Sable
Release Date: September 23, 2021
Adventure, TPP, science fiction, sandbox, puzzle elements, arcade elements, indie games, experimental/artistic, exploration games, singleplayer
OpenCritic
Steam
Three-dimensional exploratory adventure game in which we play the role of a young girl named Sable crossing the desert filled with ancient ruins and forgotten wrecks of spacecraft. The production has a large open map, the structure of which encourages players to explore the fictional world by themselves.
Sable for PC, PS4 and XONE is an exploration adventure game set on a foreign planet. We play as a young girl who travels the vast desert. The originators of the production are two debuting developers from London's independent studio Shedworks. Sable was presented for the first time during E3 2018. The authors drew inspiration from various sources. The most important of these were games such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Shadow of the Colossus, animated films by Ghibli studio, as well as French science fiction and fantasy comic books, especially the titles created by Moebius.
Plot
The action takes place on a distant planet. The main character of the game, Sable, is a young girl who belongs to one of the nomadic tribes that constantly travels the wilderness. The protagonist leaves her family behind and goes on a lonely journey, which for her is a ritual of transition into adulthood. She takes a levitating scooter with her to explore the desert on her own - this place hides various ruins of long-forgotten civilizations and the mysterious wrecks of spacecraft. On the way, she meets many strangers who deliberately or by chance give her lessons on history, the nature of family, love, and friendship, as well as the place of people in the world.
Mechanics
Sable is an exploratory adventure in which the action was presented from the third-person perspective. Players can freely explore the vast map dotted with various buildings, ruins, and wrecks, where they find various surprises and secrets. Many of them contain puzzles that require us to be perceptive and to interact with the environment.
Our main means of transport is a scooter floating in the air, thanks to which we move quickly between different locations we are interested in, as well as get to places inaccessible on foot. During the adventure, we will also meet other nomads who have different kinds of tasks or requests for us.
Technical aspects
Sable's graphics design uses the cel-shading technique, which makes the game similar to the already mentioned French comics and animations. The title also benefits from an organic color palette, which adds an extra atmosphere to the title.
Last updated on May 28, 2019
February 8, 2022
Obscure Sci-Fi Games You May Not Have Heard Of (And That's a Shame)
Cyberpunk 2077, Mass Effect, Fallen Order – these are games that almost anyone knows at least by reputation. But even if you're not a fan of the genre, some of the more obscure SF productions may steal your heart (and a few evenings).
June 22, 2020
Beautiful, Unusual Games with Unique Graphics
"Playability matters, not graphics" is often the justification for poor visuals. Graphics, however, can be much more than beautiful or ugly. It can also be ingenious, intriguing, and unusual, and these are the examples of the most unique games.
Videos and Screens
[1:48] Sable launch trailer (PS5)
[0:33] Sable PS5 trailer
DualShockers: 9 / 10 by Dom Bancey
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Sable and will definitely continue to play as well as recommend it to others. For me, there is definitely room for it to be replayed as the choices you make and missions you choose to embark on can reveal a different story each time. Also, the more (or less) that is explored will determine the mask at the end. It is the perfect indie game to relax, take a break, and simply get lost in an open world.
Shacknews: 8 / 10 by Donovan Erskine
Sable is a beautiful story about self-discovery. It’s themes of solitude and what it means to be independent strongly resonated with me. The game is bolstered by a one-of-a-kind art style and an excellently crafted original soundtrack. If you can handle a slow burn and push some UI issues aside, Sable is an overwhelmingly pleasant experience.
Game Informer: 8.8 / 10 by Jill Grodt
Self-guided exploration is bolstered by quests that give you an excuse to jump on a speeder, climb mountains, and float through unexplained ruins in a dazzling ecosystem
Sable Summary
Platforms:
PC Windows September 23, 2021
Xbox One September 23, 2021
PlayStation 5 November 29, 2022
Xbox Series X/S September 23, 2021
Developer: Shedworks
Publisher: Raw Fury Games
Age restrictions: none
Sable System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7 GHz / AMD Ryzen 5 1400 3.2 GHz, 8 GB RAM, graphic card 2 GB GeForce GTX 750 Ti / Radeon HD 6970 or better, 3 GB HDD, Windows 10 64-bit
Recommended: Intel Core i5-9600K 3.7 GHz / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6 GHz, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 4 GB GeForce GTX 1050 Ti / 2 GB Radeon R9 285 or better, 3 GB HDD, Windows 10 64-bit