Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story from Riot Forge is finally here! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Review Overview
Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Amazing Pixel Art Cozy and Simple Gameplay Loop Story Is Pretty Good |
Pace May Be Slow Tutorial Is A Bit Confusing Gets Grindy Throughout |
Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Overall - 82/100
Bandle Tale is a fun and addicting crafting/farming game with an amazing cozy vibe. While there may be some issues with regards to the pace and how it teaches you how the game works, it is very enjoyable in its gameplay loop, story, as well as its music. If you were part of the Animal Crossing craze back in 2020, you will surely enjoy this game as it definitely feels like the perfect chill game to just relax and have fun.
Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Story - 8/10
The game’s story is pretty simple in both its premise and setup and is able to use the League of Legends world-building for the characters and the settings in the game. It’s a classic tale of the apprentice setting off to fix the errors they made in a time when they just wanted to have fun. It’s a simple tale, but an enjoyable one at that.
Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Gameplay - 8/10
As a crafting and farming RPG, you’ll be busy running around the different parts of town gathering materials, crafting tools, and making several of the townspeople happy. It’s not anything particularly new, but its loop is still enjoyable enough to make me want to keep playing. Being efficient has always been the MO for crafting games, and it's no different in this game. While I personally have issues with the pace of the tutorial and its introduction, it definitely grew on me to enjoy it at my pace.
Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Visuals - 9/10
The visuals of the game look fantastic if you’re a fan of pixel art. Being familiar with the world of League of Legends, the art style definitely matches the whimsical and mystical world of the yordles while staying true to their odd appearances. It’s a great game visually speaking and it helps the cozy vibes the game gives off.
Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Audio - 8/10
The music in the game is stellar. While there are voiced cutscenes in the game, they’re spread between the different parts throughout the game and not a part of the usual gameplay. I do wish the characters are voiced, as it would’ve elevated the experience much more.
Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Value for Money - 8/10
With the game priced at $24.99, it is a very enjoyable experience especially for fans of the particular crafting and gathering genre. It’s a game that’s definitely for the cozy vibes and relaxing atmosphere, and one that should definitely be considered if you’re looking for a game to unwind with.
Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Review: Yarn Makes The World Go Round
I’m not the biggest fan of crafting and gathering simulations, but this game really got me interested and kept me going. What struck a chord with me regarding the gameplay loop was the simplicity of the game and its progression as it makes you want to keep doing a variety of tasks then cash out at your own pace to earn skill points to learn different skills for gathering and crafting.
The game’s story is pretty simple in that an accident leads to portals around Bandle City to go haywire, and as the best and only student from a long line of knitters, it’s up to you to fix the portals and reunite Bandle City’s portals once more. It gives off the same vibe as Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which was one of my favorite animated films growing up. The champions from League of Legends also spice up the cast as they’re how you imagine them to be in a different game rather than the popular MOBA.
It doesn’t have a traditional day and night timeline and it makes sense because yordles are immortal and have no concept of aging. This plays perfectly with people who aren’t familiar with the genre and are always intimidated by the time limit that some of these games have, as Bandle Tale lets you play at your own pace and even lets you grind skill points. It holds your hand to teach you the mechanics of crafting and gathering, but also leaves you to your own devices to learn the other ways to craft like cooking and fishing.
The game will have you play mini games which is a cooking mini game akin to a very simplified version of Overcooked and a party mini game where you mingle with the townspeople and keep them entertained. These all lead up to you gaining the people’s trust and allowing you to fix the portals on that specific area to tie each place together again.
All in all, the game is pretty simple and enjoyable. It has some depth to it, especially if you want to get into the nitty gritty of efficient farming, gathering, and crafting. But since you’re not under any time constraints, you can comfortably play at your own pace. It’s a shame that this is Riot Forge’s last game, as this game shows the heart of the studio and they definitely dedicate a lot of care and time into this game.
Pros of Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story
| Things Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Got Right |
|---|
|
Amazing Pixel Art Cozy and Simple Gameplay Loop Story Is Pretty Good |
Amazing Pixel Art
The devs did a great job at translating one of the more whimsical creatures from League of Legends into this game. The choice for choosing pixel art was perfect and Bandle City being realized into an actual huge world is a great use of the IP.
Cozy and Simple Gameplay Loop
Starting throughout the game, you’ll slowly be familiarizing yourself with the materials to gather, things to craft, tasks to do, and more. It’ll slowly pile up when you get farther into the game, but the best part is that it follows your pace and has no time constraints. It’s definitely a game where you can relax and take things a step at a time.
Story Is Pretty Good
The game’s premise, as said earlier, is simple and I personally link it to Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, where as the main character makes a mess of everything, it’s up to you to fix it as well. The characters you meet along the way are unique, especially the champions in League of Legends as they’re normally the ones that have certain story arcs revolving around them.
Cons of Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story
| Things That Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Can Improve |
|---|
|
Pace May Be Slow Tutorial Is A Bit Confusing Grindy and Repetitive Later On |
Pace May Be Slow
The intro of the game definitely set me back a bit before I finally got the reins to move around the map. It’s pretty slow and it could take you about an hour to finish the introductory area and move on to the "you’re on your own" part of the game. This is definitely subjective, but it’s not the worst offender for pacing.
Tutorial Is A Bit Confusing
Granted, I was expecting the game to completely hold my hand when it comes to the tutorials in the game, and I was surprised that some of them were inconsistent and let you do the actions for some of these tutorials. Embarrassingly, it took me a few minutes to cook a baked beet in the game, as I didn’t realize how to heat up the oven. Some of the UI tutorials hold your hand, but some of the practical gameplay lets you do it on your own, which may confuse some people.
Grindy and Repetitive Later On
To those who are familiar with Lazy Bear, they would know how grindy that game gets and it’s no different in this game when you get midway into it. While the game is simple and cozy, it may prove to be too simple and too cozy as you will find yourself doing some of the same things just to get skills and materials.
Is Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Worth It?
For The Cozy Atmosphere, Yes.
The game is really good at making you feel relaxed and is not in a rush to get you into the game as well. It’s a game that lets you unwind and just enjoy at your leisure, similar to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. At $24.99, the game is very much worth the price, there’s a lot to do, places to explore, things to build, and more in this unique crafting RPG.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
 GOG |
 Epic Games |
 Nintendo |
||||
| $24.99 | |||||||
Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Overview & Premise
Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story lets you live in the world of Bandle City, specifically in Yarnville, where everyone is obsessed with knitting. After attending a party that gets a bit too wild, the portals connecting the rest of Bandle City collapse and throw everything into chaos. With the ability to knit magic in hand, it's now up to you to restore the portals and connect Bandle City back together.
Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story FAQ
Does Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Have Multiplayer?
No. The game is exclusively single player.
Is Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Riot Forge’s Last Game?
Yes. With the recent layoffs that hit Riot recently, Riot Forge was forced to shut down and will not be releasing any more games after this release. You can read more about Riot Forge’s closure in our article below.
Game8 Reviews
Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Product Information
 |
|
| Title | BANDLE TALE: A LEAGUE OF LEGENDS STORY |
|---|---|
| Release Date | February 21, 2024 |
| Developer | Lazy Bear Games |
| Publisher | Riot Forge |
| Supported Platforms | Nintendo Switch, PC |
| Genre | Role-Playing, Simulation |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | Everyone |
| Official Website | Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Website |
