After some largely disappointing experiences with some recently released city builders, I wanted to try out something a bit different. I wanted something simple, but still fun and varied. Less Highrise City, and more Tropico, in a way. Then I heard about Fabledom, a city builder that does fit into the category of being simple and easygoing, but with the additional caveat of actually being medieval-themed. More than that, it’s actually themed after fairy tales, with a cutesy art style, heroes, and the very occasional bout of magic sprinkled on top of it. Let’s check it out and see if it’s indeed worth the hype.

Right off the bat, I did appreciate how easy it was to grow my medieval town, as very few resources were initially needed in order to kickstart a small village on the center of the map. I just needed a few huts, a well, and one or two businesses to start things off. Soon enough, I was able to turn my formerly important (but poor as heck) center into the poorer suburbs, and come up with bigger houses, more businesses, all thanks to a simple logistics supply chain, which didn’t exactly demand much from me. I was actually enjoying Fabledom because it wasn’t requiring a lot of brain cells, whilst still having enough meat and variety to keep me entertained for a while.

I didn’t have to worry about shipping routes or too many resources. As long as I had sources of water, and enough farmlands in the outskirts to keep my folks fed, I was able to build more houses, until I was finally able to build a flashy palace, and also conjure up my first hero. This is when Fabledom showcased a somewhat interesting aspect of its gameplay.

Heroes are warrior-like characters you can somewhat control like a real-time strategy unit. You can move them to wherever you want. You can guide them to a place that needs to be investigated, to a pile of rocks which might either contain treasure, a ghost that needs to be defeated, or both. Sometimes, a giant beast will block the path towards valuable resources, and your miners might need the hero to get the job done for them. By no means did this feel like Warcraft, but it did add a minute, but interesting addition to the city builder formula.

Oddly enough, I don’t have that many gripes, even though Fabledom didn’t exactly wow me that much. I really liked the cutesy art style, even if it felt a bit basic at times. I was particularly impressed by the lighting. I just didn’t exactly care about the average-at-best sound department (cute, cozy, but not at all memorable), and I wish there was just a bit more building variety, especially when it came to more complex, high-density constructions. For instance, there was just a single palace to unlock.

I liked the fact that Fabledom didn’t demand a lot from me. It’s an easygoing citybuilder which gives you a bit of variety on how to develop your town. The extra activities your heroes can partake one were beyond basic, but a nice addition, regardless. I wish there were more building options, especially when it comes to bigger buildings, however. With that being said, it was definitely better than the vast array of overcomplicated, task-like city builders released over the past years, so this one is an easy recommendation for fans of the genre looking for something a bit different from the usual suspects.

Graphics: 7.5 It’s downright adorable. It might not be the greatest-looking game in the world, but the assets, lighting, and especially the character models, look just right for the cozy, fairytale-like setting.	Gameplay: 8.0 I like the fact it’s not very demanding. It’s an easygoing citybuilder which gives you a bit of variety on how to develop your town. The extra activities your heroes can partake one were beyond basic, but a nice addition, regardless.
Sound: 6.0 Cute, cozy, but not exactly memorable. Never bothered me, but it never wowed me, either.	Fun Factor: 7.0 I played it for much longer than I thought I would. It was easygoing, forgiving, and downright adorable. I wish there were more building options, especially when it comes to bigger buildings, however.
Final Verdict: 7.5

Fabledom is available now on PS5, Xbox Series S/X and PC.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB.

A copy of Fabledom was provided by the publisher.