GamesSimulationBandle Tale isn’t just League of Legends Stardew Valley, because it’s an even more intricate life simWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesSimulationBandle Tale isn’t just League of Legends Stardew Valley, because it’s an even more intricate life simWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Riot Forge)
At first glance, it was easy to label Bandle Tale as League of Legends' take onStardew Valley. Laid back vibes, pixel art, and an emphasis on good food and good friends pointed directly to a Riot Games take on the quintessential life sim, but it’s just a couple of minutes before you realize that Bandle Tale hides a level of complexity that puts it at the height of its genre.
Knitted together
(Image credit: Riot Forge)
Indie Spotlight(Image credit: Kinmoku)This narrative adventure nails the early ’00s era of internet forums and game communities
Indie Spotlight
(Image credit: Kinmoku)This narrative adventure nails the early ’00s era of internet forums and game communities
(Image credit: Kinmoku)
This narrative adventure nails the early ’00s era of internet forums and game communities
That means that nothing’s quite as it seems. Gathering crops means contending with magical bananas, while fixing a busted bridge is a case of putting your knitting skills, not carpentry, to bear. One of the first characters you meet is a floating cat with a bad attitude, and your home is a backpack that can be carted round the world and set up wherever suits you best. Managing this world means coming to terms with a frankly dizzying array of abilities and a skill tree that feels more on-pace with an ARPG than a life sim.
(Image credit: Riot Forge)
Unfortunately, that leads me to the sour note of Bandle Tale. Earlier this year, Riot announced that it would be discontinuing its Forge publishing label, meaning that this spin-off will be the last one it produces for the foreseeable future. While that doesn’t affect the game itself, it does affect an indie landscape already struggling, and puts an end to what I always felt should have been seen as one of the bright spots in Riot’s offering to the community - something it never had to offer, but chose to for the good of its industry and for the benefit of players who wanted more from its world.
That shouldn’t - and doesn’t - detract from the fact that Bandle Tale seems like an excellent swansong for these games. In taking this mystical part of the LoL universe and bringing it to life in a way that feels so authentic in spite of how little we know about it - all within a genre that’s such a perfect fit for its setting, while steering so deliberately away from League of Legends itself - Lazy Bear Games has created something that encapsulates what all of these games were supposed to be about. Perhaps it’s bittersweet, but in a world as delightful as Bandle City, I think it’s simply better to focus on the sweet.
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Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Storyis out now on PC and Switch. See what other indie gems we’ve been enjoying in ourIndie Spotlightseries, or get your wishlists ready with our roundup ofupcoming indie games.
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