Folk Tale

About

Folk Tale is a single-player historical role-playing game with a good plot and fabulous gameplay, drawing inspiration from Warcraft 3, The Settlers, Banished, The Guild 2, Majesty 2, and Black and White 2. As a village builder RPG, you'll lead peasants, fight enemies, and make moral choices in this immersive fantasy world filled with endless possibilities, dynamic storytelling, and charming visuals. However, be prepared for some grinding, bugs, and occasional annoyances.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

38%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,215 reviews

gameplay60 positive mentions

stability43 negative mentions

The game has a unique blend of city building and RPG elements, providing a refreshing gameplay experience.
The graphics are charming and visually appealing, reminiscent of classic fantasy games.
The developers are responsive to community feedback and have made significant improvements over time.

The game has been in early access for several years with little progress, leading to frustration among players.
Many features are incomplete or not implemented, resulting in a lack of depth and replayability.
The AI and combat mechanics are poorly designed, making it difficult to manage units effectively during battles.

gameplay
214 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
66%
6%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its depth and mechanics, while others criticize the frequent changes and lack of a cohesive vision from the developers. Many users note that while the core mechanics show promise, the game suffers from bugs, incomplete features, and a lack of engaging content, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as having potential but is currently hindered by poor management and a lack of polish.
- “Relaxed gameplay, but exciting when it needs to be.”
- “The gameplay is deep and I love it, great developer.”
- “I enjoy the mechanics, I enjoy watching a settlement go from 5 people standing around a campfire to a bustling town with over 100 settlers, walls, towers, and a sizeable armed force.”
- “The developers did not come across as having a clear vision, thus probably burnt through money, addressed things that could have been left as is, and never completed the story, resulting in a hollow RPG and city builder game with lackluster hero unit mechanics.”
- “The gameplay itself is lackluster.”
- “The game has potential solid mechanics and gameplay, but there just isn't enough present to warrant the price, unless you just want to donate for the game's potential future success years down the line.”
story
205 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
75%
7%
The game's story has undergone significant changes during development, shifting from an initially promising, story-driven RPG to a sandbox experience with minimal narrative depth. Many players express disappointment over the removal of the original campaign and character-driven storytelling, leading to a lack of engagement and a feeling of emptiness in the gameplay. While some appreciate the humor and charm in the current story elements, the overall consensus is that the narrative is underdeveloped and fails to meet the expectations set during the game's early access phase.
- “The story reveals that epic evils have a fully prepared plan to wipe out your people and take over your land for valuable resources.”
- “The graphics are lovely, like a storybook, and the villagers themselves are totally charming, with a fair bit of humor thrown in.”
- “This is a fun game, with new ideas in the strategy genre, as well as using some old ideas that work so well (Warcraft 3). If you like the idea of heroes and units, and building up a town, while doing quests and the like, similar to Warcraft 3, with much upgraded graphics and its own humor, support this project please!”
- “I backed this game years ago when it was supposed to be a story-driven multiplayer city-building game, but over the years they decided to not go multiplayer and they scrapped the story mode altogether and turned it into a sandbox single-player game.”
- “I was sold on a vision of a game where I controlled the story of my settlement; what I got was a disappointment and five years of underwhelming developments.”
- “This game had a lot of potential, and originally, had my focus to buy it because of the story-driven village mayor type feel it claimed to have.”
graphics
165 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
44%
2%
The graphics of the game receive a generally positive reception, with many players praising the beautiful art style, vibrant colors, and charming animations that evoke nostalgia for classic titles like Warcraft and Banished. However, some critiques mention that while the visuals are appealing, they may feel somewhat dated compared to modern standards, and there are calls for a greater focus on gameplay mechanics over aesthetics. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's immersive experience, making it enjoyable for both casual and dedicated players.
- “Beautiful design, graphics, and animations.”
- “The graphics are lovely, like a storybook, and the villagers themselves are totally charming, with a fair bit of humor thrown in.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, a sense of humor, and easy to follow gameplay that anyone can enjoy.”
- “If they would spend more time on the mechanics and not the visuals, the game might be decent.”
- “The graphics are also years behind.”
- “Graphics seem to be dated and ashy gray; it looks like it took a step backwards than when I first purchased the game in July 2013.”
humor
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
4%
The humor in the game is often described as quirky and charming, blending cheeky dialogue and amusing character interactions reminiscent of classic titles like "Black and White" and "Warcraft III." While many players appreciate the comedic elements and find them engaging, some feel that the humor has diminished over time due to changes in the game's direction. Overall, the game is noted for its fun, lighthearted tone, though opinions vary on the effectiveness of its comedic delivery.
- “Think Diablo meets Banished mixed with the cheeky humor from games like Black and White.”
- “The minor campaign that it came with was a good taste of what might have been, fun, charming, and funny.”
- “The game has some funny voice acting and generally very high-quality artwork.”
- “The humor in this game falls flat, relying too much on funny bugs rather than clever writing.”
- “I expected a lot more laughs, but the jokes are stale and the humor feels forced.”
- “The attempts at humor often miss the mark, making the game feel more awkward than amusing.”
stability
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
90%
The game's stability has been a major point of contention among users, with many describing it as still being riddled with bugs and glitches despite years in early access. While some players report a relatively stable experience with only minor issues, the consensus is that the game remains unfinished and often unplayable, with frequent crashes and a lack of essential features. Overall, the game is seen as a work in progress that requires significant improvements to reach a satisfactory level of stability.
- “The game runs great and is very stable for an alpha build, and it's optimized well and has no frame rate issues.”
- “This game in its current state (December 2015) is definitely working, and it runs great.”
- “The developers have done a wonderful job and while the game still needs to be finished and there are some things that still need polishing, it plays, sounds, looks, and runs great.”
- “After 10 years of production, with a team of at least 15 people, they've taken it from a buggy tutorial to a below average city builder/RTS/ARPG style game.”
- “Somehow this is still in early access, and the devs blame the customers for their game being an unplayable, buggy piece of garbage.”
- “Two years of early access and you still can't even have an easy save file with this unfinished, buggy trash.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
19%
11%
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers highlighting the beautiful soundtrack and immersive ambient sounds. While some noted that the music can become repetitive over time, the majority found it to be a significant asset, contributing to the game's charm and addictiveness. Overall, the combination of engaging music and appealing visuals creates a captivating atmosphere that players appreciate.
- “I can't believe the negativity; this game is worth the money just for the soundtrack, in my opinion.”
- “The gameplay is very addicting, and the soundtrack and voice acting are also on point.”
- “The soundtrack playing in the background does an excellent job of drawing you into the folk tale world with its whimsical melodies.”
- “Audio in the game was fairly well done, and I love the music, but I have some reservations when it comes to voiceovers.”
- “Aside from the music of the game, there is also the ambiance to the game.”
- “The soundtrack playing in the background also does an excellent job of drawing you into the folk tale world with its whimsical melodies.”
replayability
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
65%
13%
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as limited due to a lack of diverse maps and content, with many players expressing frustration over the repetitive nature of gameplay. While the built-in map editor and sandbox mode offer potential for extended play, the current state of the campaign and overall game features leaves much to be desired. Players are hopeful for future updates to enhance replay value, but as it stands, the game struggles to provide a compelling reason to return after initial playthroughs.
- “Replayability relies on tons of people buying the game and using the map editor to upload maps.”
- “If the editor can come through, which is looking pretty good already, then high replay value.”
- “There's also the in-game map/mission creator which gives you pretty much endless replayability in this title, and I'm heavily looking forward to messing around with it.”
- “Replay value is extremely limited due to the lack of maps and lack of variation on each map load (there isn't any - they're the same map each time).”
- “This game has no map generation, just pick and load premade maps... virtually no replay value after you clear a map once you won't feel like playing this again.”
- “The enemies in sandbox are not challenging and there isn't much replay value in the campaign.”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, primarily due to the repetitive tasks involved in building, crafting, and managing resources. The constant respawning of enemies and the slow movement around the map contribute to a sense of monotony, while the micro-management required for equipping and crafting items becomes overwhelming. Overall, the grind detracts from the enjoyment of gameplay, making it feel laborious rather than engaging.
- “Building things like ground defensive weapons is currently too tedious (finding an engineer among the hundreds of people, clicking on him and commanding him to build something).”
- “The constant respawns of enemy NPCs (bears, spiders, etc.) is far too tedious.”
- “Defeating a group of enemies can result in some little bits of armor that your workers can use, or you can begin crafting armor and weapons for troops and workers, but these have to be handed out individually, piece by piece, a tedious process you quickly tire of.”
monetization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of this game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with many users expressing disappointment over its lack of updates and unfinished state after years in early access. Reviewers feel misled by false advertising and demand accountability from the developers, suggesting that the game serves no real purpose and has left many players regretting their purchases. Overall, the sentiment is overwhelmingly negative, with calls for better consumer protections against such practices.
- “It's sad that this game was used as a cash grab and forgotten about; it had potential, but no updates in 5 years is just crap.”
- “Damn, I really wished that this was going to be a great game; now I just wish I could get my money back from this cash grab :(”
- “To be honest, I wish these developers would face charges for fraudulent advertising.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players noting that it runs well even on older hardware and has shown considerable improvement over time. However, others have experienced significant performance issues, including crashes and frame rate drops, particularly as the game scales with more content. Overall, while there are signs of progress, many users feel that further optimization is needed before the game can be fully recommended.
- “For the record, my computer is pretty mid-level, with a GTX 1070, 16 GB of high-performance RAM, an i7 4770, and running the game from an SSD drive.”
- “+ Very well optimized (so far, have not tried what happens when the town gets bigger), runs well even on older hardware.”
- “The game runs great and is very stable for an alpha build, and it's optimized well and has no frame rate issues.”
- “Still way too bugged, and with tons of performance issues.”
- “And the game hung at least 3 times on load, seems really unoptimized.”
- “I really cannot recommend this game in its current state, hopefully when/if the game is finished then I can update this mini review and wholeheartedly back this game, but judging on this past year's performance I fear not.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
43%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by beautiful graphics and smooth audio that create an engaging and immersive experience, enhanced by weather effects and active town building. However, some players feel that the medieval cartoonish theme is overused, which may detract from the overall originality for veteran gamers. Despite minor technical issues, the atmosphere remains a highlight for many players.
- “The game is definitely stable, looks great, and the audio is already smooth and atmospheric.”
- “Its beautiful graphics create a lovely atmosphere.”
- “With the cartoonish graphics, audio, and weather effects adding to the gameplay, the atmosphere is immersive.”
- “The atmosphere of the game sadly feels like déjà vu and is overexploited for medieval cartoonish games, which may only annoy you if you are a veteran gamer.”
- “While the game has a decent appearance and sound, the atmosphere lacks originality and fails to create a unique experience.”
- “The overall ambiance feels recycled and uninspired, making it hard to immerse myself in the game world.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional responses to the game vary significantly among players, with some expressing deep joy and satisfaction, while others feel heartbreak and disappointment due to unmet expectations and perceived failures in execution. While a few players appreciate the game's potential and quality, many lament the lack of fulfillment of their hopes, leading to a mix of gratitude and frustration towards the developers.
- “For me, I already feel like it gave me the emotional video game joy that I wanted out of it, and as I said before, that is not an easy thing for me to achieve anymore.”
- “It's heartbreaking as I really enjoyed and had a lot of hope for this game; I hope that someone can make the fantasy city builder I've been dreaming of... I was in love with the idea of this game, if not its execution.”
- “To the devs, my heartfelt thanks and congratulations on the quality of this game so far!”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
Character development in the game is highlighted as a standout feature, with an engaging story and memorable characters that elevate it above typical simulation games. However, some critiques point to the hero character designs as being overly conventional and lacking originality. Overall, the narrative and character growth are praised for their depth and impact.
- “When playing through the tutorial, it was that style of gameplay (specifically that it had an engaging story and memorable character development) that set Folk Tale apart from the rest of the generic mess of simulation games in this community.”
- “The hero character designs are brutally textbook.”
- “Character development feels shallow and uninspired, lacking any real depth.”
- “The progression of characters is predictable and fails to engage the player.”