Action-RPGs with farming sims elements aren’t uncommon, and there’s a reason for that. The combination of endless farming with the more strategic elements of adventuring prove to be engaging mechanics that allow you to play at your own pace for a seemingly infinite amount of time. That’s why Kitaria Fables feels like it works even early on, despite its seemingly common setup. And with this Twin Hearts’ game’s sweet animal villagers and equally cute enemies, the character art style is one of the first things that stands out about the game.
Immediately, Kitaria Fables introduces the main conflict that’s plaguing Paw Town. A sort of calamity is making monsters in the forest outskirts aggressive, all while magic, nature, and the empire are at odds with each other. Naturally, your character Nyanza is the only one who can fix all these issues. Or you can simply farm for days. That’s the beauty of it.
The game starts a bit more open than other farming RPGs. While you have to play through the rather linear introductory quests, it didn’t take long before I was exploring areas and picking up extra little missions. Within my first hour, I had a farm going, I was preparing to upgrade weapons, and had explored a good portion of the map. I know it’s easy to compare Kitaria Fables to something like Rune Factory, but I don’t know if I’ve ever felt like I was in control of my gameplay progression in a game like this as quickly as I did.
Another aspect that’s surprisingly welcome is the lack of crafting in the game. Rather than make foods and repair tools, you instead build “relationships” with members of Paw Village by providing them with the raw materials they ask for. Not only are you able to improve your own day-to-day life, but this allows you to unlock more quests and make more items available to you. It’s a really nice system that’s focused on hunting and foraging. Crafting systems are fun. But when there’s already so much to do, simplifying or even fully removing something as simple as crafting streamlined my experience without diluting it.
With Kitaria Fable’s release a couple of months away, I’m curious to see just how far the storyline will go and how deep the farm management and improvement system really is. Plus, the finally game will have co-op play. Kitaria Fables seems like it streamlines the experience, all while keeping players engaged.
Kitaria Fables will release on the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam on September 3, 2021. Physical Switch, PS4, and PS5 copies will also be available. A Steam demo is currently available to play.
