TL:DR
Who is it for:
- Chill gamers
- Explorers and collectors
- Atmosphere enthusiasts
- Art lovers
Who isn’t it for:
- Challenge seekers
- Story haters
- Those wanting brain pains
- Art haters
Sable is the kind of experience where you accidentally realize that you now care about said experience after you’ve had it. The narrative doesn’t push or pull you any one direction, the characters are cool, the world is captivating, the music hits, and the art style is immaculate. The general sense of curiosity, the light sense of loss, and an overall feeling tranquility really sealed the deal once the credits rolled.
The Obvious
The first thing you will notice about Sable is the art style. The look, inspired by Moebius (Jean Giraud), does an amazing job of selling the arid atmosphere. Shedworks did an amazing job making Sable feel like playing a comic book. You can limit animation frame rates, adjust outlines, and change other non-performance settings to tune your visual experience. It’s cool of Shedworks to give players some control over such specific things.
I prefer thinner lines and limiting animations to 30 fps. The choppiness of 30 fps really lent to my enjoyment. And to be clear, the game doesn’t lag like it’s under performing, only the animations are affected. The fps limit with the art style makes the game feel like a mix of stop motion and your typical cartoon animation.
The Sounds
The soundtrack in Sable was made by Japanese Breakfast. If you know who they are cool. If not, check them out. The soundtrack was a perfect fit for this game and it’s a good listen on its own. Not only did Japanese Breakfast knock it out of the park but Shedworks did a fantastic job on the sound design in general. Everything came across as natural. “Of course that person talks like that. Why would that animal sound any other way?” The sound design and music do wonders for immersion.
The Gameplay
This game is very light on gameplay. You solve puzzles, climb stuff, float around, and help people with odd jobs here and there. There is no death. The only fail state you’ll encounter is missing a jump and starting over. I like how simple the gameplay is. I love how simple the gameplay is. Sable is about discovery so the game doesn’t get in your way.
“Wanna go over there?” Go.
“Wanna climb that?” Climb.
As you explore, you’ll often be rewarded with Chums, which are little dudes that act as a collectible. As you get more, you can turn them in for rewards to the Chum Queen. You can also find lore and world-building bits as you travel about.
The Story
Sable is a young girl who is reaching the age where she needs to choose what to do with her life. She’s tasked with going on a journey of self discovery, as all people in this world are, with the goal of gaining perspective and choosing a career to dedicate herself to. The story is told through exploration of the world and interacting with those Sable meets along the way. There are a number of professions to choose from and Sable has no clue which she wants to commit herself to. As she travels, she learns from people in each profession, helps others with their problems, and ultimately learns about herself and the world.
The game is really open with its narrative. You are given a short introduction to Sable’s home and family, after which, you are left (literally) to explore at your own pace. As you find other towns or people you can unlock masks by completing tasks for your new friends. The masks are unique to each profession and worn exclusively after choosing said career. The main goal of the game is to collect masks and then choose one at the end of the game however there is no urgency placed on the player. You’re making a big decision, take your time and enjoy the journey. This openness really drives your curiosity and fosters a sense of wonder.
As you interact with more and more people, Sable develops her opinions and grows. You do get to have some input into how she feels about situations but overall Sable feels squarely her own character. The writing is superb. It’s simple. There isn’t some convoluted plot that you’ll have to struggle with. Characters feel unique and they don’t go on giant exposition dumps, they’re endearing. They know what Sable is feeling; they can relate; they do relate. Sable never comes across as disconnected and her constant curiosity and intrigue mirrors your own. The game is sincere.
The End
Sable is art. It looks amazing, it sounds amazing, it conveys its ideas and story in an amazingly simple and sincere way. It’s extremely endearing. As I played Sable I was happy. There’s no stress, just relax and explore. Playing Sable, I thought to myself, “Man, this game is cool.” I can relate to Sable’s indecisiveness and her anxiousness. Most of us can. It’s a natural part of growing up. I experienced everything the game offered and got sucked into the world building, the characters, and the journey Sable and I were taking. And when the credits rolled all I could say was,
“This is a dope game.”