Once upon a time, in a far, far away kingdom called Fabledom, a prince was born. His arrival brought great joy to the realm, as Danielton VIII was introduced to his royal subjects. He was the apple of his parents’ eyes and quickly became the talk of the town.
As he grew, young Danielton would dance through the bustling marketplaces, where people cheerfully greeted him and offered him delicious treats. The people adored their prince, and Danielton cherished them just as deeply. He discovered breathtaking flowers that glowed with an otherworldly light, conversed with the diligent farmers who toiled under the sun, and even encountered mythical beasts that roamed the forests. Every corner of Fabledom held a new wonder for the adventurous prince.
Eventually, it was time for Danielton to travel into the wide open world and become the ruler of a new land. One that he could call his own, earn the respect of his loyal followers and grow that small town into an impressive Kingdom, one his mother and father would be proud of.
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Slinging his rucksack across his shoulder, he saddled up his trusty steed and waved goodbye to Fabledom. He was setting off on a new chapter, a grand adventure awaited him as he made his way to the Kingdom he would call… Danheim.
What Will Your Fairytale Be?
Fabledom truly allows you to create your own story; it gives you the tools to build your dream kingdom in a fairytale realm. Without any true “story mode”, your imagination is permitted to run wild. I haven’t felt this way about a game in a very long time, in fact, for a game like this to draw out my own narrative is a very unique feeling.
As a modern gamer, I have been used to games telling me a story, one I have to follow along regardless of whether I like the characters or situations. So when Fabledom allowed me to just create my own backstory it was a hook for sure. I mean, it wasn’t very original of me to name my character or kingdom literally after my own name. However, as I began playing the story and the world that I could see in my head came alive I was pretty darn excited.
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Designing the Perfect Realm
When Fabledom first loads up, you are met with a whole range of game options. These allow you to select what kind of world you want to live in, firstly you select a play style. There are two choices: standard and creative, standard mode is the way the game is intended to be played and is similar to SimCity. The second mode is creative, it’s here everything is already unlocked and you can just enjoy building and creating your kingdom rather than worrying about those pesky fablings (the name of the villagers in this game).
Once you have selected a play style it is time to think about the kind of map you want. Do you want one with more water? How about lots of trees? Or maybe you are more into mining? Well, in Fabledom you can choose a map that best suits the story you want to create.
Each world is randomly generated with various natural resources and biomes. Before you jump into the world and begin building you have a few more tasks to complete. One of those is creating your own emblem. You can select the design, colour and even the little picture that is on the main plaque. This represents your kingdom and is displayed when you are on the world map screen. Finally, you must name your land and I decided on Danheim — once all this is set you will be taken into your world!
Kingdom Building Gameplay 101: How to Become a Good Leader
If you are a fan of SimCity, or more recently Manor Lords, then you will be very familiar with this style of gameplay. Overall, you aim to build a successful kingdom with happy workers, families and even the odd mythical creature. To do this you need to build a vast array of buildings including homes for your fablings, amenities such as coal for heating and water and of course places for people to work.
As you develop your kingdom and start to see it grow, the wellbeing of the townsfolk becomes increasingly important. You must manage their jobs, where they live, how hot or cold they are and how much food they have to eat. Fabledom strikes a great balance between a town-building sim and a life sim.
In the menus, you’re able to track how happy your people are. Whether it is how close they live to their job or how much coal they have for the winter you can see how to help improve the lives of your fablings. This gives you great power and control over the kingdom and feels like you can have an impact on everyone’s life.
I loved when I could actually take a worker out of a job and put them in a job closer to home, you could instantly see their wellbeing improve. It gave me the sense that I could help each and every little fabling — this was the kind of ruler I wanted to be.
The Fairytale Twist
Being set in a fairytale world, there are unique creatures that visit your kingdom as well as heroes and villains which can affect your village in different ways. I had a hero in my village who buffed up everyone’s ability to carry more items — fantastic! However, an evil witch then arrived and cursed my fablings, causing them all to turn into skeletons. I also currently have a giant roaming my lands bringing much joy to everyone he walks past. These events are fun and add to the magic of the world.
As Danheim developed, I unlocked new buildings, amenities and new fabling types. Suddenly I was tasked with building bigger, more expensive houses and architecture which led to different classes living in different areas. Peasants complete laborious tasks like farming, fishing and mining whereas commoners live in townhouses and work at bakeries, cafes and marketplaces.
In all the fairytales I read growing up there was an obvious sense of class, which Fabledom reflects well. It helps to create the world and drive your narrative. You are constantly asking yourself how you can make everyone feel welcome in your kingdom (or not). As each new part of my world unlocked, it was always exciting to plan what kind of fablings would live there and what resources they would need.
As Danheim grew, I began to meet other rulers from around the world. New unique quests unlock and you begin to build relationships with these worldly figures. Eventually, I was able to begin courting one of them to become my future husband. There is the option for same sex relationships, which is always a nice touch, so I was looking forward to meeting my Prince Charming during this playthrough. The closer you become to these rulers the more prestige you get and they become more willing to help you.
I Herby Proclaim More Menus!
Navigating the vibrant world of Fabledom could have been overwhelming, given its many intricate details. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the game’s intuitive menu system. Each menu was effortlessly easy to navigate, making the experience seamless and enjoyable. The well-designed navigation system truly made playing Fabledom a dream.
I played on a PC and found the keyboard and mouse controls to be perfectly responsive and easy to use. This was particularly significant for me as I typically rely on a controller. The smooth, hassle-free controls on the PC enhanced my overall experience and stood out as an important aspect of the game.
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Finally, I was particularly impressed by the game’s flexible speed options. The length of in-game days felt well balanced, but I truly appreciated the ability to increase the speed by 2x or even 3x. During building phases, this feature was especially useful, allowing me to expedite my fablings’ tasks and accomplish more within a single session. The ability to adjust the game’s pace to suit different activities added a layer of convenience and kept the gameplay engaging and efficient.
A Fine Performance
The atmosphere and graphics in Fabledom are excellent. The world is bright, detailed and very cute. Each fabling is animated perfectly and you can watch them from afar or follow them up close to see what they are doing. Even zoomed in, the character designs are crisp and I enjoyed every moment of watching my villagers busily scurrying around the map.
As more and more buildings, farms and resources were added to my map I saw no performance drops at all. In fact, watching the weather effects such as wind, rain and snow change the map in real time was glorious; it gave a clear sense of what season it was — surviving those cold winters was especially tough.
The Ambient Sounds of the Kingdom
Adding to Fabledom’s charm was the relaxing soundtrack. There was a constant flow of calm music in the background, accompanied by the ambient sounds of nature and the wind, which all contributed to the cosy vibes. The music would dynamically change with new events, reflecting the nature of the occurrence, whether it was something good or bad. For instance, when all my fablings turned into skeletons, there was a dire drone that played for 30 in-game days until the curse was lifted.
Zooming in to watch your fablings at work brought the hustle and bustle of life into even clearer focus. You could hear the chatter among the people, the sounds of shop doors opening and closing, and all the expected dings and pings of buildings being constructed. At one point, I even had a mythical fawn in my town, bounding around and playing its flute, which was incredibly adorable.
Throughout the adventure, a narrator chimes in with little tips and announcements. He has a really cool storyteller accent, which adds to the immersive experience. However, there were times when he startled me by appearing out of nowhere! Fortunately, you can turn him on or off in the options menu, but he’s not overly intrusive or annoying.
What a Wonderful World
I had an absolute blast playing Fabledom. Hours upon hours just flew by as I tried to build the best kingdom I possibly could. I still have a long way to go but there is no doubt I want to continue the story of Danielton VIII and Danheim. With so many twists and turns, love interests and beautiful bakery treats on offer, I am hooked.
The game grants you the opportunity to be the narrative driver here, something which I have missed. I loved using my imagination again and it gave me that child-like feeling. I am creating a world, developing my characters and experiencing events all throughout my very own fairytale.
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So What Happened to Danheim?
Danielton VIII faced the daunting challenge of meeting his royal family’s lofty expectations. He bore immense pressure to excel as a ruler and build a magnificent kingdom, often questioning his own abilities. Yet, like in his carefree childhood days, he found solace in dancing through the streets and cherishing his close bond with his fablings, who held him in high esteem. As the kingdom continued to evolve, Danielton harbored a dream of discovering his Prince Charming and achieving a fairy tale ending. But that’s a story for another time…
If you’re ready to wish upon a star and make your fairytale dreams come true, you can grab Fabledom right now on Steam for $31.05 — and I encourage you to do so!
Quest Daily scores Fabledom:
9/10
A review copy of Fabledom was supplied to Quest Daily for the purpose of this review.
