This is a slightly edited and updated version of my review I had written in August 2020, but my words still continue to ring ever-true for me. Since then, I've both speedran the game and have watched friends play through this game countless times, and it ranks as one of my favorite games ever. Since beating it, there have been two major content updates (1.1 and 1.2 respectively- which I have also gone back and done the updated content.)

After playing Bug Fables, it became one of my favorite games of all time. I don't say this lightly. This game is just absolutely phenomenal on nearly all fronts.

The gameplay is super awesome and intuitive, and when you get a hang of it, it REALLY rewards you. You really have to think about what you're doing, especially on hard mode (which you can toggle on and off at any time if you desire!) Optimizing your turn order and positioning, in tandem with the medal system, to take on the games' challenges is one of the most satisfying things.

There's also a ton of different medals, which have different beneficial effects on your party, which leads to a bunch of different combinations and synergies which are all SUPER cool. I always loved talking to my friends who also were in the middle of playing it and hearing their strategies. It was never the same, which really goes to show you how much creativity and fun you can have with your team!

Speaking of the team... the characters! The character writing is amazing. You really grow to love the entirety of the main team over the course of the story and see how they change and grow, which is really awesome. The dynamic between the main trio is just super great and leads to a ton of funny and heartwrenching moments throughout. Team Snakemouth truly is the heart of the game, and I love watching them grow together throughout the journey.

And that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface with the huge ensemble cast! There's a ton of characters that you'll meet throughout your journey through Bugaria that you'll see pop up again here and there. It's always an absolute treat.

The world of Bug Fables just has so much love and care put into its world. It really makes you feel like you're a part of a living, tiny bug world, with different cultures and species all over. And a lot of the lore and world building is just super cool, especially with things like lore and bestiary entries.

Bug Fables also really rewards you if you decide to go that extra mile. There are so many memorable and lovely moments off the beaten path if you decide to do stuff aside from just the main story. A ton of the sidequests are super cool and give awesome rewards and interactions. In addition, using the game's spy/gossip feature, the party always has a ton of comments on the various enemies, NPCs and locations you visit. Sometimes this stuff even changes depending on where you are in the story! This game just has so much amazing detail and love put into it, I just absolutely cannot believe the details with context-sensitive things in relation to the world at times.

I love how even the sound design of Bug Fables has that early 2000s midi electro style that most games had for the era of games it's inspired from. But, it's much more than just an imitation. Tristan Alric's work on the soundtrack is absolutely amazing and adds so much to the environments and battle themes. I've relistened to so many tracks and even bought the soundtrack due to how many bangers there are in this game. It's also interesting knowing the context of the games' development as a lot of the songs were made sequentially in relation to the game's story progression- and you can definitely tell there's some stylistic and music evolution with late game tracks compared to early game. That might be off-putting for some, but sheesh. I think the soundtrack is overall just super great, but definitely some of my favorites are in the latter half of the game.

Post-launch content updates have also further embellished the adventure, with extra post-game content and smaller additions throughout. Having played through it back when it was the original base 1.0 version, it's truly the best time to play it with all of the new additions.

It really is just an absolutely phenomenal gem. I recommend this game a ton. Heck, I've gifted it to multiple people because it's just THAT good. Funnily enough, **I** was gifted this game and had put it off for a few months before finally playing it. Gifting it to others, I just find it as a way of paying it forward. I love this game, so so much.

It's not a flawless game, far from it. There's jank with physics at times, some puzzles are rather... strange. As you get more medals, you might find it a hassle to swap between loadouts for standard battles versus bosses- or having to make sure you're well prepped by cooking items before a boss.

However, when it's all said and done, and the Credits track rolls, I hope you find that you've enjoyed your experience with Bug Fables as much as I did. It truly is a game filled with heart, and I'm ever so thankful that I played it at the time that I did.

After reading this lengthy review, I seriously hope you give it a shot. Thank you.