I just finished the game at around 50 hours total put into the title.
The OT is sitting at a paltry 30 posts and the game came out 10 days ago, I've posted there, though I feel like the lack of word of mouth for it has really driven me to want to spread the good word to those who might not bat an eye at the game without proper introduction.
It's mind blowing to me the gap in the high level of quality vs. the small level of discussion with this new indie game, especially with how many people I see out there dying to see a proper Paper Mario sequel. Hell, even die hard Paper Mario advocate Arlo has only briefly mentioned it on Twitter.
Paper Mario and the sequel are two of my favorite games ever made, I mean just check out my avatar. I play both those titles to completion at least once a year, and I can't say enough positive things about them. Just recently (as you've obviously gathered by this thread) Bug Fables released on Steam to little fanfare, and after having completed it, I can safetly say it might even surpass those titles for me.
Bug Fables has everything I love about Paper Mario, with the added benefit of the passing of time allowing the added touch indie game magic and the convenience and options of modern day game design sensibilities. This game is to Paper Mario, as Bloodstained was to Symphony of the Night.
The combat is extremely similar, utilizing the turn based skill infused attacks that require button inputs to add damage, and a basic system of low level numbers for health/damage to convey a sense of simplicity to it's combat. However, there is a vast more amount of attack skills in this game than there are in Paper Mario, adding more variety to the combat. As well as a consistent party that doesn't change, which allows for a dynamic "position switch" strategic element and a "stock up turns by giving up one" element similar to something like in Bravely Default which only does wonders for the already fantastic combat system of Paper Mario. This game even adds optional badges that increase difficulty and turn on an optional "hard mode" at the exchange of rewards and more XP/Money for doing so, one of my main complaints in Paper Mario is the easiness of the titles if you're familiar with them.
Also I would be remiss to mention that combat is of course rewarding, which is a main issue with post TTYD Paper Mario games.
The charm and variety people miss from the old Paper Mario games is all there, this feels so similar to the early Paper Mario games in the aspect of there being all sorts of bugs (think Ants = Toads, Beetles = Koopas, Bees = Boos, etc.) of every variety, and within each bug archetype every single one looks and acts different from each other. The bestiary is 90 enemies in total, meaning there's always new enemies to find and encounter (some of which even have different variants that don't have separate entries in the bestiary). The humor is there too, the story is loaded with tons of cuteness, puns, and jokes, while still being clever and enjoyable to read though. I could seriously see this game receiving minor script changes and some texture swaps and I wouldn't bat an eye at this just having always been a Paper Mario game.
Anyway, I could go on and on about the direct Paper Mario comparisons and how it either compares exactly or improves on it, but just trust me in saying that it's damn near perfect at what it's setting out to do, and the game is definitely a full length spiritual successor to that franchise and in no way hampered by being an indie title (it might even have more variety and content than either of the Paper Mario games honestly).
I implore that anyone who has ever muttered the words "I want a new Paper Mario game just like the first two." to buy this game when you can. It's only on Steam right now, but it's supposed to hit consoles next year, in which I will most certainly be double dipping and doing another playthrough.
Side note: I've heard the game is somewhat glitchy with saves (though in my whole playthrough I encountered no issues whatsoever), and I have heard mutterings of the publisher not paying the hardworking devs properly for this game, however I am not up to speed on the topics so if someone more informed could add to that, feel free.
The OT is sitting at a paltry 30 posts and the game came out 10 days ago, I've posted there, though I feel like the lack of word of mouth for it has really driven me to want to spread the good word to those who might not bat an eye at the game without proper introduction.
It's mind blowing to me the gap in the high level of quality vs. the small level of discussion with this new indie game, especially with how many people I see out there dying to see a proper Paper Mario sequel. Hell, even die hard Paper Mario advocate Arlo has only briefly mentioned it on Twitter.
Paper Mario and the sequel are two of my favorite games ever made, I mean just check out my avatar. I play both those titles to completion at least once a year, and I can't say enough positive things about them. Just recently (as you've obviously gathered by this thread) Bug Fables released on Steam to little fanfare, and after having completed it, I can safetly say it might even surpass those titles for me.
Bug Fables has everything I love about Paper Mario, with the added benefit of the passing of time allowing the added touch indie game magic and the convenience and options of modern day game design sensibilities. This game is to Paper Mario, as Bloodstained was to Symphony of the Night.
The combat is extremely similar, utilizing the turn based skill infused attacks that require button inputs to add damage, and a basic system of low level numbers for health/damage to convey a sense of simplicity to it's combat. However, there is a vast more amount of attack skills in this game than there are in Paper Mario, adding more variety to the combat. As well as a consistent party that doesn't change, which allows for a dynamic "position switch" strategic element and a "stock up turns by giving up one" element similar to something like in Bravely Default which only does wonders for the already fantastic combat system of Paper Mario. This game even adds optional badges that increase difficulty and turn on an optional "hard mode" at the exchange of rewards and more XP/Money for doing so, one of my main complaints in Paper Mario is the easiness of the titles if you're familiar with them.
Also I would be remiss to mention that combat is of course rewarding, which is a main issue with post TTYD Paper Mario games.
The charm and variety people miss from the old Paper Mario games is all there, this feels so similar to the early Paper Mario games in the aspect of there being all sorts of bugs (think Ants = Toads, Beetles = Koopas, Bees = Boos, etc.) of every variety, and within each bug archetype every single one looks and acts different from each other. The bestiary is 90 enemies in total, meaning there's always new enemies to find and encounter (some of which even have different variants that don't have separate entries in the bestiary). The humor is there too, the story is loaded with tons of cuteness, puns, and jokes, while still being clever and enjoyable to read though. I could seriously see this game receiving minor script changes and some texture swaps and I wouldn't bat an eye at this just having always been a Paper Mario game.
Anyway, I could go on and on about the direct Paper Mario comparisons and how it either compares exactly or improves on it, but just trust me in saying that it's damn near perfect at what it's setting out to do, and the game is definitely a full length spiritual successor to that franchise and in no way hampered by being an indie title (it might even have more variety and content than either of the Paper Mario games honestly).
I implore that anyone who has ever muttered the words "I want a new Paper Mario game just like the first two." to buy this game when you can. It's only on Steam right now, but it's supposed to hit consoles next year, in which I will most certainly be double dipping and doing another playthrough.
Side note: I've heard the game is somewhat glitchy with saves (though in my whole playthrough I encountered no issues whatsoever), and I have heard mutterings of the publisher not paying the hardworking devs properly for this game, however I am not up to speed on the topics so if someone more informed could add to that, feel free.
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