Fabledom Review: A Neverending Fantasy of City Building and Adventure

by Lordtoto01 / Editorials, Highlights, Video Game Reviews / 02 Jun 2024

City builder games are not my forte, but I do pick up the odd game from time to time, just to keep up with the present trends. I wasn’t expecting much from Fabledom and figured it to be just another run-of-the-mill city builder with another gimmick. Forgive the cliché, but it wasn’t anything I expected, and in a good way.

The isometric graphics, warm colors, and chill background music give the game a unique vibe you don’t usually find in city builders… The laid-back relaxing gameplay loop also helped. Yes, I was playing on the easiest setting, but nonetheless, it was as challenging as it was enjoyable. Here is my take on Fabledom, a rare gem in a pile of what is otherwise a rather mundane assortment of city building games.

You begin your fairy tale by selecting a nation in a procedurally generated map, so every game offers a new experience altogether… I usually pick a medium to large nation with an even spread of all the necessary resources. Following this, you start your settlement with a handful of settlers or fablings. I had tutorials turned on and it pretty much guided me throughout the game. Switch it off if you’re looking for a more challenging experience.

New fablings turn up every 8-9 days so it’s important to have enough accommodation for them when they arrive. Your population grows gradually so always make sure to have enough homes to house them, farms to feed them, and occupations to employ them.

You might wonder at this point that Fabledom is nothing special, but here are some points that would disagree with you. Yes, there are a few rough edges, but the game’s polish and execution outshine those flaws:

New Approach to Homes

Unlike regular houses, in Fabledom you can build residences with a backyard/front yard and even construct attachments like beehives, apple trees, doghouses, etc. within the foundation. Each attachment also grants certain bonuses which can greatly impact your nation’s happiness and well-being in the long run.

Desirability & Happiness

A high desirability level is important to prevent your fablings from leaving the settlement. Desirability decreases when you place production buildings such as mines and mills close to settlements. The red border indicates which residential buildings will be affected so make sure to place them far away at the border of the map.

Dynamic Weather Effects

Like most games, the citizens automatically adapt to winter but some manual input is required. For example: you’ll have to release farmers from the field and make them work in other production houses such as coal mines or lumber camps. The manual input required is minimal but it makes the game more engaging.

Romance

Unlike most games, the goal of Fabledom is to find your prince/princess charming and live happily ever after… The person you court not only decides what kind of quests you receive, but it also shapes your kingdom and determines what kind of ruler you’re going to become in the future. It gives meaning to the game and separates it from other mindless conquest simulators in the same genre. Yes, things can get a bit repetitive at times, but that’s expected to some extent in city builders, no matter how polished they are.

Tips to Help You Get Started in Fabledom

Although the tutorial does a great job of guiding you through the game; here are some tips to help make the journey much easier:

Keep Track of Upkeep Costs – Many buildings have upkeep costs and constructing too many of them is an easy way to bankrupt yourself. So keep an eye on what you’re building and make sure your tax revenue is always higher than the expenses. If you’re bleeding money, then dismissing a few workers and shortening travel distances between buildings can help dampen the flow.

Build Large Farms – One plot of land can only grow a specific kind of crop, so always build large farms, each focusing on a specific crop. Ideally, 40 plots is the bare minimum. As the game keeps progressing, make sure to have at least 1-2 farms in every square block of newly purchased land.

Save Space – When starting out, always build in a 2×2 grid instead of a 2×3 one. The latter uses up an extra tile with no added benefits. You can still build the same number of attachments in both housing spaces. Creating a smaller grid saves space and helps you manage your land more efficiently.

Maintain High Happiness – Fablings will stop coming to your settlement if the happiness percentage drops below 60%. To keep happiness high, make sure to build the appropriate attachments in the residences. Also, build at least one inn in every square, especially if you have a lot of houses.

Romance – Based on who you’re courting, you’ll receive different rewards. For example: you could trigger a positive world event by spending 1000 gold if you become Giovanni’s spouse. Ramone, on the other hand, increases the kingdom’s maximum happiness to 200. Farrah increases your production speed if you have less than 50 stacks of any resource, and so on… The quests are carefully crafted to match the theme of every NPC prince/princess, making the gameplay all the more fun and challenging.

Fabledom is a casual and simplistic city builder, with a gorgeous art style, a population-based progression system instead of traditional skill trees, and a unique romance gimmick which determines the overall growth of your kingdom. Although the game can get a bit repetitive, I enjoyed playing it…

Lordtoto01

I’ve loved games ever since I was a child. I like playing them and sharing my feelings with other like-minded individuals. I started off writing as a hobby, and a few years later, my love for games is still as lively as ever and I intend to spread it throughout the gaming community.
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