Mono Entertainment & 
Kodansha
PC and Nintendo Switch
Instead of traditional turn-based combat or flashy real-time brawls, The Fable Manga Build Roguelike hands you a very different way to stage a fight. You’re not pressing attack buttons; you’re making a comic. Each action is defined by a randomized manga panel you must arrange, and the layout flows right to left like an authentic Japanese graphic novel. When the page goes live, the game animates those panels and decides the outcome.
It’s clever, and best appreciated on a big screen. My only regret during playtesting was requesting the Nintendo Switch code first. This isn’t a small-screen experience; after activation issues, shifting to the Steam version became necessary. Unless the handheld is attached to an adapter for a big screen, enjoying the art is like squinting to appreciate the details.
The core mechanic is simple and satisfying. You place a card—really a manga panel—onto a blank page. Once assembled, the page resolves in classic right-to-left, top-to-bottom order, turning your storyboard into a full animated encounter. While what actually happens isn’t far removed from other roguelikes, the presentation adds charm and freshness. The urban setting is well represented.
Fans of Katsuhisa Minami’s long-running series will get the most from this adaptation. The original manga follows a professional killer ordered to live a normal life, and presumably lie low for the gang he works for. Given his reputation, staying out of trouble is impossible. Everyone wants a piece of him, and any misstep risks blowing his cover.
The premise reminded me of Sakamoto Days (review link), the cheerfully violent comedy about a shopkeeper who is most certainly not retired. This game borrows a touch of that spirit, especially in how new allies join you. Also, you’re expected to neutralise threats without killing anyone. Success relies on smart use of non-lethal techniques—disarms, knockouts, clever positioning—while obeying the “no killing” rule.
Akira, known in the underground as Fable, is equipped with only a pistol and his wits. He and Yoko, ordered to act as his sister, attempt their ordinary life in Osaka—presumably where the game is set—while running into a surprising number of thugs. Although the gameplay loop didn’t sink its hooks into me enough to make this a regular pick-up-and-play title, I admire how boldly it breaks from genre conventions. The underlying idea deserves further exploration in future games.
I’m not expecting a physical card tie-in anytime soon—I’m still side-eyeing Wizards of the Coast for refusing to match digital and real-world cards—but the potential is here. With the right push, this approach could evolve into something more than another digital-only collectible. As a companion to an established franchise, The Fable: Manga Build Roguelike offers a taste of what hybrid storytelling can become, and hints at how hypertext-style game narratives might make a comeback for players who love the medium.
4 Stars out of 5
Pros:
- Novel concept on the deck-building combat experience
- Based on a long-running manga
Cons:
- Not designed to be a small-screen experience
- Readers unfamiliar with the manga reading experience will have to adjust to how panel layout works
The Fable Manga Build Roguelike Trailer
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