Bug Fables - Blessed or Messed? (Ep. 16)

Have we found the true Paper Mario 3? ...let's see!
Twitter: / fawfulsminion
Patreon: / fawfulsminion
Enjoy!

[@EluTran]

Thank you for covering Bug Fables! It's my favorite game ever, and it makes it every happy to see word about it spread!

[@NicoTheCinderace]

Was wondering when you'd leave a comment on this video. haha

[@idontlikelasagne7211]

hey its the guy who uploaded the undertale soundtrack

[@alvaroperez2349]

Honestly this game deserves the praise for filling the void left by Nintendo, but I’m wondering what the future will hold.

[@superwaluigifan6201]

I thought Undertale was your favorite game!

[@QuagFire101]

I guess you could say you have a spuder sense

[@flameguy21]

I just saw the thumbnail and thought "yo this game is blessed as hell." The moral of this story is to make more indie games about bugs.

[@emperorbooglitch8540]

Ideas?

[@jefferyandbob3137]

arthropods are gamer

[@trevevern6788]

The number one rule of videogames. If it's about bugs, it's amazing.

[@consideratebulbproductions4277]

@@trevevern6788 Why wasn't Cyberpunk 2077 amazing then- alright I'm kicking a decomposing dead horse.

[@sosigonal]

@@consideratebulbproductions4277 Lack of hymenoptera, coleoptera and lepidoptera.

[@reagansido5823]

10:31 "what especially stands out for me are the character designs." (shows thicc bee) Yup. can agree with that.

[@jabroni6175]

I know

[@AzureMoebius22]

I still get a chuckle out of the fact that it takes six of the soldiers to carry the termite queen to her throne.

[@blitz4779]

Gotta appreciate thicc representation

[@matthewmagnani2915]

Blessed. So very blessed. Why the Completionist hasn’t yet featured this masterpiece on his show is beyond me.

[@aureliodeprimus8018]

Maybe he hasn`t heard of it yet? I don`t know by which criteria he chooses Games to complete.

[@Jarack25]

I think the complaint about Vi's and Leif's character development beginning as side quests is odd. If you inserted Vi's fetch quest into the main story, it would feel like detached patting. Furthermore, the claim that Hoaxe's backstory is only found in the DLC comic is completely false, as his backstory can be found in his enemy description (if you, of course, used spy on him). It's even expanded on in the "useless books" mentioned in the video. However, something I'm surprised wasn't mentioned was the platforming, which at times can be painful to get through, especially in ice puzzles or when using the bee-marang. It was made better in 1.1, but not by much. Other than that, I can't speak highly enough about the game and agree that the fact that we are even comparing TTYD and Bug Fables goes to show how much this game does right. Overall, I enjoyed the video and I think this was a good review as always.

[@TrinityCore60]

You know, I’m playing through the game myself (just started chapter 5), and I have a suspicion that Logan chose those thing’s for Awful’s Opinion to freak out over just to have something substantial enough to put in “messed”. The game itself is actually very good.

[@aquamarinerose5405]

"They turned Eddy into a Cinnamon Bun" "I don't know WHY a frosmoth fucked the George Clooney Batman" I'm Dead

[@riolulover9784]

"I smack hoes with an axe it's POINIANT!" My personal favourite.

[@NeonWasInUse]

There's just something about Minion's Delivery on his jokes that never fails to make me laugh.

[@BugsyFoga]

The true paper Mario follow up people have always wanted.

[@slinkybeans2442]

Sticker Star better

[@genemelendez8157]

Even if Vi and Leif’s development is tied to sidequests, it doesn’t matter to me. The scenes of the two of them seeing their family members again legitimately had me in tears, especially Leif. Paper Mario TTYD may have a better story, but Bug Fables definitely has a more charming cast of characters

[@brolytriplethreat]

Honestly, having development tied to sidequests kinda works imo for Vi and Leif. You have to take the extra steps to resolve things or find answers, and to me that makes the whole thing feel more genuine than making up some plot excuse to _make_ the characters take these routes

[@morphstarchangeling8024]

It also doesn't have anywhere near the levels of backtracking that TTYD had in just trying to get General White in chapter 7

[@Dexuz]

Hmmm, I'm not quite sure about the latter statement, sure, TTYD had a deeper narrative, but it lacked the development and characters to carry it out, and that could not be shown better than by the Shadow Queen herself, nobody cares about her because she has no bearing in the story, she's essentially a mcguffin, that becomes the final boss for no reason other than to fuck on Grodus, which it's fine as a motif, but not for much else. Characters are, after all, the base of the pyramid in regards to literature, there ain't no story without the ones that act it, world-building and motifs can only carry you so far. As a narrative, Bug Fables is better than TTYD.

[@mauroperez2848]

Bug Fables has to be one of my all-time favorite games ever. Glad to see this game being showcased in Blessed or Messed. This game really helped fill that Paper Mario itch that I was missing. I still love Thousand-Year Door, but this game is a close second. If I was given a chance to be dropped into the world of Burgaria, I would like to be either a grasshopper, Hercules beetle, or spider.

[@gauvainwittevrongel6799]

The one thing the final boss has for me is the BEST NAME FOR A FINAL BOSS TRACK. I mean holy shit name is good.

[@DementedDuskull]

"Transcending, Overpowering, Everlasting"

[@matthewmagnani2915]

2:02 Fun fact: According to the developers, Vi’s full name is pronounced as “Vee-oh-lay”. That’s because Violet is French for “purple” and it allows her name to rhyme with “bee”. Similarly, her sister’s name is Jaune, which is French for “yellow”. The more you know!

[@kinguskrewus]

Bug Fables is everything a spiritual successor should be to me. It isn't just a Paper Mario clone, because it improves on everything presented in TTYD in every conceivable way, and at least in my opinion, it even manages to surpass its inspiration. I'm a huge fan of all of Mario's turned-based adventures, and Bug Fables made me more happy than any indie game ever had before. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

[@theillustriouscosmowitch617]

It legitimately breaks my heart to know that content creators like this and Rabbidluigi don’t even have that many videos on their channels with over 10K like’s meanwhile lazy slobs like IGN and Watch Mojo churn out molten garbage on a daily basis and earn over 1000000 views in less than a single day (they also have the luxury of being immune to KZbin’s restrictive bs simply on the virtue of being big channels).

[@DementedDuskull]

It was very slow going for Hollow Knight to get the attention it deserved; I like to think that Bug Fables is soon to get the recognition it's owed as well.

[@FantasyJared]

"Living as any species where a garden sprinkler is a goddamn doomsday apparatus..." Oh, Logan. Welcome back, friend. XD Your vernacular is even more on point than usual.

[@michaelnelson1127]

Well, Mr. Minion, you’ve encouraged me to finally get this game off my backlog. In order to avoid specific spoilers, I’ll play this game before finishing this quality video.

[@nebulatheowl]

You're in for a treat, hope you enjoy!

[@bradrizzle25]

Go for it! I’ll just reiterate one point Fawful made, which was DO THE SIDE QUESTS!!! Important story info is related to some, usually the 3 star missions

[@michaelnelson1127]

Update: Just finished it, and it was awesome! And so was the video.

[@nebulatheowl]

@@michaelnelson1127 Glad to hear you liked it ^v^

[@kellytat2190]

Finally someone covers Bug Fables! such an underrated masterpiece.

[@Net_15]

While i got... emotional with the "messed" arguments, and really disagree with em, this vid is still really good any videos covering bug fables is good to spread the word about it. :)

[@Springtime562]

Blessed. I will beat anyone who thinks its messed with a pipe

[@artmanadvanced]

I never did explore Venom Vi. My goto boss crusher was something I dubbed Heavy Drill. Vi lowers defense with Heavy Throw, then Kabbu and Lief tag teams with Frozen Drill.

[@jazz-cat00]

Not even a minute in and Awful's already dishing out the savagery!

[@jackhumphries1087]

0:18 🖕

[@JDWalker495]

He’s Back from Dead,like a Cockroach Welcome back Logan🤘🏿😁

[@alvaroperez2349]

Nintendo: *refuses to go back to what makes Paper Mario great.* Moonsprout Games And Dangan Entertainment: *fine, I’ll do it myself.*

[@googamp32]

DEFINITELY Blessed! It's everything Paper Mario SHOULD be!

[@deucesommerfeld1248]

Optional character development aside, it’s definitely worth the time!

[@theenderengineer1943]

Glad I watched this. I love Bug Fables to death since it was the game that filled that Paper Mario want in my heart. I loved it so much I got 100% on my first run. Yes it has flaws that don't get fully addressed with the patches, but they still put so much love and attention into it, I can overlook these problems.

[@gemraldkid6304]

Absolutely great game. I can certainly appreciate this critical look into it. Personally, I like that most of the backstories were optional. Makes me feel great for going out of my way to find them. That being said, the Wasp King _has_ a backstory? Could’ve fooled me. He’s a relatively cool villain, but I don’t really know much about him. Great characters, this game has. Not everyone stuck with me, but there were plenty of memorable faces. Maki, the awesome veteran adventurer; Mothiva, the arrogant star with a catchy theme; Zasp, her loyal (and actually not the worst) partner and bodyguard; Astotheles, the worn, but still ruthless leader of the desert bandits who will break out of ice turn one just to slap a meal out of your claws; Of course, Team Snakemouth. I share the sentiment that they were one of my favourite parties to be in control of; And, a particularly notable mention to Queen Elizant, the second. Not necessarily my favourite, but the character progression is great. First built up as some sort of power-hungry monarch, she turned out to be a very caring and troubled Queen trying her best to fill the role left behind by her mother. I appreciate the development between her and Leif as well. Oh, and I _still_ don’t know where the bee scientist that you have to give that seed or sprout to in order to get the chompy plant buddy is!

[@Apolleh]

Elizant II is def one of my favorite story relevant non-team snakemouth characters. You learn a lot about her past actions and orders which seemingly build her up as a tyrant, but when she reveals her true colors those same questionable acts are put in a new light without justifying them either. She still ultimately made plenty of bad decisions and she has to live with those consequences, but it's a nice change of pace that her decisions were that of one who was ill prepared to lead a kingdom alone rather than that of a tyrant. She still has to work to right those wrongs, but by the end she learns to stop hiding behind a mask both literal and metaphorical.

[@barelyhere7200]

I haven’t played the game. It’s in my backlog and I will get to it one day but having character development and back stories for main characters and villains be optional just sounds like the stupidest thing. From a storytelling perspective it’s just horrible and as A writer it actually hurts😂

[@consideratebulbproductions4277]

@@barelyhere7200 What I would say is that the opportunity to have the team develop is actually quite genius, as it requires you to actually go out if your way for it instead of it just given to you, representing your attachment the group- in fact, I'd say this about the entirety of sidequests in this game, as while you do get an exceptional reward from them, they actually affect the world of Bugaria. Also haven't I seen you before?

[@barelyhere7200]

@@consideratebulbproductions4277 I respectfully disagree. From a storytelling perspective it’s just bad. Also I have no idea if you’ve seen me before😂

[@consideratebulbproductions4277]

@@barelyhere7200 What do you mean "storytelling"? If it's in regards of how those back stories and development is presented, they're actually present in the main story, but you'd have to go out if your way get get the full conclusion, which makes it all the more satisfying. This isn't Final Fantasy 15's DLC.

[@misterzygarde6431]

I wonder, IF (and I’m saying IF since it’s purely hypothetical) by some miracle Bug Fables outsold Paper Mario: The Origami King, what do you think would’ve happened?

[@finnvaneekelen4966]

Nothing TBH. Maybe moonsprout whould try to make a sequel unlike this timeline where they said they whould wait with that after some other projects but i highly soubt nintndo whould care.

[@karenbonds264]

It's about time you got to this jeweled scarab of a game!

[@poke-maniacchris2965]

The game is goated fr. I haven't even played a Paper Mario game and still *thoroughly* enjoyed Bug Fables! To anyone hesitant to give it a try, I implore you to do so

[@Busy_Bee619]

Honestly this game is tied with me for favorite turned based RPG, with Paper Mario TTYD. Love em both equally

[@burneraccount122]

Yes yes yes! I love this game sooo much I'm so glad your covering it

[@SoicAngellis]

Oh hey, subscription actually worked for once!

[@nateharvey1300]

BUG FABLE

[@Mothbean]

Bug Fables is my second favorite game of all time, so glad to see you talk about it!

[@IreDelValle]

Damm I didn't even know this game existed and it honestly seems cool as fuck

[@austinmorrison6953]

Oh absolutely blessed!

[@Umbrox-57]

My man! Great to see you again

[@FawfulsMinionCountdowns]

More to come!

[@Umbrox-57]

@@FawfulsMinionCountdowns Looking forward to it

[@forbes2062]

I dig the idea of collab blessed or messed videos with Patreon subs. It would be fun to hear a wide range of people come on here and mesh with your unique energy. I just hope the collab vids are a good mix of blessed and messed games.

[@No_Sleepee]

oh my god yes, this is the game I have wanted to see you cover the most!

[@Randomguy-ih5sd]

Bugfables was one of the most fun games I played in a long while.

[@cris3760]

Amazing video, this is (i think) the least messed game of this series!

[@AzureMoebius22]

I played this game out of curiosity and actually liked it. Hoping for a sequel. Ok yeah the limited equip points were definitely a bit too tight for my liking.

[@aneonfoxtribute]

I do understand the dislike of making narratively important sidequests, but it depends on how it's done I think. I've yet to play Bug Fables, so tell me. Are these important sidequests missable? Are they telegraphed to the player at all? If they are neither of these things, then it's entirely the players fault for not doing them. The early Tales Of games (notably for me Vesperia and Abyss) make story important sidequests, never tell you about them, and you can miss them. That's what make those bad, to me anyway. Should they perhaps be in the main story? Yeah, probably. But I think that so long as you're shown that it exists, and you're not given a deadline for them that is any less than "go to the final boss", then it's more incentive to do side content than a chore to do foe the characters backstories

[@matthewbailey2744]

I'm pretty sure the character relevant sidequests are missable. As for telegraphing. The Lief sidequest is heavily telegraphed (As in giant door that the player doesn't/can't enter until later) The Vi sidequest is also quite heavily telegraphed so long as players pay attention to the dialogue. (It's not exactly intending to be subtle)

[@PhantomAarantula]

They're not missable. In fact, I don't think any quests in this game are.

[@Suicutie]

Heck yeah! I'm so glad to see that the video's finally out! Gotta say- although some points are a little exaggerated, I agree with them! I would go as far as saying, Moonsprout Games did really dang well with their love letter to Paper Mario. Although nothing tops Super for me, this game still absolutely has a place in my heart. It's charming, it's got good gameplay, and my favorite point is the music. It all appeals to me so much on an almost childish level- I like bugs, I like cute things, and putting it together with a soundtrack befitting of that exact thing, is pure joy! And Mitch, you did fantastic! It's so surreal to hear your voice up on that video, and you did fantastic! :D

[@tonysonic456]

Ah, Blessed or Messed. How I've missed you. Bug Fables is a game that I've been curious about. I might pick it up sooner or later.

[@BaronB.BlazikenBaronOfBarons]

I honestly loved the hard mode. I feel like if I didn’t have it on, I would’ve steamrolled through the game. Glad I made the choice to turn it on.

[@gfdx3214]

As someone who hasn't played the early paper Mario's, Bug Fables also manages to stand well alone, as I enjoyed playing this game SO MUCH. This isn't just a paper Mario copy, this is a worthy successor with it's own story and elements

[@ToughAqua777]

Bug Fables + Fawful's Minion = Happy Days for All (or me at least)

[@SirLuigi]

I played this on my xbox when my laptop broke and it was such a treat to play through blind and getting to the final chapter brought chills down the spine

[@kirbytheartist3318]

Good to know I was pronouncing the Wasp King's real name correctly this whole time.

[@Driggsdamonstah]

About time you get to my favorite RPG. I’m looking forward to this.

[@dienamo1251]

I screamed a little bit after seeing this in my subscription list, I love this game! Time for me to complain about it because all the good things were already said I always found the music of this game to be underwhelming. It’s composed well, but none of the tracks make me want to come back to them on a regular. They are composed well… and the reality is that my brain just doesn’t like the sound font of Bug Fables. That’s a lame reason to not like it. It’s kind of bumming because I WANT to like it as much as others do. Also the side quests make up most of the game. I feel that’s not a bad thing depending on who you ask, but you can get punished real hard for not doing them and rewarded too great for doing them. I always felt the balancing of the main quest was off on repeat playthroughs because it was determined on how much time I spent doing everything else in the game. Something about that bothers me… in a minor and insignificant way. But having this many side quests, when most of them are really good, still has more benefits to the game. Heck, it might make for a fun challenge run to do none of the side quests.

[@JaketheEmpoleon]

Man you put so much emotion in every sentence you say I’m on the verge of tiers when your just describing anything it’s spectacular

[@lukerton5643]

Bug fables automatic blessed

[@Octav2000]

Wait why is this game here it’s so good

[@cameroncooper5941]

Been on the fence about this one for a bit. Thanks for talking about it.

[@zeroalucard9032]

Alright you sold me I'm gonna get this game when I get paid Sunday it's so cute!!! I can't wait!

[@joshuafarmer3135]

I love how this is probably FM’s own take on CinemaSins and CinemaWins.

[@nothingtoreport1918]

Supremely based video topic. Can’t wait to watch it!!!

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

Nice to see the paper mario true style be done again

[@takanuinuva]

There was a sidequest about the wasp king in the game? I think I might have missed that. I got Leif and Vi's stories done on my first playthrough.

[@andrewcosmicanimations8709]

Well, not exactly. I think they were saying that the wasp king's backstory was locked behind side "content", not side quests. Some of his backstory is hidden behind his spy data and the art book, while you learn where he got his powers from a random npc in an optional area.

[@tanso4564]

Great episode as always^^

[@dubstepbeecorsi6892]

We needed this

[@emperorbooglitch8540]

This is nice, this is a great little video for a little game.

[@jackall-trades6149]

Played this thing on Hard Mode after the first boss. Challenge is great, but those bounty bosses feel like pulling teeth without the novacaine. Game still rocks, though.

[@Apolleh]

At least the bounty bosses are exempt from the usual hard mode rewards, so no reason to suffer more than you need to. The devourer and false monarch I think are the only bosses I turned off hard mode for, the former being an absolute PAIN while the latter I just kept getting overwhelmed by.

[@jackall-trades6149]

@@Apolleh holy crap, I beat the devourer on hard. Not worth it at all

[@firefi1960]

Never heard of this game. But I'm interested

[@djdrizzy9139]

It has as much content as a triple A game (if not more) for only 1/3 of the price! Warning, it is very hard though.

[@CractusJohn]

Ok this has nothing to do with anything but, I really like the little opening animation you made for this, but does the box go from your left hand, and then it’s supposed to be in your right and you smash it against your head? B/c it doesn’t look like anything happened with the right hand to absorb the box, or maybe I’m seeing it wrong, idk. I really like the little animation tho sorry for being so nitpicky. Also LOVE the vid and LOVE Bug Fables

[@GenericJake]

I actually liked the medal system but yeah we needed more points to equip more medals. Also the fact the Leif’s backstory is a side quest actually feels like a good decision for one reason, you have to CHOOSE to pursue it, just like Leif does

[@somekindaperson6751]

eyo, get up dude, there's another video

[@Luke-pt2qf]

Wtf, I just finished Bug Fables yesterday and now you posted this. What a coincidence.

[@AcousticJammTheGamer]

Something you seem to be forgetting here is that Bug Fables is balanced around the hard mode medal you get at the start of the game.

[@aronthegreat2935]

Goodness gracious i love this game more than I can describe

[@AverageEldritchEntity]

And as such, we discovered the truth: the true everlasting sapling was the videos we made along the way!

[@matthewbailey2744]

I think Bug Fables is a fantastic example of something I wish happened more often. A game where instead of sticking to the original game or modding it into a half and half of unique ideas and edited content the devs created their own game, a unique experience that is reminiscent of the original inspiration without trying too hard to be the same thing or step on the toes of their inspiration. Far too often people are overly content to accept the old games that they appreciate despite desiring more, sometimes even going so far as to learn the skills needed to create mods for the original game. All this while being unwilling to take a step back and realize that the source of that nostalgia isn't going to become what they want without moving away from the original and taking the first step towards improvement and innovation themselves.

[@azazeltheundyingdamienkali5700]

As someone who never really played Paper Mario 64 or Thousand Year Door, this game feels like a great showcase of what they're all about, while being its own standalone thing altogether. Also, Vi is best girl, hands firmly down. I have her at the front of the party as much as I can, I give her a lot of the good medals, and I even gave her the Favorite One medal, which boosts the other two's attack when the equippee gets hit, at the cost of lowering their defense; ya know, just to make it official that she's my favorite. Also, if I were to be a citizen of Bugaria? Hm, that's a tough one. Right now, my top candidates are bee, butterfly, and moth. I love the wing patterns of the butterflies, but I don't really dig the proboscis; I'd rather have a normal, visible mouth. The bees are pretty cool, and, need I remind you, Vi, but they're not quite as colorful as the butterflies and moths; plus, almost all of them are female, and I'm male, so I don't know how well I'd fare as a bee. And the moths have some pretty colorful designs, too, but something about their head shape doesn't quite click with me; also, that atomic bitch, Mothiva, is one of them, but so is Leif, so it balances out. I guess each of them has their ups and downs, and I'm not sure which one I think could strike that perfect balance. Sorry for the essay. Great video, as always Mr. Minion! *ADDENDUM (1/27/23):* Hey, quick update: I thought of something, and I now have a bugsona! His name is Twyg, and he's a death's head hawk moth!

[@JezElectro13]

I absolutely love this game

[@MegamanElric16]

Blessed.

[@elyktsorb9832]

I'm not sure where the overt praise for Paper Mario's badges comes in, as most of the different badges in those games completely pale to just running power bounce and danger/peril mario most of the time.

[@shinyrayquaza9]

I loved this game so much

[@bagelgod946]

Bug fables let go!

[@joefire567]

You played this? Yes!

[@fawfulthegreat64]

*Paper Mario 4. SPM belongs with the classics, it was only after that game that the heart of Paper Mario died imo.

[@Jessica_Schweser]

I need to play this and the Paper Mario games eventually

[@nova_strife]

Well i guess that's the nail on the coffin I'll be picking this game up myself when I have some time on my hands

[@mr.one-up2924]

Man this is cool

[@dr.loboto1171]

No offense dude, but you are in a very small minority for missing Leif and Vi's quests. Missing Hoax's backstory is perfectly understandable though.

[@ConsarnitTokkori]

fun bug fables fact: i think elizant might be an ant sometimes. just a gut feeling

[@rockowlgamer631]

Alright looks promising, I'll check it out myself makes ya wish Paper Mario would've stayed the main course as well

[@darkdemonwerewolf]

I have a messed you guys missed. They forgot a panic button and team attacks are useless. What made the paper games a nice extra touch was the deeper into the game you got the more powerful your panic button got IE star storms, stat buffs, heals, whatever you build up to use on someone giving you a hard time. None of that in bug fable and it feels like a big needless spike to the rear. Also you'd think okay well maybe they wanna make it more friendship and party based with having team up attacks be costly but powerful, techincally yes... but it uses up each person's turn... So you could per say do 9 damage to one foe with a team attack.... or do 12 damage to a foe or two with leif's ice shower, skewer though all the foes with kabu and spend the last turn getting your energy back with Vi.... Soo basically the mess is for as powerful as the story tries to talk you up to be you're still gonna feel like you're the same level that you were back at the chapter one boss but now having to fight the final boss. While challenging yes it's not welcomed to be forced into such weakness.

[@GojiraFan-in9oo]

When are you going to update your Top 10 Killjoys video cuz that is one of my all time favorite vids of yours even if it's old. I can't wait to see if anything new's been added, and especially if Blinky still has his title as your #1 killjoy

[@The-X-Territory]

Never heard of this game before, but holy fuck it looks dope!

[@theivoryguy2476]

Hoo boy, this should be good.

[@ultramaster7893]

I love bug fables

[@jirachilegends6750]

I clicked immediately, not gonna lie

[@micahjones2100]

Best paper Mario game

[@CyberDragoon656]

I might be an outlier but I kinda wish in this game and a sequel (which they should do since this was amazing) is that while having the three being the only party members is fine, I kinda wish there was a few more A.) To give some more story to some species of bugs & B.) Give a few more options for combat such as the party members of paper mario and ttyd did to an extent if not make some new ideas from other similar rpgs such as a mechanic bug and such.

[@indiexcorex2694]

I love it only problem is I got stuck because staying at places isn’t free so I can’t heal my party

[@Yuti640]

2:02 Holy crap, someone actually remembers her real name

[@eldartaghiyev8422]

I will buy and play this game someday.

[@therunaway4731]

We need more indie games about bugs