jolly bug-filled escapade that Nintendo Switch fans shouldn’t ignore.
"Bug's Life is real."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is a game that may look like other RPGs you’ve played, but it offers an entirely unique and memorable experience. The game’s quirky cast of characters fuels this adventure for more than 50 hours, while the narrative makes it easy to stay engaged and want to see this story through until the end. Now that it’s on consoles, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be playing it.
Despite some minor nitpicks, I still absolutely loved Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling. Bug Fables: An Everlasting Sapling has an aesthetic only rivaled by its inspiration. While I would‘ve loved to have self-aware humor, it didn’t hurt the overall silliness. The game runs flawlessly, and the banter while not laugh out loud hilarious, was still full of under the breath chuckles. Until Paper Mario is released come this July, this is the quintessential paperized adventure.
Bug Fables may be hailed as the spiritual successor to Paper Mario, but Bug Fables has rightfully usurped the throne and stands proudly as its own reigning title! Just as many have come to relish their love of Paper Mario entries, with the wide array of availability on all consoles, music score, battle system, content, and so much more, Bug Fables will be a title this generation will surely remember as ours did with The Thousand-Year Door. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that Bug Fables has ‘sprouted’ a deep-seated love within me as a gamer, a title I yearn everyone to try!
Many might be afraid that Bug Fables, with its prolific use of the traditional Paper Mario mechanics, might be nothing more than a cheap imitation of an all-time classic. However, that could not be farther from the truth: Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is a superb experience with attention to detail in all its components. Its adventure honours everything that made Paper Mario great and even surpasses it in some areas, all while presenting us with a new world and characters we genuinely care about.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Bug Fables starts out as a totally fine homage to Paper Mario, but as you play the game you realize that the game has a lot to offer. If you really want something in that sort of ballpark, this game is definitely worth your time. If you don’t like Paper Mario specifically, then its a bit harder to recommend. It’s currently $20 on Steam, and beating it will likely take around 30-35 hours, and if you’re a completionist, it can easily get over 40 hours. I think it’s a little too long for its own good, but still worthwhile.
I have played RPGs for a while. I have even written reviews on them and enjoyed them. However, Bug Fables is an experience I will never forget. Why is that? Was my experience with Bug Fables a positive one or negative? Let’s find out.
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is an indie gem. The exciting look á la Paper Mario and the mature combat system, you will have fun playing the game throughout. You can also see the difficulty level. Quite early you get a coin where you can activate the hard mode. If the normal level of difficulty is not enough, you can safely choose the hard mode. By the adaptation with the coin, the modes can be easily switched on and off. If you want to shorten the wait for the new Paper Mario, you can confidently use this excellent title.
Review in German | Read full review
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is an extremely endearing homage to a much-beloved series, though it suffers from some clunky platforming and a lack of inventive locations.
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is easily one of the best games of 2019. It’s not just a worthy successor to Paper Mario, which serves as its obvious inspiration—in many ways, Bug Fables is an even better game. Those who determine value based on how long a playthrough lasts will be thrilled to learn that it’s easy to play for 40 hours or more. Those who appreciate pacing will be glad to hear that there’s no padding to reach that playtime. Whether you’re looking for a game with well-written characters who grow on you, mechanics that allow you to devise interesting strategies, secrets waiting to be discovered and subsequently exploited, or a soundtrack full of catchy themes, Bug Fables delivers in a big way.
Catharsis is being able to play a faithful follow-up to a game released sixteen years ago. But is Bug Fables better than the RPGs that precede it…?
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.
One of the issues that people have with some of the more recent Mario RPG titles is that they've become gimmicky and rather shallow as a consequence. Bug Fables is nowhere near as refined as Nintendo's efforts, but they also represent a back-to-basics approach to the mechanics and structure of these games. For many people that will be appealing, and Bug Fables is indeed an appealing effort by a small team. It would be great to see the team come back with something a little more refined with a second outing.
Everyone that is excited over the prospect of the upcoming Paper Mario: The Origami King needs to pick this up. While Sticker Star and Colour Splash took the series in quite unwelcomed directions, this fully embraces the original. The combat system keeps things constantly engaging, the world is inviting, and the trio of main characters utterly charming. This is a world that deserves to be further explored and returned to, and it will hopefully see future instalments. The Origami King has some genuine competition here.
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.