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 Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Fabular: Once Upon a Spacetime screenshot

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 90 reviews

gameplay8 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The combat is engaging and satisfying, with a unique blend of melee and ranged mechanics that feels rewarding as players improve their skills.
The game features beautiful pixel art and a charming aesthetic that enhances the overall experience, making it visually appealing.
There is a lot of potential for future content and updates, with players expressing excitement for the game's development and improvements.

The game currently lacks sufficient content, leading to repetitive gameplay and a feeling of having exhausted most of what it offers after only a few hours.
Many players find the controls clunky and the ship handling to be overly floaty, which can detract from the enjoyment of combat and navigation.
Balancing issues, particularly with resource management and enemy difficulty, create frustration, as players often feel punished by random elements that hinder progress.

gameplay
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
59%
11%
Gameplay is generally engaging, featuring a blend of nostalgic visuals and rogue-like mechanics that encourage strategic positioning and skill progression. While the core combat mechanics are solid and enjoyable, some players find the content repetitive and the upgrade system lacking depth. The game is praised for its unique physics-based melee combat and aesthetic appeal, though it is still in early access and may require further development to enhance variety and depth.
- “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.”
- “Good gameplay is accompanied by a pleasant art style, music, and sound effects.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it makes you have to plan your positioning, as you're in trouble if you get surrounded by swinging enemies and asteroids—you're not meant to be in that position to begin with; look for a better fighting area.”
- “The map nodes and events leave something to be desired; it all becomes repetitive very quickly, but the core combat mechanics are solid enough that I would say it's worth your time.”
- “Unfortunately, it falls down in gameplay.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
32%
16%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their unique and appealing art style, which combines retro pixel art with modern aesthetics. Reviewers highlight the strong visual presentation, immersive atmosphere, and the overall personality conveyed through the graphics and sound design. Despite being in early access, the visuals are noted to be solid and engaging, contributing positively to the gameplay experience.
- “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
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game's story is praised for its originality, blending action and rogue-like elements with a steampunk aesthetic, providing an engaging narrative set in space. However, some players find the dialogue repetitive and the quest mechanics frustrating, particularly due to tight fuel constraints and the need for backtracking. Overall, while the storyline is enjoyable, it could benefit from more polish and refinement to enhance player engagement.
- “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.”
- “☐ no story”
- “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, and it's almost too tempting to ignore everything and click through the dialogue.”
- “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
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
13%
38%
The music in the game is consistently praised for its quality and ability to enhance immersion, with reviewers highlighting its pleasantness and effectiveness in various contexts, such as interactions and specific moments like meeting a hermit. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong complement to the game's art style 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!”
- “Phenomenal graphics, soundtrack, and gameplay.”
- “The music is forgettable and doesn't add much to the overall experience.”
- “The soundtrack feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “While the graphics are solid, the music design leaves much to be desired.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively time-consuming and frustrating, often requiring significant effort to progress due to scarce health resources and cumbersome controls. The repetitive mission loop adds to the tedium, 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
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers note that the limited variety of weapons and events, combined with an unbalanced skill system, significantly detracts from the game's replayability, making it feel repetitive and lacking in depth.
- “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
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users express satisfaction with the game's optimization, highlighting that the technical aspects of control and performance are well-executed, contributing positively to 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
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's art style and overall atmosphere have received positive feedback, with players expressing excitement about the potential of the full release.
- “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.”
- “The immersive environment really draws you in, making every moment feel alive and engaging.”
- “The sound design and visuals create a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that keeps you on the edge of your seat.”