Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling

Really good Paper Mario-inspired RPG game. I had initially played this game back in 2020, though I dropped it at the time for whatever reason. I decided to finally see the game through, and while the game is a bit long for my taste (though, any game longer than 8 hours is a bit long for me nowadays), I had so much fun regardless. The gameplay is split between exploration and turn-based combat. I really enjoyed exploring the game world; there were fun discoveries around every corner, and the game often encourages re-exploring previous areas in order to check out paths/secrets that were previously inaccessible to you. The game world also does a great job at creating a sense that it's "lived in", with many NPCs seemingly having their own little lives and goals that make them feel like actual characters and not just vehicles for expository text. The combat was also quite fun. The three party members you unlock are fairly well balanced with their abilities, while still being varied enough to encourage some strategizing in how you approach different combat scenarios. Medals and ability upgrades add further variety to each party member. I haven't 100%'d the game (and I doubt I will), but just a casual playthrough on Hard Mode was in and of itself a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. Not sure what Moonsprout Games are working on currently, though I think I heard any future plans for Bug Fables are temporarily on the backburner in favor of pursuing other projects. Hopefully they return to this series at some point in the not-too-distant future, but I'm excited to see what they'll do next.

This game is not what i had expected. I had initialy thought it to be a kid's game that you can finish it around 20 to 25 hrs. I am wrong. This game is a TRUE RPG to its core with all the secrets and the story to go with it. The characters are lovable and the dialogue are not written by school kids. The combat is refreshing but i do wish that i can get "stronger" haha. This game has customization that you need if you are playing on hardcore mode which means you cannot blast through everything. The items you bring, the medals you equipped and who to do what first in combat has to be put into consideration. This game really exceeds my expectation. There are still post game even after beating the final boss. This is a truly one of a kind experience and hope every RPG lover play this game. Rate 9/10

If you like cute bugs and/or fun RPGs play this game. It's that simple. This game is very clearly inspired by the classic Paper Mario games (PM64, TTYD) but does not feel like it's riding on its coattails and carves out its own identity, even smoothing out some the shortcomings of those games in some aspects. It has everything I want: enjoyable story, fantastic soundtrack, charming and colorful cast of characters both among the main party and the various NPCs in the game, lots of knickknacks for those willing to explore its world and many quests to expand its lore, engaging and highly customizable combat mechanics as well as a hard mode (which I do think is the definitive way to play the game) that really tests the player on how well they know those mechanics.