Sable

Sable's lonely, heartfelt journey of self-discovery will sit with me for a lifetime.

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Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,306 reviews

story408 positive mentions

optimization219 negative mentions

Beautiful art style and unique visuals inspired by Moebius.
Relaxing gameplay focused on exploration with no combat or fail states.
Engaging world-building and character interactions that evoke a sense of wonder.

Numerous bugs and performance issues, including frame drops and glitches.
Repetitive fetch quests that can feel tedious and lack depth.
Climbing mechanics can be inconsistent, leading to frustration during exploration.

story
1,302 mentions
31 % positive mentions
65 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The story of *Sable* is a heartfelt coming-of-age narrative that invites players to explore a beautifully crafted open world while discovering their identity. While the game features a variety of quests, many are fetch-based and can feel repetitive, leading to mixed feelings about the depth of the storytelling. Despite some technical issues and a lack of a strong overarching plot, the game's unique art style, atmospheric music, and engaging character interactions create a memorable experience centered around exploration and self-discovery.
- “Sable is a coming-of-age story wrapped around a competently constructed open-world game that encourages exploration and self-discovery.”
- “The story is a gentle and thoughtful commentary on coming of age and finding one's place, which I genuinely felt.”
- “Sable tells a beautiful story about a young girl exploring her world, gaining wisdom and understanding as she embarks on her journey.”
- “The story is uninspiring and kinda pointless, the writing gets boring quite easily, and the quests are more than repetitive.”
- “The main story is light and feels empty, while there are a lot of side quests which however feel unfinished, unsatisfying and chore-like.”
- “The quests are very generic, essentially all of the quests I've done were fetch quests, 'go here do this' or 'collect these and bring them back' or the most annoying ones 'bring this to this person'.”
graphics
1,070 mentions
49 % positive mentions
49 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics of Sable are widely praised for their unique and beautiful art style, heavily inspired by the works of the renowned comic artist Moebius. Many players appreciate the game's calming atmosphere and stunning visuals, which create an immersive experience, although some report performance issues such as frame drops, graphical glitches, and texture pop-ins that detract from the overall enjoyment. Despite these technical shortcomings, the aesthetic appeal remains a significant draw for players, making it a visually captivating exploration game.
- “I adore this game, it has such a beautiful art style and immersive atmosphere.”
- “The art style appears inspired by the legendary Moebius, and is quite unusual but beautiful.”
- “Sable is a visual marvel, the 'aesthetic Mad Max'.”
- “The game could be great if not for the bugs and the non-stop stuttering which, honestly, shouldn't really be there considering what it looks like graphically.”
- “For a game with a massive selling point being its visuals, there were a lot of visual bugs in this game.”
- “The graphics are basic, looking more like something from 10-15 years ago, the soft pastels of the day and monochromes of night or shadow are truly beautiful.”
music
801 mentions
58 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The music in "Sable," composed by Japanese Breakfast, is widely praised for its calming and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the game's exploration experience. Many players find the soundtrack to be a standout feature, perfectly complementing the stunning visuals and the game's overall aesthetic. However, some users have noted issues with audio glitches and inconsistencies, which can detract from the immersive experience. Overall, the music is considered a significant highlight, contributing to the game's meditative and enchanting atmosphere.
- “The soundtrack by Japanese Breakfast perfectly fits the atmosphere of the game, and the vocal track that plays when Sable leaves her clan for the first time is breathtakingly beautiful.”
- “The music is fantastic, the atmosphere is fantastic, I've enjoyed the puzzles so far and Sable is also a very fun character to roam around with :)!!!”
- “The beautiful art style plus the wonderful music make this game a relaxing but intriguing experience.”
- “A lot of the time there outright is no music in the background, and most of the time when music does play, it is completely unmemorable; it might as well be randomly generated notes.”
- “The game was constantly undermining itself, right up to the very last second where the credits ended before the credits song did and cut it off.”
- “The music can get stuck so that you're listening to the same song on repeat forever, and the only cure is to quit the game and relaunch.”
gameplay
647 mentions
26 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Sable is primarily focused on exploration, climbing, and light puzzle-solving, drawing heavy inspiration from *Breath of the Wild* but lacking its depth and polish. While the art style and atmosphere are praised, many players report significant technical issues, including glitches and unresponsive mechanics, particularly with climbing and the hoverbike. Overall, the game offers a relaxing experience for those who enjoy casual exploration, but its repetitive mechanics and bugs may deter players seeking more engaging gameplay.
- “The gameplay is relaxing, and like its very clear inspiration from Breath of the Wild, it's an open world with towers that essentially reveal the map.”
- “The gameplay ensures that the focus is always on the vistas that lay before you, and it’s all stylized beautifully.”
- “Sable will find an audience that truly adores its free-form exploration, stylistic visuals, engaging writing, and chill soundtrack.”
- “The climbing mechanics are just unbearable.”
- “Sable was a creative game in an interesting and well-built world, which is why I would recommend it, but with a kind of side note attached that says 'this game lacks mechanical polish.' For a game fundamentally about exploration, the gameplay mechanics you're meant to use to explore (climbing, the hoverbike) are clunkier than they should be with issues that surprised me in a finished game.”
- “The gameplay consists of fetch quests and climbing; there is little to no variation in this even in the 'puzzles.' The world feels empty outside of things associated with quests and it feels flat overall, each region just feels like a slight color and terrain change, there is no intrigue aside from visual intrigue and honestly that's all this game has.”
optimization
502 mentions
9 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
44 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including constant stuttering, frame drops, and audio glitches that detract from the overall experience. While some users have noted improvements following updates, the consensus remains that the game is poorly optimized, particularly on various hardware setups, making it difficult to enjoy the beautiful visuals and immersive gameplay fully. Despite these challenges, some players still recommend the game for its charm and exploration potential, provided they can tolerate the technical shortcomings.
- “Despite some bugs and performance issues, this was a fantastic game.”
- “Admittedly, there were a lot of bugs and performance issues throughout, but the incredible amount of love and care that clearly went into this game more than made up for the occasional bits of jank.”
- “The game has a few performance issues, but it is a beautiful game.”
- “A game that should be immersive, but is not due to the pervasive audio stuttering issues (especially while on the bike) and menu glitches that make the game painful to play.”
- “Unfortunately, constant performance issues completely ruin the experience for me, and it seems like I'm far from the only one having these problems.”
- “The game is poorly optimized, running worse than vastly more graphically intensive games, with framerates frequently dipping below 30fps on pretty solid hardware.”
stability
481 mentions
1 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
99 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, which significantly impact stability and overall gameplay experience. Players report issues such as audio stuttering, menu freezes, NPCs disappearing, and various visual artifacts, making the game feel unfinished and at times unplayable. While some find the glitches charming or manageable, many agree that the game's technical problems detract from its potential enjoyment, leading to a mixed reception regarding its stability.
- “Also, runs great on the Steam Deck and is made for 48Hz / 24 FPS gameplay, which fits the animation style perfectly.”
- “A little buggy, but not buggy enough to make me angry.”
- “It's not too buggy, but there are still bugs nonetheless, and some aspects of the game feel like there isn't enough polish put into them.”
- “Unfortunately, the game has some glaring drawbacks: it's buggy, has camera issues, lots of places where clipping can get you stuck, and the climbing/hopping jittering is incredibly annoying.”
- “The game is riddled with glitches, visual artifacts, dialog-tree bugs, and various other immersion-breaking issues.”
- “It's both too buggy and too badly optimized to enjoy, which is a real shame.”
atmosphere
218 mentions
68 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its serene, immersive qualities, characterized by beautiful art styles, calming music, and a sense of exploration. Players appreciate the unique, colorful environments and the absence of conflict, which allows for a reflective and meditative experience. Despite some technical issues, the overall ambiance and world-building create a captivating and relaxing adventure that resonates with fans of atmospheric exploration games.
- “The atmosphere, the background music, this game is a no-rush kind of game with pretty scenery, nice puzzles, and a lot more!”
- “I adore this game; it has such a beautiful art style and immersive atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere and sense of exploration are great, and I really like the absence of conflict, especially since it still retains some edge and interest.”
- “But, annoying low-fps movement animations (why would you do this, everything else in the game is animated smoothly, including visual effects), over-verbose dialogs (the game lacks other ways to portray character feelings or interactions), and poor optimization just kills the atmosphere for me.”
- “In a game where taking in the sights and the atmosphere are a main draw, this completely rips you out of it.”
- “The way objects are stuck together and reused is very noticeable, and the awkwardness of it all kinda 'punches through' the smoothness of its graphical style in a way that I find very disruptive, especially in a game that's mostly held up by its atmosphere.”
emotional
154 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its heartfelt storytelling and the profound feelings it evokes in players, often leading to moments of genuine joy and sadness. Many reviewers highlight the game's beautiful art style, engaging dialogue, and the relatable coming-of-age journey of the protagonist, which resonates deeply and leaves a lasting impact. Despite some technical issues, the overall experience is described as a touching exploration of self-discovery that players find both relaxing and profoundly moving.
- “Beautiful and unique graphics paired with a heart-touching storyline of a young girl on a coming-of-age quest.”
- “It was a beautiful journey from start to finish, both visually and emotionally, and by the end I felt actual heartache for the world I was leaving behind.”
- “Sable is a touching and universal story about growing up.”
humor
57 mentions
98 % positive mentions
-4 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as charming and often heartwarming, blending well with its thoughtful themes and engaging dialogue. Players appreciate the quirky interactions, funny glitches, and the lighthearted tone that contrasts with the game's more serious moments. Overall, the humor adds a delightful layer to the experience, making it both entertaining and memorable.
- “The dialogue was well written, funny but not silly, and often with a dose of melancholy that I really enjoyed.”
- “The writing in this game blew me away; all of the characters are funny, intelligent, written with grace, and treated with respect in a way I struggle to accurately describe.”
- “The game is funny, reflective, and deeply compassionate, often within the same breath.”
- “They are not angry, not funny, not scheming, not sincere, not anything.”
- “The jokes fall flat and feel forced, lacking any real wit or charm.”
- “The humor tries too hard to be edgy but ends up being cringeworthy instead.”
grinding
37 mentions
5 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
95 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, with many describing it as tedious and lacking meaningful rewards. While some appreciate the absence of traditional grinding mechanics, others criticize the fetch quests and slow-paced activities that can feel monotonous and unfulfilling. Despite these issues, a few players noted that the game can still be enjoyable for casual exploration, provided one avoids excessive completionism.
- “Slow pace, no grinding, really good game to enjoy during a Sunday afternoon.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “However, playing the game was very boring and tedious.”
- “For a game about finding a purpose and place in the world, I think it is ironic that everything you can do feels a bit meaningless and tedious.”
- “I had high hopes for what has turned out to be an incredibly tedious game.”
replayability
13 mentions
23 % positive mentions
54 % neutral mentions
23 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as limited, with many players expressing that they do not intend to revisit it after their initial playthrough. While some appreciate the game's aesthetics and mechanics, they feel it lacks substantial content to warrant multiple playthroughs. A few users noted that recent updates have improved playability, but the consensus remains that the game does not offer significant replay value.
- “Noita costs $20 and has plenty of replayability, bosses, and puzzles.”
- “Doesn't seem to have a ton of replay value but it is an excellent game - fun to explore this colorful world and try to understand its mystique.”
- “Somewhere in here is a game I think, the bike is the redeeming part I feel in terms of replayability.”
- “Don't think there's much replay value here, I don't intend on picking it up again.”
- “The game feels unfinished and poorly executed; there is no replayability, and a lot of the aspects are incredibly lacking.”
- “This game burns out quick; if you're looking for more adventure or something to invest some real time in, Sable doesn't offer much in the way of replayability.”
character development
12 mentions
33 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is straightforward, focusing primarily on stamina without complex systems, allowing players to engage with the world without extensive configuration. The character designs are praised for their beautiful, gender-neutral aesthetics and thoughtful attire that reflects the environment, complemented by a stunning art style and soundtrack. While the game emphasizes exploration and atmosphere over action, it successfully creates a unique and immersive experience through its character design and world-building.
- “The character designs are refreshingly gender-neutral, and everyone is practically dressed for their climates and lifestyles.”
- “The way the colors work depending on the time of day or location is absolutely stunning, and the character design is beautifully composed.”
- “The character development system includes only stamina.”
- “If you're looking for action and fighting, look elsewhere - this is a passion project about character development wrapped around an open world begging to be explored.”
- “With the character design, you never see an NPC's face; it's all mask and words.”
monetization
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the monetization aspect of the game is criticized for its perceived lack of value, particularly regarding in-game items like masks, which seem unnecessary. Additionally, players express frustration with the presence of ads, particularly in relation to music streaming services, detracting from the overall experience.