85%PlayStation 4

coming from someone who loved the old paper marios as a kid, this is definitely something that didn't disappoint, even as it's own property. a very cute and charming game, i can't really recommend it enough :)

80%PC

I was excited to play this game because I really enjoyed the paper Mario series, especially the older entries like TTYD. This was a pretty good game and played out how I expected it would. I can’t believe I waited so long to give it a shot. Towards the end of the story it did take some strategizing for me to be successful whereas the Mario games felt easier.

95%Nintendo Switch

This was honestly just as good as any of the Paper Mario games I've played, which it is an obvious homage to. The story is pretty straight-forward but the world-building, character depth and lore are all fantastic and the main trio are a charming team who grow on you a lot. The turn-based gameplay is very satisfying, it admittedly starts off simple but the use of badges allows a lot of customisation in how you face combat encounters. The music and level design surprised me too, all of it is really solid.

My only criticisms of this game would be that it was hard for me to tell which character was speaking sometimes due to the position of speech bubbles. Also, it would have been nice to queue up items that you're cooking, instead of having to individually skip through dialogue every time you prepare recipes.

I'd recommend it to anyone who's a fan of turn-based RPGs or the classic Paper Mario games.

95%PC

Everything I could ever want out of a turn based RPG, Tons of side content, actually challenging and likable characters! What I wish Paper Mario was like.

80%PC

A fun little RPG set in a very inspired and well-populated world, Bug Fables's story, colorful cast (both design-wise and character-wise), and proudly Paper Mario-inspired aesthetic and combat. While this heavy inspiration means that Bug Fables doesn't reinvent the wheel in any fashion, it does excel in filling the hole left behind by Paper Mario's change in direction over the years. So long as you enjoy the combat system (which has a surprising amount of depth and customization in its late-game stages), you'll enjoy your time spent with Team Snakemouth in the land of Bugaria.

90%Nintendo Switch

What the new Paper Mario games should've been

Good
- QTE combat is crisp and feels precise
- the visuals and atmosphere is charming
- the dialogue is funny and well written
- a good amount of abilities and items that add variety to the gameplay
- the puzzles were decent
- the hub world abilities were cool and well implemented into the overworld gameplay
- the areas were diverse, as well as the characters in each location
- the devs played on the bug theme very well
- the badges were true to the classic paper marios, which is a great aspect
- the audio, from the music to the dialogue voices sounded good
- the bosses were diverse, and just challenging enough, and not too much

Bad
- the map function could have been more detailed. Can be hard to pin point where you should be going or where a place is with the basic map the game has. Also, not hot key to open map quickly.
- the fast travel tunnel isn't fast enough sometimes. Often times I want to just be able to open the map and choose fast travel.

80%Nintendo Switch

It could be better, Chapter 7 is still kind of short.

85%PC

Really nice Paper Mario-esque game. Story and characters were great, and the combat and badge system was really nice. Highly recommended.

70%Xbox One

Good paper mario64 and TYD clone, but lacks charm. Not a fan of bugs setting

90%PlayStation 4

A wonderful and lighthearted RPG that is a love letter to Paper Mario. I’m a huge Paper Mario fan so it was obvious I was going to love this game. Fun cast of party members, in-depth and expanded combat based on Paper Mario, fun areas to explore, decently interesting story. If you want a relaxed RPG adventure, check this game out.

90%Nintendo Switch

Great game, my only complaint is leveling up and the fact that there are no strength or defense upgrades, other than medals and one time items.

100%PC

truly an everlasting experience that i will never forget, it feels like paper mario but it's much MUCH more than that, it has good combat and SUCH BANGER MUSIC, and THE credits killed me for at least 20 mins, HIGHLY recommend it for people who like paper mario or rpgs.

85%Nintendo Switch

Wish it had lasted longer… praying for a second one someday.

70%PC

its good but im too old for this type of game now

90%Nintendo Switch

If you love classic Paper Mario, this game is just that but improved. It takes all of it's elements and improves them, while having comepletely new ones as well.

90%Nintendo Switch

Best Paper Mario since the thousand year door!

90%Nintendo Switch

love this game,

100%PC

A charming game that takes inspiration from the old Paper Mario games but adds enough content to be something fresh. Bug Fables follows the journey of Team Snakemouth as they search for various artifacts to help them find the Everlasting Sapling, a mythical plant that can grant a bug eternal youth. The team includes Vi, an ambitious honey bee, Kabbu, an honorable beetle, and Leif, a level-headed moth. The team travels across Bugaria, a place with many different areas for the player to explore during their quest. During turn-based combat, the player has to press the button corresponding to the one shown on the screen to attack and block enemies. Special skills can deal even more damage to enemies. The game has a combat system that is fun and satisfying. The player can equip medals, similar to the badges in Paper Mario, that will activate unique effects in combat and the overworld to allow for custom playstyles and various strategies. The game has a loveable cast of characters with in-depth personalities that make the world of Bug Fables feel alive, and the protagonists face points of deep character development throughout the story. The game also has a plethora of sidequests and collectibles, allowing for gameplay beyond the main storyline. Overall, I spent countless hours on Bug Fables and loved every moment of the game. It's one of my favorites, and I believe that fans of RPGs and indie games should try it.

100%Nintendo Switch

Perfect game. What a modern paper Mario should be.

100%Nintendo Switch

If every game had as much effort, heart, and soul as this game. Gaming would be PERFECT.

75%Nintendo Switch

Bug Fables offers a more traditional RPG counterpart to its main influence, Paper Mario, and while it has brought joy to many, sadly I’m less engrossed with this game than those classic Paper Mario games.

85%PC

Great and charming game. Anyone can tell from a quick glance at the game that it was heavily inspired by the Paper Mario RPG series. However, it much more than just a simple Paper Mario clone once you start playing the game.

It starts off quite simple, both gameplay and story. It starts to become more and more engaging as the story and world open up and exploration is rewarded. While combat is quite simple on a technical level of pressing the right buttons at the right timings for your attacks, it keeps you engaged because there is a level of skill expression with blocking enemy attacks. Blocking almost at the exact moment will reduce damage you take even more than a regular block. I would highly recommend Hard mode as it is a perfect challenge to game as a it adds more health to the bosses but rewards with you helpful Medals, which is where the bulk of customization comes into play. Medals are mostly passive in-combat effects you can equip to your party outside of combat to help you out, where it can be anything as simple as giving +2 HP or TP Regeneration to completely unique skills that your characters can use once equipped with those specific medals.

TL;DR of above: Combat is simple, but stays fun throughout on Hard Mode.

Speaking of characters, they're all quite likeable. My favorite was Leif, who seems like a cold and snarky bug but quickly opens up to Kabbu and Vi. Kabbu being the honorable and virtuous beetle knight, and Vi, a excitable and immature bee who grows over course of the game to become less selfish. These aren't novel or very deep characters by any means, but their simplicity and chemistry between each other was very refreshing to see. There is also quite important optional quests that related to Vi and Leif, more so for Leif and why he is the way he is.

There is a lot of side-content and post-game quests and hidden 'Super-Bosses' called Bounties. They're some of the hardest bosses in the game and present a real challenge. There's also side-games in the form of the TermArcade and Spy Cards. I love the idea of Spy Cards but their actual gameplay is somewhat lacking. I would love to see a more fleshed out system.

All in all, this was a wonderful and charming game. Highly recommend.

80%PC

A joy to play. Funny writing brings charming characters to life. Use the hard medal and you get a real challenge. Battles are generally intricate. Even run of the mill enemies require some care if you want to do well. Great soundtrack. Pleasing graphics. The only real complaint is that it is basically Paper Mario in a different universe.

100%Xbox One

A phenomenal gaming experience both in gameplay and writing. Bug Fables had me hooked from beginning to end in a way that most games struggle to do.

We’ll start with the game’s writing. Bug Fables is an example of following what works in a story. The plot seems generic at first, but after playing a bit, you’ll notice that it’s put together rather nicely with enough twists and turns to keep thing from going stale. The characters are masterfully written and the highlight of the game’s writing. Watching as they develop, interact, and CHANGE the world around them is great. It’s just one of many things that makes the world of the game feel lived in. The game really makes you feel for the characters by having such good world building, character writing, and dialogue.

Let’s get on to gameplay. The game’s a turn based rpg. During which you’ll find medals, which are abilities you can equip to your party. Each medal has a cost to prevent you from equipping all of them at all times. For example, a medal could say, “The equipped character gains +1 attack and -1 defense,” and it would cost around 5 medal points (I forgot what the points are called but you get the idea). Another medal might say, ‘The equipped character deals damage to the opponent when said character gets hit.’ This system works because each time you level up, you don’t gain attack or defense. Instead you choose between either increasing your party’s Health, Mana (Allows you to use abilities), or Medal Points. The party also levels up together instead of individually. The medals are wonderful because they’re a great incentive for the player to explore, search for treasure, and perform sidequests. Every time I got a new medal, there was a rush of excitement as I wondered how it could fit together in my strategy. Each fight in the game, especially boss fights, are incredibly fun to strategize through because the game keeps your attack and defense almost static. The only way to beat bosses is to make powerful items, choose the correct medals, or be amazing at timing blocks. Yes the game uses an interactive battle system where you can hit the button at the right time during battle to increase the damage you deal or decrease the damage you take. This Gameplay might sound familiar to some. This is most certainly because the game rips many elements straight from the Paper Mario series. This is a good thing however, because the battle system is amazing and Paper Mario stopped using it ages ago for some dumb reason. What makes the Paper Mario combat system good isn’t the button presses like some may believe. It’s instead the fantastic medal system that allows for tons of creativity in team building. The cherry on top for everything I’ve mentioned is that there’s a hard mode that really forces the player to use all their available resources just to beat the game. The sense of accomplishment after every boss fight is similar to that of a FromSoftware game when playing Bug Fables on hard mode. No battles are mindless and there’re also no random encounters, meaning the gameplay never outstays its welcome.

It’s about bugs I guess. Expect many fun world building ideas because the game is about sentient bugs. The interelations between each bug species, kingdom, and settlement is wonderful.

Now go PLAY THIS GAME!

70%Xbox Series X/S

Ambitious as hell, and pretty flawed as a result. Very grindy, sidequesting is difficult due to the necessity of perfect memory of the map or boundless patience. Still, I played it through to the end and mostly enjoyed it. Would only recommend it to people if I knew it was exactly their thing, and that does NOT just mean they like Paper Mario.

100%Xbox Series X/S

I'm so happy this game exists. Support these guys man. I really wanna see what they do next. It really does feel just like Paper Mario 3.

I can say one of the bigger problems with the game though is it's less accessible than the other games. It's harder and more confusing than Paper Mario 64 or TTYD. I think that's mostly ok because that is the audience that is going to appreciate the game the most at the end of the day, but it reduces the mass appeal the game could have had. I think the relative lack of polish vs TTYD is justifiable since this is an indie game and not a AAA game by Nintendo during one of their most competitive eras.

Smaller gripe but I've never been a fan of getting side quests that you can't complete until multiple chapters later. There's one mission in particular that you acquire in Chapter 3 but can't complete until Chapter 6. Just coming from a person who likes their slate to be clean before diving into a new chapter

XP and berries were imbalanced. Berries are extremely hard to come by until (if you're investing correctly), Chapter 4 or 5. Then by Chapter 6 I had more berries than I knew what to do with. Once you get the platinum card, you can just buy your way through the rest of the game. And with XP, sometimes a new area will be filled with enemies that give no xp as soon as you enter them. Then the next area will have enemies that give tons of XP.

Larger gripe is the platforming and environmental puzzles. I'm no stranger to quirky, awkward platforming sequences since I grew up playing n64 games, but it's a shortcoming worth mentioning.

Despite all of that, I happily 100%ed the game and you should too. Play it. PLAY IT

90%Nintendo Switch

A true love letter to Paper Mario for us big fans of the first two. I am a massive fan of 64 and TTYD, having beaten both many times. Super was fun but different, but after that I'm on the boat of it all having gone way downhill and have had a strong Paper Mario itch for many years. This WILL scratch that. And on top of that adds a lot of challenge and depth. I loved this game so much. Some controls were kinda janky but otherwise a solid spiritual successor!

100%PC

On par with TTYD, and in many ways improves on TTYD's formula. This is a phenomenal game even taking away comparisons, it stands on its own two feet and any RPG fan should play it.

80%PC

A pretty nice game and fun game, I think it's a great introduction to rpg to kids or not so punishing games, but I don't feel like playing it.

80%Nintendo Switch

Bug Fables is a great game! I, however, have to retire from it since the combat is not for me.

Everything asides that is INCREDIBLE. The graphics are paper Mario-esque, the interactions between Vi, Kabbu, and Leif are just perfect. They are funny and keep the story entertaining. I stopped at chapter 4 and cant say much about the story since it didn't really intrigue me.

Fun overall, but the combat can be tedious. 8/10

100%PC

This is the Paper Mario game I've been waiting for since The Thousand Year Door. This game is awesome! The story is fantastic (better than all of the Paper Mario games for me), the characters are likeable and memorable (also better than all of the Paper Mario games for me), the dialogue oozes charm, and the gameplay is classic Paper Mario goodness. There is a lot of side stuff to do, including content you unlock in the post-game, and all of it's fun. Unfortunately the controls can be a bit clunky/funky at times, especially for some of the puzzles that involve using the boomerang, but thankfully it's nothing game-breaking. I also really liked the graphics and music. If you like RPGs, I highly recommend playing this game.

90%Nintendo Switch

Try “Hardest” next time

80%Nintendo Switch

Cute Paper Mario like.

80%Nintendo Switch

It's nice to see that someone is going to carry on Paper Mario's legacy, especially if Nintendo isn't! Though it's not quite as polished as PM, it's chock full of great gameplay, catchy music, and a surprising level of difficulty.

80%Nintendo Switch

Bug Fables is really, really cool. It’s pretty awesome. I’ve heard about it for a while, how it’s the Paper Mario everyone wants. I’ve played Origami King and tried to play Thousand Year Door, but it was time to play Bug Fables after hearing about it for so long. Bug Fables is basically the bug version of paper mario. I still haven’t played the original two paper marios, but the general gameplay reminds me exactly of the gameplay I've seen. Bug Fables has the paper, the comic and charming dialogue, and has the involved turn-based combat. Bug Fables also has a very deep story, with a world filled with real characters and mountains of lore and secrets. In Bug Fables you are introduced to three characters, Kabu, Vi, and Leaf. You would almost think that because this world wouldn’t be interesting including the characters because of the bug aesthetic, but no. Kabu is honor bound, and keeps Vi and Leaf from arguing. Kabu also adventures to avenge his old friends after they were killed by a monster. Vi is the careless comedian who wants to fight everyone, although Vi only has a beemerang. Vi had a falling out with the beehive, and has to be convinced to make amends with her family. Leif is a moth that is logical, and points out the dumb stuff Vi does. Leif has lost all of his memory and seeks to piece it back together. These three have amazing chemistry, and I never skipped any main dialogue sequences. But after all three of these bugs meet up, they begin their adventure to find the Everlasting Sapling. At first they just want to find the sapling, but eventually they get wrapped up with the Ant Queen, and from there all the bug kingdoms both in and out of Bugaria. The story involves many awesome characters and climaxes throughout. But to not spoil the great story, time to talk about the gameplay. Like paper mario while you explore all the amazing cities, and routes, you can jump. You basically just walk and jump around. But each of the three characters can be placed as the leading character and can use their specific ability in the overworld. Kabu can rip grass, and charge with his beetle horn. Vi can use her beemerang to interact with levers, switches, while also she can fly for a short time. Leif can freeze water and enemies to make stepping blocks, and use a shield to cross thorny fields. And some of these abilities, such as the shield ability, are unlocked later in the game. This kinda gives a metroidvania direction to some small parts in the game. Also when you get to a new town there are tons of bugs to talk to, secrets to find, and more side quest unlocks. The sidequests can be very deep as well. There are also ins and shops to interact with. At shops you can buy items to use in battle, but also medals. Medals are also like paper mario where they give different attributes to specific characters or the party as a whole. Medals can also be combined together at the same time to make great battle combos to take out enemies. But combat itself is awesome and really makes you think. For a bug game this combat is definitely not made for children. You have to really think in order to make the most out of this combat system. You can use all of your characters abilities from the overworld in battle. Vi’s beemerang can knock out flying enemies, Kabu can do lots of damage and knock enemies in the air with his horn. Lastly, Leif can freeze enemies and use ice magic to dig up enemies out of the ground. In combat you are also able to use TP points to use special moves, which can also involve more than one character. Also, if you hit an enemy in the overworld before the battle, you can gain an extra turn. Also during combat you can substitute one character's turn for another with the downside of less damage. The last major component of combat is spying enemies. Spying enemies allows you to get a description of the enemy and their weaknesses, while also getting a health bar on the screen for that specific enemy. It’s also nice that spying enemies carries over even if you fail a specific boss battle. Should also mention there are quite a bit of optional dungeons and bosses. I only found one optional dungeon, and two optional bosses. There is also a cool fast travel system where you pay to install an ant tunnel at every new town you find. Back at the ant capital you can return missing lore books to the library and read them. You can also put the currency berries in a bank, and more. But in the roach city, there is a whole damn colosseum, which is awesome. The visuals in this game are pretty good, nothing compares to the origami king visuals with that budget. But I can only imagine what Bug Fables would look like with the fidelity of Origami King. Also the music is great, there are a few standouts. It’s not an amazing soundtrack, but it’s a damn good one. The last thing to mention is hard mode. The game is already pretty damn hard, but hard mode ramps it up to an almost impossible height at some points. I used hard mode during

90%Nintendo Switch

A lot of content, I did not see an Rpg that good in a long time. A love letter to paper mario

======= Plus points =======
Excelent content
Side quest and mini games
A long replayability with the passwords
I loved the ost

====Minus=====
The graphics are a little rough
Some exploration phase are a little bit long

80%PC

Bug Fables has been dubbed Paper Mario 3 by many and that's fairly accurate. Like many other indies, this game attempts to be a spiritual sequel that fans want that its IP owner won't make (e.g. Yooka Laylee, Back 4 Blood). Bug Fables is a surprisingly great time for Paper Mario fans but I don't think it matches either of the original two Paper Mario games.

If I had to give some criticisms, my main one would be that it's just kind of dull. The game is painfully simple for the first 5 hours or so and there is a serious lack of environment diversity. Most areas have some component of grass and dirt which definitely gets old. The RPG progression is very slow too. Paper Mario would give you 5 stat points per level but bug fables only gives you 3 and the HP upgrades only give 1 per character. There are only a handful of atk/def stat upgrades as well, and the XP requirement goes up each level in spite of enemies giving less as you level. The progression just feels insanely slow, like you're not improving at all.

You have a dedicated party of 3 instead of a main character and a new side character each chapter and I think this does not serve the game well. The friendship between the characters is great but the story goes nowhere fast. Sometimes there are great character moments but many chapters have no character moments. Critical character backstory, namely Leif’s, is held back for sidequests too, which is a serious miss and leaves the main story feeling hollow. All this means that Bug Fables is just kinda dull sometimes. It is an excellent game and I recommend it to OG Paper Mario fans, but don't expect it to blow your mind. If you haven’t played Paper Mario 64 or especially TTYD, then play those first. Even South Park and the Stick of Truth offers a better Paper Mario experience than this.

80%PC

I never played pap mar 1k-yr door but this is goode :)

90%PC

The original two Paper Mario Games are some of my favorite games of all time, and I'm incredibly saddened that Nintendo is not delivering in that department, anymore. Luckily, we have Indie Developers. Bug Fables is an incredibly well-done Paper Mario Successor. Sure, the graphics aren't pretty and the music and sound effects are a little lacking, too. But otherwise, this is exactly the kind of game I'd want to follow after Paper Mario. The characters are all very well written and fun. The combat system is very well balanced and I never felt super overwhelmed, but still challenged. It struck a perfect balance in difficulty on Hard Mode for me. I enjoyed every minute of this game.

100%Nintendo Switch

Paper Mario lives!

90%PlayStation 4

A fantastic game in the spirit of the original 2 Paper Mario games all around, in terms of charming art style, music, gameplay and writing. I’d highly recommend for anyone looking to scratch that Paper Mario itch.

My only complaint is that those familiar with the genre/gameplay can quickly break the combat system by stacking badges/medals and TP/FP. I really appreciated the flexibility in leveling, since I remember the original Paper Mario having a badge point cap. However, this removes the challenge in the late game, with the exception of a few secret/ultimate bosses, which can also be broken with enough items. I would have appreciated a little more complexity in the combat in the late game (additional attacks/equipment), but it does a great job with a strong foundation in its combat system. Perhaps switching to hard mode at some point would have addressed this complaint.

In terms of completion (platinum trophy), the game is incredibly accessible. No trophies can be missed in a single gameplay, including the bestiary, where enemies and bosses can be revisited through a combat simulator (also on hard mode). The world is the right size where collectibles are easily managed and backtracking isn’t tedious.

A great world, story, and characters. The character growth isn’t tremendous, but you still grow to love the characters. I didn’t like Leif’s aloofness at first, but he quickly becomes a staple of the cast/group dynamic. Great pacing, where nothing drags, straightforward story telling, filled with bits of lore through the collectible books scattered throughout.

Again, I’d highly recommend and look forward to future entries in this series.

100%PC

Bug Fables is a phenomenal love letter and tribute to the previously great Paper Mario formula. In that sense it packs similar features but within it's own bubble without being confined to the Mario universe. Right from the get go, the music packs a childish, cheerful, storybook feel. Another example of consistent catchy melodies, most tracks don't disappoint. One of the more pleasant well-rounded soundtracks that'll easily land in my favourites. In the overworld, just like Paper Mario, everything is interactable through the parties actions. Staples like flying and projectile's remain as well as ice magic which opens up a lot of the puzzles into something else. On that note, most hit the target. A lot of side effects of party actions are utilised. The backlash of the Beemerang and new ice blocks replacing the previous one: aspects like these are implemented. A game truly shines when you can use tools for the non-obvious. The enemies are seemingly bog standard for what it pays tribute to. Flying, armoured and underground enemies form the core of the bestiary with variating quirks and status effects. But on fighting those enemies. Just like what it replicates, combat is simply turn-based made fun. Gaining an advantage on the overworld grants an extra turn instead of just an attack. Apart from that, expect standard attacks and skills with the expected dynamic QTE pace. Super Blocks add a layer of mastery that can really get you to learn attack patterns. Recipes make a comeback with more harmful dishes and useful items making an appearance. It's heavily incentivized with the display of much more costly finished products so experimentation is fun and welcome. The story is tightly knit, simple on the surface but able to bring a web of moments into a touching experience. There's something beautiful in its simplicity. There are few plots twists, no transition of good guy to bad or revelation of some super power. It's an earnest tale of one party's team to aim for what it searched for in the beginning. From those side moments, come side-quests, which in a way is the strongest element of the game. There's no limit to how many you can take, quest boards with plenty of information are littered across the region, optional dungeons are included along with a multitude of unique boss fights that'll test your strategy. Rewards are well placed and encourage solving the issues of the people. Excellent storylines, a super fun card mini-game and the involvement of every character and NPC. And the characters? Distinct, fun, and extra memorable. Just having one quirk makes the world feel much more alive than it needs to be. The party can comment about every place and person which brings a deeper connection between the personalities of these fictional party members. The medal system works as an intricate system of levers and pullies. A lot of seemingly powerful upgrades come with a drawback that'll actually make you reconsider. Are you an attacker that takes more damage. A team buffer at the cost of your defence. An attacker that literally works when poisoned. Life draining at the cost of your attack. Your team doesn't get stronger necessarily, your experimentation and strategy just evolved. Post game is a doozy: boss rushes are to be had, familiar allies become sparring companions that'll be your final test of strength, and you fulfil the requests of the last people who need it. A warming satisfying end. The shot for saying this is one of my favourite games is gonna turn me only half-drunk.

60%PC

Lacking real depth in terms of game mechanics, Bug Fables attempts instead to hold your attention with gimmicks. The Paper Mario-esque 2D sprites are interesting for the first 5 minutes, but eventually prove problematic in lining up puzzle pieces. The progression is largely unrewarding, as new spells and new medals are often underwhelming in their effects. As for combat, the "press-(A)-now" contrivance quickly turns from engagement into annoyance.

Still, Bug Fables does boast a rich lore, with intriguing questions behind each character. There are plenty of side missions, should one muster the motivation enough to explore these stories. Just like the quips from Vi, this game is overall mildly amusing.

80%PC

Not quite as good as the games they tried to mimic, but it comes pretty close. Surprisingly good OST, great story and characters, fun combat system. Lacks polish, especially in the overworld, and made puzzles far more frustrating than they needed to be.

80%Nintendo Switch

Overall better than Paper Mario and on par if not better than Paper Mario 2. Humour might be a bit weaker than PM2 but the story and characters are solid and the gameplay with the combat and level design is an improvement.

100%PC

Just to add to some of the other highly positive reviews here:

I HIGHLY recommend playing this game on Hard Mode. *The developers themselves have said that Hard Mode is the intended way to play* and the game is balanced around it, meaning it's challenging but fair and satisfying.

No grinding is required as long as you do side quests (which you'll want to do anyway because the game really is that good).

80%PC

An exceptional (and exceptionally-close) ode to the first two Paper Mario titles. I can recommend Bug Fables to any classic RPG fan or budding young gamer.

Polish is missing in a couple small ways, and Bug Fables just lacks...something...to make it quite on par with the classics. The writing is fantastic and cute; the characters all grow and develop over the game's 25-30 hours; the world is developed and complex (and pretty) for the audience -- even the nooks and crannies (and wealth of hidden bosses or side quests) offer an admirable amount of depth. It's really hard to ask for more.

Still, I'm kinda happy to throw it on the completed pile and move on. & this is a title that I don't really ever see myself coming back to. It's strange, because it's *good* -- dang good!! -- but there is just something missing from the total package.

In-game playtime is 35:56, but I don't r eally believe it. I trudged through thsi game while multitasking for upwards of ~10 of those.

100%PC

A charming adventure overflowing with heart and humor. I look forward to see what comes next.

80%Nintendo Switch

If not for the two mandatory stealth sections, and the minor control flaws, I'd give this gave a 10/10

90%Nintendo Switch

Great game. Super cheap and is just like the old paper mario's