The New Classics #8: Kitaria Fables

 

The Backstory: A kawaii ARPG featuring an anthropomorphic cat as MC had to catch my eye; whether the Rune Factory-lite gameplay could captivate me was another matter. Fantasy Life, a 3DS game with similar gameplay, failed to entertain me back in the days; yet I dove into KF with an open mind — all the more so as it was published by my dear PQube.   

 

The Game: After an hour of play, my main lingering impression was that Kitaria Fables could as well have been called Vanilla Fables. Everything is decent enough, but nothing is extraordinary. The stylised graphics are cute, but not memorable; the story is interesting, but not captivating; combat is serviceable, but not intoxicating; the physics are pleasant, but not stellar. On top of that, the game starts quite indolently, and takes its sweet time to build things up. 

 

  

More annoying is the fact that gameplay is not exactly intuitive. I often found myself kinda lost, just because the game dictates that certain things must be done in a certain order. Places of interest are hard to find, even in secluded spots: I roamed the main village like an idiot for five minutes, searching for a specific house and finding all houses but that one. It felt like one of those stupidly frustrating dreams where we try to find something and fail — except that it was a game trying to earn its way into my collection. I’ll admit it: I nearly gave up after that first hour of play. However, something prompted me to keep playing, and to give the game a chance — and its legit two hours to shine.

 

 

With hindsight, this was the right thing to do. That second hour of play allowed me to discover most of the gameplay, explore new areas, and develop a fighting technique that made combat really enjoyable. Last but not least, it allowed me to bask more in the game’s sweet and heart-warming atmosphere. I was all ready to give KF a spot in my precious collection; however, by the time I got down to writing that post, I had virtually forgotten the game. Ouch.

 

The Verdict: Kitaria Fables is most definitely not a New Classic of mine. It started off bad, got a bit more palatable, and ultimately left no lasting imprint whatsoever in my gamer’s soul. A feline MC cannot single-handedly save a game; and so, KF has to go. I really wanted to love that one, but I cannot lie to myself.