Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling Reviews
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.
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.
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's Life is real."
Review in Finnish | 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.
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 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.
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
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.
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.
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…?