Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling Reviews

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is ranked in the 93rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Metro GameCentral
Top Critic
8 / 10
May 29, 2020

The best Paper Mario game since The Thousand-Year Door, but also a charming adventure in its own right, with some surprisingly good storytelling and fun combat.

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TheSixthAxis
Drea Bunce
Top Critic
7 / 10
Jun 10, 2020

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is an intriguing and beautiful RPG, paying homage to classic Paper Mario games. Some areas, such as the dialogue, feel rushed, but there's a well thought out storyline and plenty of side quests and mini-games to keep you entertained.

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9 / 10.0
Jun 15, 2020

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is a beautiful and engrossing journey, filled with fun combat that never loses its edge.

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100 / 100
May 28, 2020

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is the Paper Mario we've been waiting for for over fifteen years. It's aesthetically pleasing to look at, the main characters have an amusing dynamic, and it has a fun turn-based battle system with real time elements and strategy. I urge not only Paper Mario fans to give it the chance it deserves, but anyone that has ever picked up an RPG.

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8 / 10.0
Jun 8, 2020

Bright, bold and colourful. Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling adds another dimension to turn-based battles and brings platforming, puzzles and heart to a worthwhile adventure. The art-style was not to my taste but it fits the subject matter perfectly. There is a lot of game here for your money, especially if you want to see it all. Now bug off and get tucked into the game.

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Nintendo Enthusiast
Ben Lamoreux
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
May 28, 2020

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.

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Jun 2, 2020

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.)

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7 / 10
Jun 9, 2020

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is something unusual, in the sense that it had a goal that it did not fulfill, but ends up doing a success on everything else. So while Big Fables is not a fitting tribute to Paper Mario, it still does almost everything right, especially when it comes to its plot, its combat system and the absolutely marvelous visual world. All in all, something that won't look bad in anyone's Nintendo Switch.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

9 / 10
May 16, 2020

Bug Fables proudly wears its Paper Mario inspirations on its sleeves and it in many ways stands as my favorite interpretation of the style yet.

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Alana Hagues
Top Critic
90%
May 28, 2020

You better bee-lieve how good this is.

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10 / 10.0
Jun 10, 2020

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.

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8.4 / 10.0
Jun 18, 2020

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.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8.6 / 10.0
Jun 16, 2020

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is a new indie title advertised as a direct inspiration from the earlier titles in the Paper Mario franchise, but does it hold up on its own or is a lesser copy of the muse? Check out our review to find out!

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9.5 / 10.0
May 28, 2020

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.

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Jun 5, 2020

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.

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Drew Hurley
Top Critic
8 / 10
Jun 16, 2020

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.

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4 / 5.0
May 28, 2020

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.

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Loved
Jun 18, 2020

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.

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8 / 10.0
Jun 25, 2020

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.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jun 24, 2020

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.

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