Sableis a wonderful indie game from developer Shedworks that gives players the freedom to explorea vast, beautiful, open worldat their leisure. There are plenty of ruins to uncover, secrets to find, and characters to meet across the pale dunes and towering obelisks of Sable’s world.
RELATED:Sable: Hidden Locations Only Experts Found
But with all of this room to explore, it should come as no surprise that the game has a few issues as well. From performance hiccups to some odd design choices, there are a few flaws thatSablecould smooth out to cement itself as one of the year’s top games.
9Lock The Framerate
Sableis one of the more visually arresting games to come out this year, with a striking color palette and artistic style that sets it apart from others in the genre. It’s especially striking when traveling around the game’s large world while on Sable’s signature jetbike.
Unfortunately,Sableoften can’t keep up with how much is happening on the screen at one time, especially in the busier areas of the game. The framerate can even drop below one frame-per-second while riding the jetbike through asset-heavy areas.LockingSableto a stable framerate would improve performance across the board,putting it in line withmany other games with dramatically improved framerates.
8Reduce Asset Pop-In
The world ofSableis large and traveling across can be time-consuming, especially before unlocking fast travel. Sable’s handy jetbike makes traversing the wastes significantly easier, andcustom parts allow for both creativity and improved functionalityin the bike’s design.
The game runs into problems with asset population, though, and it’s most egregious while driving Sable’s jetbike. Rocks and bushes will spontaneously generate directly in front of the vehicle causing frequent crashes that cut any momentum the player might have built up.
7Clean Up Environment Clipping
Sableis all about exploration; there are secrets to uncover at the top of every natural, rock formation and at the bottom of every crevasse. This makes it all the more frustrating when, after a very carefully executed climb, Sable stumbles over the ledge at the top and slips all the way back down to the bottom.
RELATED:The Best Open-World Games On Xbox Game Pass
Whether the player is trying to reach the top of a mountain or explore the inner workings of a crashed spaceship,the environment often fails to hold up. Sable can get stuck behind barriers she was never meant to bypass, and glitches like this can ruin the gameplay experience.
6Add An Option For Easier Collectible Hunting
Chum Eggs are the one persistent collectible inSable,and picking them up is always worth the effort. Returning them to the Chum Queen earns players a permanent boost to their stamina,similar to the shrinesinThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
But there are dozens of Eggs scattered all across the world, and trying to find those last few Eggs can be daunting. For those players looking to fully complete the game,there should be an element like a compass or a mapthat makes it easier to find every last Chum Egg.
5Better Clothing Options
Sableplaces a lot of importance on the masks the titular character earns throughout her journey. The ultimate goal of the game is to find the mask that aligns most with her lifelong calling, and then choose that mask to end her coming-of-age trip.
However, the masks serve no functional purpose, nor do the various outfits Sable can collect along the way. Everything is purely aesthetic, which is a bit of a letdown when compared tosimilar games with more robust apparel options. Adding functionality to the clothes would make choosing them feel more meaningful and more in line with the game’s themes.
4A More Organized Inventory
Sable’s inventory screen is a bit of a mess. Masks are lumped in with the rest of the clothing, while the collectible Chum Eggs live in the “General” tab alongside caught insects and bike dyes. The key items tab includes maps Sable has purchased but not the rare, ancient trinkets that hint atthe world’s deeper lore.
There’s even a bike parts section of the inventory, but it doesn’t provide any information on the performance of those parts, essentially functioning as a haphazard collection screen. Implementinga more dedicated inventory with a particular place for each item typewould make sorting and chronicling everything much easier.
3More Information In The Quests Tab
The Quests tab ofSable’s menu houses every quest Sable has acquired, both active and complete. While much of the game’s allure comes from discovering new locations and solving riddles without the game holding the player’s hand, some of the quest entries are too slim to offer any sort of help.
RELATED:The Best Indie Games On Xbox Game Pass
Information crucial to completing the quest should be included in the quest description,whether that’s a cryptic clue or instructions on how to catch a particular breed of insect. It would retain the game’s sense of mystery without the frustration of endless backtracking.
2Fix Quest Glitches
Quests are at the heart ofSable, and unfortunately,more than a few of them have game-breaking bugs.And not the bugs players will have to go out and catch for a handful of quests. Two of the quests to earn Beetle Badges either have animal AI that doesn’t work, or the beetles that Sable needs never spawn.
In some cases, the environment itself is the problem: switches won’t depress or a necessary object can’t be interacted with. It’s the most straightforward issue in the game and needs to be addressedfor many of thequests to even be completable.
1Clearer Early-Game Signposting
Exploration is a core concept inSable,and stumbling on a never-before-seen location is one of the best parts of the game. That said, it could benefit from slightly clearer signposting to some important areas early on in the game.
The Chum Lair, in particular, isn’t clearly marked and yet is arguably the most important location in the game. Visiting the Chum Queen earns permanent stamina boosts for Sable,making the Chum Lair a crucial place to visit as early as possible.
