Kitaria Fables
- September 2, 2021
- Twin Hearts
- 19h median play time
Kitaria Fables doesn’t have a lot of original qualities but combines them into one amazing adventure.
"Kitaria Fables is a charming action adventure RPG that combines real-time combat, exploration, and farming. Defend the animal citizens of Paw Village as they face a dark threat, using melee weapons, bows, and crafted spells to suit your playstyle. Farm for resources, craft weapons and armor, and forge bonds with your animal neighbors in this delightful adventure.". Total characters count: 236 characters.
Reviews
- Cute graphics and charming characters that create an enjoyable atmosphere.
- Simple and engaging combat mechanics that are easy to learn and fun to use.
- Relaxing gameplay with a mix of farming and adventure elements, making it a good choice for casual gaming.
- The game is very grindy, requiring excessive farming and resource gathering to progress.
- Lack of fast travel options and tedious backtracking can make exploration feel frustrating.
- The story feels incomplete and lacks depth, with many quests being repetitive fetch tasks.
- grinding754 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 99 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of "Kitaria Fables" is frequently criticized, with many players noting that it requires excessive time spent farming materials and upgrading equipment, often leading to a tedious experience. While some enjoy the grind as part of the gameplay loop, others find it detracts from the overall enjoyment, especially given the simplistic farming mechanics that feel tacked on rather than integral to the game. Overall, players recommend this game primarily for those who appreciate grind-heavy RPGs, but caution that it may not satisfy those seeking a deeper farming simulation experience.
“Most of it was killing mobs for upgrades, if not farming and sleeping to shove enough goodies into the sell box to afford said upgrades for weapons and armor.”
“The game is still fun to play after I have to get used to the very 'old school' feel control scheme and accept the fact that this game is not farming main but RPG main.”
“The moving back and forth between areas isn't as tedious as many people make it out to be since I've already made it to a fast travel point just a few areas away from the last fast travel point, which takes at most five minutes to travel between on foot.”
“Equipment progression is sluggish, with far too much grinding expected.”
“It turns very quickly into a tedious grindy slog.”
“The farming aspect feels tacked on and has no real purpose.”
- story675 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally perceived as simplistic and lacking depth, often relying on repetitive fetch quests that detract from the overall experience. While some players find the narrative charming and engaging, many criticize its scattered progression and lack of character development, leading to a feeling of incompleteness. Overall, the story serves as a basic framework for gameplay but fails to deliver a compelling or cohesive narrative.
“The story itself was simple to follow and understand, and it was written reasonably well.”
“The story is really cute and pulls you in from the start and the combat is almost souls-like but easy to understand.”
“This game is a lovely experience that is relaxing but with a good story.”
“The story itself sucks.”
“The entire gameplay loop seems to revolve around doing fetch quests that eventually lead to a dungeon and more fetch quests that lead to the next dungeon, fight a few generic monsters and blah blah the story progresses.”
“The story and character development was almost non-existent.”
- gameplay193 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Kitaria Fables is characterized by its simplicity and accessibility, making it suitable for casual players and younger audiences. However, many reviewers criticize the mechanics as superficial and disjointed, particularly the farming elements, which feel tacked on and lead to a grindy experience. While the combat mechanics are generally enjoyable, the overall gameplay loop, which revolves around repetitive fetch quests and lacks depth, has left some players feeling unengaged and frustrated.
“The game itself has a simple gameplay and progression style.”
“I absolutely love this game, it's really charming with simple enough mechanics to grasp but still requiring a learning curve when it comes to more difficult areas.”
“Kitaria has simple gameplay mechanics, but still has a great story and very cute characters.”
“The entire gameplay loop seems to revolve around doing fetch quests that eventually lead to a dungeon and more fetch quests that lead to the next dungeon, fight a few generic monsters and blah blah the story progresses.”
“The gameplay as a whole is a grind-fest.”
“The story is shallow, and the gameplay isn't fun enough to compensate.”
- graphics133 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their cute and charming art style, which resonates well with a casual audience and evokes nostalgia for early JRPGs. While some users noted that the graphics can appear somewhat cheap at times, the overall aesthetic and hand-drawn elements contribute to a pleasant atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience. However, there are mentions of inconsistencies in quality and a desire for further polish in certain areas.
“The art style is charming and the game has a pleasant atmosphere.”
“Graphics were a real surprise with how well done they are for an indie game.”
“Cute and charming cartoony aesthetic with detailed characters, environments, and spell effects.”
“The graphics look kind of cheap, but the hand-drawn artwork which shows up from time to time is solid.”
“There is inconsistent quality to some audio, though, much like the inconsistency between textures and graphics.”
“While this looks like a kids' game, it's punishingly difficult for anyone to play and has far too much text, so I'm not sure who the target demographic is.”
- music67 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as chill and relaxing, complementing the cute visuals and gameplay. However, many players note that the soundtrack can become repetitive over time, with some tracks being catchy yet limited in variety. Overall, while the music enhances the atmosphere, it may not be memorable enough to stand out on its own.
“The soundtrack is limited but the tracks you hear most often are catchy enough.”
“Music was simple and well composed, with each track fitting nicely to its assigned environment or situation.”
“Overall, it's a pretty chill game with nice graphics and music.”
“The music is repetitive, the sounds are repetitive, the quests are repetitive and while I am willing to tolerate all of that for a good story – that as well is something this game does not possess.”
“The artwork and graphical style are all above par, cute graphics reminiscent of some early JRPGs and passable music that does get a little repetitive after a while.”
“How I would describe the game is that it has somewhat solid gameplay, okay-ish music, weird quest placement, and a strange story that made me lose interest halfway, with nice art and passable 3D models and animation.”
- stability14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report tight combat with minimal glitches, others encounter various bugs, particularly related to the lock-on mechanic and specific attacks. Co-op gameplay is enjoyable but also exhibits some instability, with issues like enemies getting stuck in walls.
“While I did encounter a number of bugs and glitches, the rate at which I'd encounter them was directly tied to the lock-on mechanic.”
“👎 Various bugs and glitches can be encountered strewn throughout the game, starting right after the area contained in the demo.”
“The co-op is fun but a little buggy.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has limited replayability, with many players noting that it feels like a self-contained adventure that lacks the depth and customization found in titles like Stardew Valley. While some mention the option for free roam and replayable side quests post-story, the general consensus is that once the main content is completed, there is little incentive to return, aside from farming materials. Suggestions for additional playable characters and skins indicate a desire for more variety to enhance replay value.
“Free roam and replayable side quests after the story ends.”
“Like adding more playable characters such as wolves, foxes, rabbits, bears, dogs, birds, dragons, etc., and more skins for these additional characters.”
“Just don't go into it expecting Stardew Valley levels of content, customizability, or replayability - it's more of a self-contained adventure, and once you reach the end, you're done.”
“I don't think it has a lot of replay value.”
“Just don't go into it expecting Stardew Valley levels of content/customizability/replayability - it's more of a self-contained adventure and once you reach the end, you're done (took me 30 hours taking my time, can definitely be much shorter).”
“I put in 27 hours and completed every single achievement, so it is not horribly long and honestly there is zero replay value unless you want to go farm materials again.”
- emotional10 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game attempts to create an emotional connection through its cutesy characters and wholesome visuals, but ultimately falls short, leaving players feeling detached due to a lack of character development and a repetitive, grind-heavy gameplay experience. While it may initially seem charming, the shallow storyline and limited interactions contribute to a stale and lifeless world that fails to engage players emotionally. Overall, the game is described as a chill experience that satisfies a desire for a wholesome aesthetic, but lacks depth and meaningful engagement.
“Gameplay was simple enough but still had a learning curve that made me feel like I was progressing the more I played.”
“Very chill game, definitely scratched that wholesome game itch, but it's less about the farming and more about the 'just okay' storyline and clicking through lines of dialogue.”
“This game starts out cute and fun with great visuals and music, but quickly turns into endless grinding for loot, farming for crops that barely give you any cash, quests that cannot trigger to initiate, dungeons that you can't access, and characters which you don't develop an emotional connection.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players report smooth performance with no stutters or frame drops, others highlight significant optimization issues and bugs. Despite these concerns, several users have experienced no major performance problems, indicating that experiences may vary.
“The performance is good, no stutters or frame drops.”
“Never had any performance issues and no game-breaking bugs.”
“Performance - 9/10”
“I noticed that nearly everything is poorly optimized.”
“Game has quite a few bugs and other optimization issues.”
“Game has quite a few bugs and other optimization issues.”
- character development8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
While the character designs and portrait art are praised for their adorableness, the overall character development and story are considered lacking, with many reviewers noting that it feels almost non-existent. The game focuses more on engaging gameplay elements and whimsical dialogue rather than deep character arcs.
“Whether completing slay and fetch quests for the townsfolk, grinding for raw materials, or driving the main quest forward, everything from landscape and enemy/character design, to the lore and the pun-laden dialogue (polar bear: "we cannot bear another calamity", dog: "these are ruff times" etc) is an absolute delight.”
“It must be said that the character designs in this game are absolutely adorable.”
“I really like the portrait art of all of the characters and townsfolk - but not specifically the character designs.”
“The story and character development was almost non-existent.”
“I really like the portrait art of all of the characters and townsfolk, but not specifically the character designs.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's charming art style and relaxing soundtracks create a pleasant and immersive atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience for players.
“The art style is charming and the game has a pleasant atmosphere.”
“Chill and relaxing soundtracks really build the overall atmosphere.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game heavily relies on microtransactions, designed to enhance player strength and improve drop rates, suggesting a mobile-centric approach to revenue generation.
“This really feels like it was built for mobile with microtransactions in mind to boost your strength or drop rates.”
Critic Reviews
Kitaria Fables Review
Kitaria Fables features a charming world and has a solid, albeit straightforward, story but its focus on grinding, lack of character interaction, and lackluster farming hold it back.
60%Kitaria Fables Review
A fantastic tribute to Fantasy Life that nails the kind of grindy combat that many people love, Kitaria Fables is genuinely sweet and impressively well-made for a three-person team in under three years. If Fantasy Life is a Wagyu beef steak, Kitaria Fables is a really, REALLY good burger. If you're jonesing for a tasty action-farming-adventure, Kitaria Fables has you covered.
80%Kitaria Fables Xbox Series X Review
Kitaria Fables doesn’t have a lot of original qualities but combines them into one amazing adventure.
90%