Fabled Lands is a challenging old-school narrative RPG set in an open world. Complete quests, fight, trade goods and develop your character. Explore a vast land of adventure: travel across the war-torn kingdom, survive the plains of howling darkness, and escape the Court of Hidden Faces.
You can freely roam this vast, open game world divided into distinct regions. Each region contains its own locations, quests, and random encounters for you to discover. Rather than following a linear path, you can choose to pursue set quest objectives or simply wander, experiencing unexpected events and opportunities. Interacting with the world often requires making skill checks, where your character's stats determine the chances of success.
At the start, you select one of six character classes - warrior, wayfarer, rogue, priest, mage, or troubadour. Each class features unique starting stat distributions and special abilities. As you progress, you can increase your stats and learn new skills by completing quests and finding gear. However, character advancement remains limited, preserving the game's challenging and replayable nature.
The turn-based combat system demands careful resource management. Each round, you must wisely allocate your limited action points to effectively utilize weapons, spells, and special abilities. Engaging in combat can be perilous, as a single unlucky dice roll can swiftly lead to your demise. You must weigh the costs and benefits of fighting versus avoiding confrontation through stealth or diplomacy.
A high degree of randomization defines the gameplay. Encounters, locations, and outcomes can vary greatly between playthroughs, creating a sense of unpredictability. You must constantly adapt to changing circumstances and make the most of the resources and opportunities available.
The game offers an "Ironman" mode with permanent death, heightening the stakes of your decisions. For a more forgiving experience, you can utilize the save/load system, though some find this diminishes the inherent tension and challenge.
The gameplay closely mirrors the choose-your-own-adventure structure, dice-rolling mechanics, and open-ended exploration of the classic Fabled Lands gamebook series. This design choice will strongly appeal to fans of the source material, who appreciate the authentic recreation of the beloved gamebook experience.