League of LegendsThe lore has become so vast and deep that it can no longer be limited solely by the original game. It’s now spread across projects like Netflix animated series Arcane and the Riot Forge games. Each Riot Forge game is published by Riot and developed by a smaller studio with the freedom to explore a smaller slice of Runeterra. Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story is a crafting RPG set in the magical realm of the Yordles, and it’s the most whimsical Forge title yet.
The Yordles have a long and eventful history League of Legends. They have been part of the game since the original roster of 40 champions, and their lore has been reinvented and iterated over the past decade. While we have seen glimpses of Bandlewood and Yordle society in Legends of Runeterra And League of Legendsthe Yordles have always been a bit mysterious compared to the other factions in the game.
Enter Bandle story, a game set in Bandle City, the mysterious place where the Yordles came from. The Yordles are small, furry creatures that serve as Runeterra’s equivalent of the elves. They are mischievous tricksters, who travel the mortal realms through mystical portals. The player starts Bandle story by making your own Yordle, choosing cute accessories and a set of furry animal ears.
Image: Lazy Bear Games/Riot Forge
This is the first Riot Forge game to feature an original protagonist; every other League of Legends story has an existing champion in the lead role. The player’s Yordle is an apprentice who has just completed a 100-year crafting program on the humble island of Yarnville. Just as the Yordle hero is ready to explore, something goes wrong and the portals that connect Bandle City and provide access to the mortal realms collapse. It takes the protagonist’s knitting magic and ingenuity to repair the portals and save the day.
Bandle story is a crafting RPG, which means it isn’t focused on typical combat. Instead, players must craft items, explore the islands of Bandle City, and throw parties. The player character has a backpack that doubles as a home base; they can drop their backpack and have it transform into a spacious multi-room structure, perfect for knitting, cooking and hosting parties.
Traveling through Bandle City feels warm and welcoming. The game’s pixel graphics look simple at first glance, but the environments have a deeper complexity that keeps things interesting; for example, some rooms are equipped with 3D lighting. Some areas have bright, autumnal colors, with floating islands connected by piano key bridges. Others are paler and more pastel, with impossible Escher-esque architecture built into the terrain. It’s all familiar enough to feel cozy, but strange enough to feel like an extraplanar fae realm. There are also parts of the map that have been claimed by acquaintances League of Legends champions, such as the dark and creepy castle inhabited by the nefarious mage Veigar.
Image: Lazy Bear Games/Riot Forge
As the player’s Yordle progresses, they connect these islands together, and their portable backpack base makes it easy to establish themselves on a new frontier.
While saving the day and repairing these portals, the player will craft useful goods, throw large parties, and fish Stardew Valley style, create stalls to serve piping hot food and take it flying Competition champion Corki. After a series of Riot Forge games that focused on saving the world and engaging in high-octane battles, it’s a welcome change of pace to explore the strange realm of Bandle City, with lower stakes. Sure, the portals going down are pretty bad, but with your knitting magic and a cast of furry friends, there’s nothing you can’t handle. Bandle story is a game about enjoying the journey and stopping along the way to smell the magical, oversized roses.
Bandle story is developed by Lazy Bear Games and will be available for Switch and PC in February. The bigger one League of Legends universe hasn’t been able to delve deeply into Bandle City and the Yordles, and I’m glad this game offers a way to interact with these funny, furry little guys. Now that the world of Runeterra is so often defined by war and conflict, and League of Legends Since it’s such a stressful experience in itself, it’s nice to be able to sit back, put your feet up and plan a rocking dance party.