Fabular: Once Upon a Spacetime

About

In Fabular: Once Upon a Spacetime, play as the last royal warrior in a medieval universe invaded by sci-fi elements, with pixel and hand-drawn art. The sun has been stolen by the Void Lords, your brothers are missing, and the kingdom's future hangs in the balance. Prepare for numerous deaths in this challenging space adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Fabular: Once Upon a Spacetime screenshot

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 180 reviews

gameplay16 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

The combat is engaging and satisfying, with a unique blend of melee and ranged mechanics that feels rewarding as players progress.
The art style and visuals are stunning, contributing to an immersive experience that many players appreciate.
The game has great potential, with a solid foundation and a promising upgrade system that allows for customization and strategic gameplay.

The game currently lacks content, with limited weapons and enemy variety, leading to repetitive gameplay after a few hours.
Controls can feel clunky and unresponsive, making combat frustrating at times, especially with the ship's floaty movement mechanics.
There are significant balancing issues, particularly with resource management and difficulty spikes that can make early runs feel unfair and punishing.

gameplay
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
64%
6%
Gameplay is generally engaging, featuring a unique blend of physics-based combat and rogue-like mechanics that encourage strategic positioning and skill progression. While the core mechanics are solid and the art style is praised, some players find the content repetitive and the upgrade system lacking depth. Overall, the game shows promise, especially in its early access state, but may require further development to enhance variety and satisfaction in gameplay.
- “Gameplay is pretty engaging, and with a little time to get used to combat, it felt even better.”
- “The game ties old nostalgic looks from *Hammer Fight* and the fun rogue-style mechanics to just get stronger and stronger, with a brilliant blend of physics and combat.”
- “There are different gameplay styles with the ships and through the weapons and skill trees; I felt like I could strategize to make my own build.”
- “Unfortunately, it falls down in gameplay.”
- “There's only 3 of the 5 worlds completed so far and the gameplay is a little too same-y.”
- “The map nodes and events leave some to be desired, it all becomes repetitive very very quickly, but the core combat mechanics are solid enough that I would say it's worth your time.”
graphics
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
39%
8%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their unique and engaging art style, particularly in the pixel art genre, which many reviewers find superior to other titles. The visuals, combined with a strong soundtrack and immersive atmosphere, contribute to a promising gameplay experience, even in its early access stage. Overall, the game's aesthetic and presentation are highlighted as standout features that enhance its personality and charm.
- “Phenomenal graphics, soundtrack, and gameplay.”
- “Love the art style, the setting is cool, the music is good, and the gameplay is quite promising already at this early access stage.”
- “While the content currently present in the game isn't vast, the art style and core gameplay are actually really, really good.”
- “This game has a lot of personality, and it shines through in the visuals, sounds, and even the dialogue.”
- “The artwork lends well to the immersion, plus the music is on point.”
story
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
62%
13%
The game's story is praised for its originality, blending action and rogue-like elements with a steampunk aesthetic, and is considered commendable for an early access title. However, players note that the narrative can become repetitive, with some dialogue needing improvement to maintain engagement, and frustrations arise from tight fuel constraints and tedious mission loops that hinder backtracking and exploration. Overall, while the story has potential and enjoyable aspects, it requires further refinement to enhance the player experience.
- “Spaceships mixed with old world story and technologies.”
- “Played the beta several times and really liked it, very fun game, love the story :)”
- “It's an original concept with a mix of action, rogue-like gameplay and a good storyline in space with a steampunk aesthetic, there is also a cool cross with armor and spaceships which I both like very much.”
- “I think it's a little bit repetitive and some of the dialogue needs more work to keep it engaging. Some loading screens and frustrating map layouts could do with some work, as currently there is a tiny bit of frustration for me in these parts. It's almost too tempting to ignore everything and click through the dialogue, and some jumps seem totally pointless. Sometimes you do gear check type quests on jump 1, so every option is obviously going to be bad, and random heavy damage feels unavoidable.”
- “Unless you get lucky, you have no chance of any kind of backtracking to complete quests with such tight fuel constraints. Even rushing directly to each boss, I still ran out of fuel...”
- “There are a number of things that happen in the mission loop that can get frustrating and tedious as the loop is repeated upon each node you go to.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game has received high praise for its quality and ability to enhance immersion, with players noting its pleasantness and effectiveness in various contexts, such as interactions with characters. The soundtrack is described as phenomenal, complementing the game's solid graphics and art style, contributing to an overall engaging experience.
- “Phenomenal graphics, soundtrack, and gameplay.”
- “The artwork lends well to the immersion plus the music is on point.”
- “I love the subtle music when you meet a hermit, and the portraits are drawn in such a nice style!”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, often requiring significant time investment and leading to frustration due to scarce health resources and cumbersome ship controls. The repetitive mission loop exacerbates this irritation, making the grinding experience feel more like a chore than an engaging challenge.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “That makes a degree of sense for the setting, but the fact that health is so scarce and remains lost after battle makes every bump or scrape into a tooth-grinding irritation - especially annoying when the ships handle like hippos in a bathtub.”
- “There are a number of things that happen in the mission loop that can get frustrating and tedious as the loop is repeated upon each node you go to.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game suffers from low replayability due to a limited variety of weapons and events, alongside an unbalanced skill system, which leads to repetitive gameplay experiences.
- “Very few weapons, very few events that you'll see over and over, and what feels like an unbalanced skill system do not add much replayability.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The optimization of the game is praised for its well-implemented technical aspects, particularly in control and performance, indicating a solid foundation that enhances the overall experience.
- “I am happy to support its development, especially because the technical aspects of control and performance are so well implemented already.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players consistently praise the game's art style and overall atmosphere, expressing excitement for the full release. The aesthetic elements contribute significantly to the immersive experience, leaving users eager to explore more.
- “I love the art style and general atmosphere in the game so far, and I can't wait to see what the full game will be like on release.”

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