Ludography
73/100
Players65 ratings
83/100
Critics7 reviews
More scores
Metacritic52 critic reviews
76/100
Metacritic usersuser score
62/100
GameFAQsSimple-Easy
3.26/5
Player reviews
86% positive5,408 reviews
Steam Deck
Verified
Runs on
Windows
Price
US$24.99

Where to get it

Sable cover

2021 · Shedworks · Adventure · Indie

Sable

Timed Xbox exclusive

Sable is a coming-of-age tale of discovery through exploration across a strikingly rendered open world desert. Go on a deeply personal journey across an alien planet while learning its history and discovering Sable’s place in the world.

Released
23 September 2021
Platforms
PlayStation 4PlayStation 5WindowsXbox OneXbox Series X/S
Genres
AdventureIndiePlatformerPuzzleRole-playing
Developers
Shedworks
Publishers
Raw Fury
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Third person
Themes
Science fictionOpen world
Country
United Kingdom
Age ratings
ESRB E10+PEGI 3GRAC ALLACB PGUSK 0CLASS_IND L
Languages
Chinese (Simplified), English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain)
Time to beat
7.5hmain story21hcompletionist

About

Sable is an open world exploration video game developed by Shedworks and published by Raw Fury. It was released on 23 September 2021, for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and released on PlayStation 5 on 29 November 2022.

Players control Sable, a young girl who embarks on a coming-of-age rite of passage: a search for an appropriate mask and return to her nomadic clan. Exploring the ruined desert planet of Midden, Sable encounters several characters who help her find her place in the world, as well as giving her several tasks that often involve solving puzzles and platforming through rock formations or ancient ruins.

›Story

Embark on a unique and unforgettable journey and guide Sable through her Gliding; a rite of passage that will take her across vast deserts and mesmerizing landscapes, capped by the remains of spaceships and ancient wonders.

Explore the dunes on your hoverbike, scale monumental ruins and encounter other nomads as you unearth mysteries long forgotten and discover who she really is behind her mask.

With its unique art style and original soundtrack by Japanese Breakfast, envelop yourself in Sable’s world and explore everything at your own pace. There is a lot in this world just waiting to be discovered. Do not be afraid. Take the leap.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Sable is an open world exploration video game, in which the player can roam and adventure in a non-linear way. The game has no combat or set storyline, since the narrative is explored through NPC dialogue and environmental cues, such as remnants of an ancient civilization left to interpretation. It emphasizes simple puzzle-solving and discovery, traversing sand dunes and ruins. Platforming mechanics are put into place through a stamina gauge that allows for running and climbing, as well as the ability to glide in mid-air.

Parts of the game are customizable, such as Sable's hoverbike and clothing, including the story driven masks. Both hoverbike parts and clothing items can be acquired either by simply exploring the game's world, or by completing quests given by an array of characters, which often revolve around collecting small materials such as bugs or fruit. While clothing is purely cosmetic, with the exception of a few masks, different hoverbike parts affect how the player traverses the world of Midden, with different parts offering several degrees of maneuverability, acceleration and top speed.

Development

Daniel Fineberg and Gregorios Kythreotis began development on Sable in 2017, working in a shed belonging to the latter's parents. The two-person indie development team is known as Shedworks. Writer Meg Jayanth also contributed to the game, while musician American singer-songwriter, Michelle Zauner, using the name of her band Japanese Breakfast, provided the game's soundtrack.

The game's concept came from the planet Jakku on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Its art style was inspired by the sci-fi works of Jean Giraud (who is commonly known under the name Mœbius). The game was also inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Each of the game's environments are hand-crafted. An extensive art book titled Sable Design Works was published by Lost in Cult in 2024.

Reception

Sable received "generally favorable" to "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.

Jonathan Peltz, writing for Wired, praised the game as "[...] gorgeous and endlessly GIF-able". Alice Bell of Rock Paper Shotgun, credited the game for looking "[...] fabulous in the flesh" and managing to meet the aesthetic expectations set by trailers and teased content.

Awards

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Xbox Series X/S23 September 2021Worldwide
Xbox One23 September 2021Worldwide
Windows23 September 2021Worldwide
PlayStation 529 November 2022Worldwide
PlayStation 429 November 2022Worldwide

Games like this

Collections4 collections

Years

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.