[Indie Game Field Notes] A Fairytale City Builder: ‘Fabledom’ 2024-10-23

There’s a unique joy that only the city-building genre can offer. Watching production chains run smoothly in a blueprint-designed area feels like eating a delicious dish you can’t stop thinking about. There’s also a particular pleasure in watching a well-built city get destroyed by disaster — and then rebuilding it again.

The city-builder genre has branched and specialized in many directions. Some games like ‘SimCity’ or ‘Cities: Skylines’ emphasize realistic simulation, while others like ‘Transport Fever’ focus on transportation systems. Titles like ‘Anno’ highlight the joy of managing production chains and layouts, whereas ‘Tropico’ lets you hoard slush funds while accidentally becoming a president serving the people. More recently, games like ‘Against the Storm’ have combined roguelike elements, and ‘Frostpunk’ has emphasized survival mechanics.

Each game delivers a different kind of fun through its own core mechanic. The game we’re introducing today, ‘Fabledom’, incorporates fairy tale elements rarely seen in city-builders. Despite the similar name, it has nothing to do with Peter Molyneux’s love-hate ‘Fable’ series — so no worries there.

When you start the game, you’re assigned a small village. Your job is to build homes for your people, manage resources, and expand your kingdom.

The entire game is filled with a peaceful, lovely atmosphere. Minimalist graphics and charming, cute character designs maximize the fairytale ambiance.

The warm color palette and adorable character designs make your villagers lively and delightful. Interacting with them often makes you smile. Watching them work and chat — without speeding up time — will have you saying ‘so cute!’ without even realizing it.

While the fairy-tale graphics shape the mood of Fabledom, it’s the narrative — tucked into kingdom building and development — that defines its fun. Players can experience fantastical elements like beanstalks or talking trees while growing their economy and expanding diplomatic relations.

Character interaction plays a crucial role in managing your town in Fabledom. You might romance a fairy-tale prince or princess, or form diplomatic ties with leaders of other realms. The game nudges players toward different choices every time. That said, affection from royalty depends on gifting them specific items, not genuine connection — which may seem unrealistic. Or maybe it’s just a reflection of reality.

Fabledom is easy. One of its biggest strengths is how accessible it is for beginners. Unlike many city-builders that demand skill and brainpower, this game doesn’t. Resource management is hardly stressful — you do have to pay attention, but it’s rare for shortages to ruin your village. You can build your kingdom at your own pace, almost like a healing game. 

Fabledom is peaceful, easygoing, cute, and light. Of course, these strengths may be downsides for players seeking more challenge. Resource management and town growth are handled in very simple ways. Over time, repetitive tasks increase. While the early game is filled with charm, the later stages can feel monotonous. Players who enjoy complex management and large-scale strategy might lose interest quickly. 

It’s a shame that the game didn’t add even a little more complexity to its production, consumption, and gathering chains. The lack of keyboard shortcuts and missing automation in crucial areas also adds to the disappointment.

The AI can also be a bit frustrating — villagers often act inefficiently. While the game isn’t difficult enough for this to be a major issue, improved AI would certainly enhance the overall experience.

In short, Fabledom is the ‘healing game’ of the city-builder genre. With a fairy-tale world as its setting, it offers peace, charm, and a stress-free experience. If you’re looking for whimsical aesthetics and simple fun, you’ll find it more than satisfying.

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