Despite being very excited for the game, I ended up requesting a refund. I was just expecting a lot more for a game that is $25 at full price and I was foolish to think that this game would instantly be good for an official League of Legends game created by the people behind Graveyard Keeper.

The pixel art is beautiful. The story and worldbuilding has a lot of charm to it.
However, Bandle Tale is an empty game that lacks player freedom.

My biggest criticisms that lead to me refunding:
- The grind is too much, not fun, and a straight path that you can't meander from. There is no player freedom when it comes to finishing quests. When you hobble around Bandle Tale to accomplish your fetch quest, there is nothing to do except to walk painfully slow from one side of the island to the other to try and find the materials you need. The biggest problem is that it's all a straight shot. There is no secret paths to wander off to and explore, all NPCs you encounter only have a SINGLE line of dialogue, and the beautifully drawn world is just so empty.
- It is counter intuitive to have a game that is relaxing 99% of the time but also has the most stressful cooking minigame with the tightest timer in the world.
- Lack of player freedom. I think a simulation game can be boring and can be slow-paced so long as there is player freedom. A slow game can be excellent if you just let your player meander and take their time building or customizing. Beyond the initial character customization, there is nothing to customize or really do in Bandle Tale. You can choose where to put down stuff in your home/shops but not only are there predetermined spots to put things down, but everything you put down has a function. There are "correct" places to put them down to maximize efficiency. It's not really customization from a base/house building point of view.
- Resources having respawn time was just not a fun choice in a game where there is nothing to do but the main quest. There is nothing for players to do during respawn time except to wait. Players don't have side quests or secrets to go find during this time.

Overall, this might be the game for you if you LOVE Yordles and you don't mind a game that is slow and lacks freedom.
No matter who you are, I would definitely wait for a sale.

Despite being very excited for the game, I ended up requesting a refund. I was just expecting a lot more for a game that is $25 at full price and I was foolish to think that this game would instantly be good for an official League of Legends game created by the people behind Graveyard Keeper. The pixel art is beautiful. The story and worldbuilding has a lot of charm to it. However, Bandle Tale is an empty game that lacks player freedom. My biggest criticisms that lead to me refunding: - The grind is too much, not fun, and a straight path that you can't meander from. There is no player freedom when it comes to finishing quests. When you hobble around Bandle Tale to accomplish your fetch quest, there is nothing to do except to walk painfully slow from one side of the island to the other to try and find the materials you need. The biggest problem is that it's all a straight shot. There is no secret paths to wander off to and explore, all NPCs you encounter only have a SINGLE line of dialogue, and the beautifully drawn world is just so empty. - It is counter intuitive to have a game that is relaxing 99% of the time but also has the most stressful cooking minigame with the tightest timer in the world. - Lack of player freedom. I think a simulation game can be boring and can be slow-paced so long as there is player freedom. A slow game can be excellent if you just let your player meander and take their time building or customizing. Beyond the initial character customization, there is nothing to customize or really do in Bandle Tale. You can choose where to put down stuff in your home/shops but not only are there predetermined spots to put things down, but everything you put down has a function. There are "correct" places to put them down to maximize efficiency. It's not really customization from a base/house building point of view. - Resources having respawn time was just not a fun choice in a game where there is nothing to do but the main quest. There is nothing for players to do during respawn time except to wait. Players don't have side quests or secrets to go find during this time. Overall, this might be the game for you if you LOVE Yordles and you don't mind a game that is slow and lacks freedom. No matter who you are, I would definitely wait for a sale.