Bandle Tale A League of Legends Story review - Full of yarn and full of charm

Riot Forge Games' League of Legends spin-off trend has been paying off handsomely in recent years, with Bandle Tale being one of their latest success stories. Developed by Lazy Bear Games of Graveyard Keeper and Punch Club fame, this adorable video game featuring iconic LoL Champions is a cozy adventure from start to finish. Due to its nature as a crafting RPG, it will likely evade many gamers' radars.

Those who do stumble across it will likely encounter a comfy little game that will occupy them for a few dozen hours with its bucketfuls of sweetness and charm. Here's our full review of Bandle Tale A League of Legends Story.

Bandle Tale welcomes all explorers to Bandle City

Let's get this party started (Image via Lazy Bear Games)

While this is a League of Legends spin-off, it doesn't center around any of the beloved Champions from the popular multiplayer game. Instead, players step into the fuzzy soles of hamster-like creatures called Yordles, with some modest customization options. Once fans have created their Yordle, they will step out into the world of Bandle City.

This magical world is largely inhabited by Yordles, who use yarn magic to get things done - including teleporting between realms. After completing their apprenticeship and being equipped with a handy Knitted Leg to help them move around quickly, the player Yordle is free to explore the outskirts. This brings them to a party where things go awry.

A catastrophe to turn the entire Bandle City upside down (Image via Lazy Bear Games)

In other words, the player's friend Clover goes missing after being sucked into a portal. Furthermore, this also causes the realm's entire portal network to fail. As such, players must embark on a brave journey to fix things. On this path, they will meet some fan-favorite Champions, such as Teemo and Tristana.

Each Champion boasts a distinct personality, as fans have come to expect of them, and plays a key role in the game's overarching story for both progression and humor. But what about gameplay?

Rise and grind in peace and serenity

The world is teeming with new items to craft as well as new friends to make (Image via Lazy Bear Games)

Those who are fans of simple laid-back games such as Stardew Valley will feel right at home in Bandle Tale. The game is a largely linear narrative adventure with lots of crafting and exploration to engage in. Its heavy focus on experimentation is made clear right from the start as players craft their first rope using collected yarn.

Various interactive objects are scattered around the world, like bushes, raw materials, and more, which are essential to crafting more and more complex items. I will admit that it can feel fairly overwhelming at first with the game sending players from point A to B. Activities in the action RPG range from gathering resources and completing tasks for others to cooking, fishing, throwing parties, and more.

The young Yordle will start off small (Image via Lazy Bear Games)

At its core, however, the gameplay loop here is fairly simple. To track down their friends, the player must visit different islands in Bandle City and bring back their portal networks online little by little. What ties everything together is the progression. There are two key elements here to discuss: Emotions and Badges.

The former is an EXP system. The player Yordle has an Emotion gauge and can earn Emotions for virtually every action - from harvesting resources and crafting items to coming across scenic environmental spots. Upon filling this gauge, players can rest in bed to turn them into skill points, which help unlock new skills and abilities under massive skill trees under four distinct categories.

Each category has varied skills, spanning extensive skill trees (Image via Lazy Bear Games)

Players will start off with basic workbenches and tools, but over time, they will be able to make more elaborate gadgets and contraptions to help them aid the denizens of Bandle City better. There is no combat here, no enemy encounters to face - just a good old slow burn of a game wrapped in a wholesome story celebrating friendship and a sense of community.

Badges, on the other hand, are pre-defined progression roadblocks that also keep players from unlocking more complex skills early. In other words, players have to advance the story and/or perform objective tasks to wrap them up and earn rewards. Speaking of which, the main currency of Bandle Tale is stars. These are obtained by earning the favor of fellow Yordles and keeping them happy.

Performing the latter has many methods, from selling unwanted items under the vendor shop or taking food requests in a cooking minigame for the Food Stall. Earned stars allow the purchase of useful items and consumables from shopkeepers. Despite its linearity, the goal in Bandle Tale is for players to do things their way and this is where customization comes in.

A place to call home

Home upgrades allow for larger indoor space (Image via Lazy Bear Games)

Early on in Bandle Tale, players will acquire a magical backpack that can turn into a house - ideal for any adventurer seeking to explore the unknown away from their homeland. Players can set down their house at designated spots around the five islands in the game, allowing for a moment's respite. While initially a tad cramped, the interior lets players place benches and workstations.

These include a dining table to eat food on, chests to store items in, a loom to craft threads, an oven for cooking, and much more. While players will eventually be able to upgrade their homes and get more space, most of their time will likely be spent pulling at various carpets attached to the outdoor area. These offer extra space to host events like parties, food stalls, and so on.

Everyone likes partying (Image via Lazy Bear Games)

Whether fussing over home decor inside or arranging furniture outside for a Student Mixer event, space management is key due to limited blocks. These moments of brainstorming also extend to said events themselves, like the eatery requests as players need to prep plates, stoke their oven, and gather all food ingredients before taking on requests Overcooked-style.

This adds a much-needed spice to the otherwise mellow journey, that is well-crafted in most areas. I say most because the nature of Bandle Tales gameplay is bound to introduce some level of tedium. As players take on different side missions and progress through the narrative, they will likely become tired of running all around the place to harvest the varied resources located all over.

Paired with the stamina system, it does slow down the already slow-pacing of Bandle Tale. However, that is only a small blemish on a fairly enjoyable game that will scratch an itch for many players that they never knew existed.

Graphics, performance, and sound

Beautiful indeed (Image via Lazy Bear Games)

Needless to say, Bandle Tale stuns with exquisite detail despite its pixel-art visage. The HUD scaling is odd at higher-than-1080p resolutions, but keeping that quirk aside, the consistent visual style is a joy to behold for the 30-40 hours the story lasts. There are no graphics settings options here as this is a very undemanding game due to its pixel graphics.

This also means performance is rock solid across the board. The sound is wonderful as well, with joyous, fantasy tunes as expected of a merry game like this. On a somewhat unrelated note, players need not be League of Legends fans or have knowledge of the franchise lore to enjoy Bandle Tale due to its standalone nature.

In conclusion

Bandle Tale oozes with serenity throughout (Image via Lazy Bear Games)

Bandle Tale A League of Legends Story embodies the term "relaxing" in nearly every facet of its yarn-stuffed goodness. This wholesome narrative is a nice welcome pace from the chaos of other modern titles like the co-op TPS Helldivers 2. Despite the League of Legends tag, this is a chill laid-back adventure anyone can enjoy due to its accessible gameplay and appealing vibe.