We were recently contacted by a small indie studio by the name of Pixel Maniacs about their upcoming game, Fables of Dwale, which they describe as “Dredge meets Fairy Tales”.  I really enjoyed the eerie world of Dredge, so I was curious to see how this game compared.  The trailer showcases a colorful fairytale world that gets spooky after dark, with one character commenting that the darkness makes people go mad.  The developers describe it as this: “Forage, barter and explore a world that lives on after fairy tales end. Harvest fruits of the forest and engage with peculiar fairy folk and characters of folklore, as you uncover the secrets behind a dreadful illness that’s fallen over the enchanted lands.”

According to the Steam page, you play as Red Riding Hood, who is looking for a cure to an illness called the Dwale that seems to infect people who are out after dark.  Along the way, you’ll be exploring, harvesting and foraging, and interacting with characters from folklore.  In a similar fashion to Dredge, it’s not safe to be out after nightfall, and if you must explore in the dark, you must keep your lantern filled in order to protect yourself from the creatures that lurk about in the shadows.  There is also a mechanic similar to Dredge in managing your inventory, where you must be careful with how you arrange items in your basket, with the added challenge of making sure you don’t squish anything at the bottom.  The game also advertises multiple biomes, including the forest, the swamps of Murkmire, and the icy Nanuk Mountains.

Fables of Dwale looks quite intriguing indeed, and I am impressed with the game’s inspiration from Dredge, while clearly taking their own, unique spin on it.  The game will eventually be available on Steam (price currently unknown), but it doesn’t yet have a clear release date.  Needless to say, I’ll be keeping my eye on this one.

All images provided by developer