Since I’ve never been a MOBA or a League of Legends fan, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed some of the peripheral projects that have spawned from that game universe. Between the amazing Netflix series Arcane to the charming “boy and his beast” adventure Song of Nunu, it’s been great to enjoy elements of the world that the original title created, without needing to know anything about it walking in. Bandle Tale follows in that same mold, proving to be accessible to people with no exposure to the League of Legends world, though I’d imagine there’s a nice value-added bonus to people who are already familiar with it.

One of the best draws for the game, though it also ends up being a bit of a weakness, is that it sort of does its own overall thing. You’ll embark on an RPG adventure of sorts, with a storyline and higher-end objectives to meet at each town you visit along the way, but there are also pretty extensive skill and crafting systems that are necessary to keep you moving on your quest. In addition, there are what amounts to mini games for events that you’ll need to pull off to gain currency or otherwise impress townsfolk with, whether it involves quickly preparing food for them Diner Dash-style or trying to make sure they’re entertained at more of a social event.

While all of these systems do add to the game’s depth and variety, they can also prove to be a bit overwhelming. Part of the problem is that while the game does try to be helpful and bring you up to speed on some of the aspects of the crafting and mini game systems, you’re also left to figure out quite a lot yourself through brute force trial and error at times. They really try to provide you with a load of information on a variety of screens, which I appreciate, but sometimes figuring out what you need to actually do to advance can be a challenge. Add to that the fact that in order to satisfy tasks you’ll need to repeatedly walk around from place to place, which can often feel like a waste of your time, and there are some cracks in the veneer of polish for the game as a whole.

In terms of a recommendation, while I’d initially had hopes that it would be a sure thing to encourage just about anyone to pick up, a number of hours in I’m a bit more cautious. If you don’t mind spending a fair amount of time on more mundane tasks, walking around, and doing a fair bit of grinding in order to satisfy your skill areas, there’s some great content to enjoy here. If, however, that sounds like it would border on being tedious I’m here to agree with you on that point, so it won’t be an adventure for everyone. If you’re on the fence, it at least comes in at a reasonable price, but you may be better off being patient and waiting for a sale.