Sable

Sable is a beautiful game, with an astonishing soundtrack and artistic vision, that show us the journey of self-discovery of our young protagonist through an exotic planet, full of sand, mountains and spaceships.

Sable it's a wonderful adventure that, at first sight, can seem slow and with frustrating aspects (slow pace, world apparently empty...), but its universe will hook you up with lots of mysteries to unfold and the main character's journey. All that with an unique audiovisual and aesthetics that will leave you wanting more, even with evident faults.

Sable, with its sci-fi desert, reflective soundtrack and reverent respect for architecture, could so easily have valued aesthetic over impact. But the actual feel of the game experience itself is the oasis in the middle of a desert of incredible ideas and inspiring design choices. Sable concocts a warm world full of delight and character at its edges, and leaves the gaps in between intentionally blank for you to fill with your own stories – and it’s quite unlike anything else you’ll play this year.

There's a melancholia to Sable, wrapped up in the ruined cities and gigantic skeletons dotting its landscapes, but this is balanced with an infectious core of positivity running through the game. What it lacks in drama, it more than makes up for with sheer creativity and grandeur, leaving you with a sense of serenity much-needed and appreciated in these bizarre times. However, it all circles back to the joy of discovery: you might not know exactly what you’ll find as you peel back the layers of Midden, but it’s bound to be interesting.

A few rough edges do not stop Sable from being a one-of-a-kind adventure about finding yourself while alone in the big wide world. I hope Sable can fix its technical issues soon, because what’s underneath is a game full of discovery, tiny nuggets of wisdom and a plethora of ways to customise your insanely cool hover bike.

In Sable, all parts intertwine in a perfect manner. Alone the technical deficiencies currently impair the experience.

Sable clearly has its share of flaws, but it makes a pretty good argument for style mattering more than substance.