Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling Review

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Fast Facts

Bug Fables

Developer: Moonsprout Games
Publisher: Dangen Entertainment
Website: https://bugfables.dangenentertainment.com/
Genre: Role-Playing, Adventure, Puzzle
Platform: Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Age Rating: PEGI 3
Release Date: 28/05/2020
Price: £26.99

A code was provided for review purposes.

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.

Start of The Journey

The story of Bug Fables starts with us learning about a powerful item known as the Everlasting Sapling. The Everlasting Sapling gives a bug a far longer life, and as such is hidden far away, and nobody knows where it is. Thus the Explorers Association was created so that they could find this Sapling. Enter Kabbu, who is a young bug looking to join an exploration team at the Explorers Association. Specifically, Maki’s team: he got his offer turned down, and while trying not to cause a scene, someone else does.

Enter Vi, who is a young bee also interested in joining an exploration team but wants to explore a place named “Snakemouth Den” however she gets rejected for being too young and thus causes a scene. After talking with her for a bit, Kabbu offers her to join him and form a team of their own. After proving their worth to Maki for a bit, he accepts them being a team and thus become explorers.

Their first task will be to explore Snakemouth Den and find an artefact that is hidden there. Vi and Kabbu then set off to the beginning of their adventure, and start becoming good friends with each other. Fast forward a bit, they enter the den, explore and then find a door. They solve a puzzle but fall for a trap and thus fall down.

After Kabbu gains consciousness while Vi flies down the hole not wanting to leave Kabbu, they explore where they ended up, and after looking around for a while, they find a bug trap in a web. All of a sudden, a big spider appears out of nowhere and attacks them; Vi runs off while scared, and after Kabbu tries to fight it, she comes back. They then work as a team trying to get the bug free, and as soon as they do, they make a run for it and manage to escape.

Meeting Leif

The bug wakes up with memory loss but remembers his name is Leif, and he claims he can’t fight. A bit later they encounter an enemy, and Leif freezes it and thus can fight, and so the 3 continue helping each other out to reach the end of the den, not just to find a way out but also to find the artefact.

They eventually find their way to the artefact, but as soon as they grab it, it triggers a trap: the den starts to overflow with water, and if they stay, they will drown. Then the spider comes back looking for round two. After they defeat the spider, they forget all about the flood and then the water rise carries them away.

Triumph

Lucky for them though, they survive, and the flood takes them near the Association, and thus they find their way back. Someone is waiting, and they ask the three to see the queen but not after allowing Leif to join the team as well officially. Thus they go see the queen, give her the artefact and then she learns the location of the second and sends the team to find it. Also since they did something that most bugs couldn’t conquer Snakemouth, they get the name Team Snakemouth, and thus the team’s journey truly begins!

The True Beginning

Whew… What a beginning chapter to a game, huh? Normally when I review games, I go up with the first 3rd of the game, but this time I am just going to leave it at that. The rest of the story is fantastic, and the characters are wonderful as well. However, I do have a clear favourite being Kabbu. Just play the game and experience the rest of the story for yourself, but to say one thing, the end of chapter 4 is when the story becomes very good.

Now I want to talk about the presentation of Bug Fables, and it is very great. The art style used here makes everything very much pop and the character designs are good. The menu designs are also good and easy to manage, as well. However, there is one drawback; there are some moments in the game that the game will lag. Namely, whenever I opened the menu or this one place in Chapter 2.

Music is…

As for the music for Bug Fables, it is one of my favourite soundtracks of all time. The OST of this game was very well crafted. Not only did every single song hit for me, but it was very fitting for what was going on during the game.

Bug Fables‘ gameplay is excellent as it is very varied and heavily customizable. For instance, before you set out for Snakemouth Den, you get a medal (will go over this more later), for a hard mode to make the game more difficult. I didn’t use this mode at all, despite the extra rewards it gives, but if you want the game to be harder, this is the medal for you.

Customisation

Moving to even MORE customisation, you can fit any character in many different roles. You could make Kabbu your tank, with high HP and abilities to get enemies’ attention. Make Vi the damage over time fighter, and Leif your strategy character. Or you can do all of these things with the different characters. With medals, you can do anything.

Medals are these bonus effects that you can use in battle. They can either make you more resistant to sleeping, make you stronger while poisoned, more HP or TP, and so on. Including a medal that if one character gets hurt, the other two characters charge up for an attack. Although the biggest thing about Medals is that points are needed for them. You won’t be able to select them all so carefully pick and choose your medals to suit your playstyle.

Extras

Before explaining the battle system in Bug Fables, it will be wise to bring up a couple of other things. First off, quests. While I haven’t done many of the quests in the game, I can in no doubt say that the quests in this game are good. They can give very good rewards! Berries are your currency in the game to buy items. Although while I believe that they give too little of them, I find that the bank can really be helpful… If you’re willing to put in the wait.

You can also cook items in the game and gain recipes, and things like that. However, I never properly did this. All I made were honey leaves, and that was all my creativity had. Whenever I tried cooking something, it ended in a mistake, so I recommend you all checking a guide. More systems are unlocked as you play through the game, but I believe you should play the game for yourselves to find out. However, it is always interesting to see what new thing the game throws at you.

Battle System

Now finally the most important thing for any RPG, the battle system. You have a set amount of HP and TP, what are those? Health points and Team points. Health points are a standard: if your character reaches zero, they are out. Team points are what allow characters to do their special attacks. To do your attacks properly, you must do what appears on the screen. It could be hold the control stick in a certain way, or input buttons.

Bug Fables‘ battle system isn’t that complex to explain, but I can say this. Don’t think you can use your special attacks and win. I did, and I found many times that I was low on TP when I could use it for a strong move, or to heal. Also, it will be wise to learn how to block attacks to lower the damage you get. Plus when you get the required Exploration points, you can upgrade either your health, teamwork or medal points. Overall, I can say Bug Fables’ gameplay and especially the battle system is nice and rewarding.

Overall

Bug Fables is a fantastic game from its great story, wonderful presentation, amazing music and very awesome gameplay; it goes without saying that this is one of my favourite games from this year. Although there are frame rates issues, I also found berries hard to find, and one boss in Chapter 4 was unfair. However, these aren’t very serious issues to knock the game down for.

Rapid Reviews Rating

You can purchase the game by clicking here: Nintendo eShop