Fabledom
Release Date: May 13, 2024
Strategy, fantasy, economic, RTS, a fairy tale, indie games, romances, singleplayer
OpenCritic
A strategy game set in a fairytale world. In Fabledom we play as a ruler, our job being to create a prosperous kingdom from scratch.
Fabledom is a strategy game, in which we can build our own fairytale kingdom from scratch. It was developed by Grenaa Games and published by Dear Villagers and Doyoyo Games. Its main inspirations are games such as The Settlers, Foundation and Kingdoms and Castles.
Plot
Fabledom takes place in a fairytale world, where giants, witches and flying pigs are commonplace. We play as a ruler, our task being to create a kingdom spanning the entire realm. Our job is not easy due to the dangers threatening the settlers, yet we must confront them to succeed.
Mechanics
The gameplay of Fabledom is shown from the top-down perspective. We start the game by gathering basic resources and constructing our first buildings, therefore - creating a small village. Once it starts to develop and its storage is full, it's worthwhile to establish diplomatic relations with our neighbors; this lets us trade with them, acquiring rare materials. Unfortunately it isn't possible to stay friendly with everybody, as sooner or later our domain will end up endangered. That is why we should choose a champion and recruit an army in advance, to have someone to defend our subjects from hostile neighbors or highwaymen.
While it all sounds rather complicated, the gameplay is designed to be intuitive, easy to pick up and not requiring a lot of learning. During breaks from managing our lands we can look at the citizens' daily lives and even... search for a love interest; though we should remember romance can influence further gameplay.
Technical aspects
The visuals of Fabledom are pleasing to the eye and made with the use of a colorful, cartoonish artstyle. The richly animated character models are especially appealing, bringing the titular settlers from The Settlers to mind.
Videos and Screens
[1:02] Fabledom Fabledom - Console Gameplay Trailer
[0:58] Fabledom Fabledom - Accolades Trailer
TheGamer: 4 / 5 by Zoë Osik
If nothing else, Fabledom fills the need to build a thriving fantasy kingdom without an over reliance on war and conquering. You can lead a cozy life in a peaceful kingdom with minimal (read: no) defenses. You can also choose to attack everything in sight and see where that takes you. I’m sure Sir Payne would appreciate a fellow warmongering monarch in an otherwise peaceful world.
Use a Potion: 8.5 / 10
Fabledom is a wonderful city-building experience that’ll appeal to all players thanks to its accessible gameplay and satisfying sense of progress. It keeps things simple as you develop your kingdom, but also offers enough depth and variety to ensure players will be fully invested in forging alliances, making discoveries across the land, or even going to war. And hey, who knows, you might even find love along the way. It’s just a blast to play, whilst the delightful presentation is perfectly befitting of the game’s fairytale-like world. I’ll admit, I’m hardly a city-building aficionado, but Fabledom offers some of the most fun that I’ve had with the genre.
AltChar: 80 / 100 by Asmir Kovacevic
With a fairy tale-like presentation and minimum involvement kind of gameplay, Fabledom represents a pretty unique city-building experience.
Fabledom Summary
Early Access:April 13, 2023
Platforms:
PC / Windows May 13, 2024
PlayStation 5 September 12, 2024
Xbox Series X/S September 12, 2024
Switch September 12, 2024
Developer: Grenaa Games
Publisher: Dear Villagers / Plug in Digital / Playdius
Age restrictions: none
Fabledom System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2 GHz / AMD FX-8120 3.9 GHz, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 3 GB GeForce GTX 1060 / 4 GB Radeon RX 580 or better, Windows 10 64-bit
Recommended: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5 GHz, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 8 GB GeForce GTX 1070 / Radeon RX Vega 56 or better, Windows 10 64-bit