Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story is a crafting RPG set in the charming, peaceful, and cozy world of Bandle City, where parties are the norm. However, after a party goes wrong, the portals connecting houses are destroyed and chaos ensues. You must use your knitting magic and backpack house to restore the portals and reunite the Yordles that reside there. If you’re a fan of the genre and are looking for a review before you venture into Bandle City, here are my thoughts on this Riot Forge and Lazy Bear Games offering.

I played and reviewed Riot Forge’s previous game, Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story, which was all about the friendship between two unlikely companions – the child “Nunu” and Willump, the Yeti. I had a lot of fun with it, and like Bandle Tale, it’s a cozy game with puzzle elements.

Bandle Tale, however, is a straight-up crafting game, and I want to preface this review by saying that I am the target audience for this genre – Animal Crossing New Horizons is my thing. Games like Spiritfarer and Stardew Valley are right up my alley. There is no combat in Bandle Tale; instead, you focus on throwing parties, cooking, knitting, and ultimately saving the day by helping others and repairing the broken portal network.

You start out as a cute little Yordle with a customizable look, so you can choose his adorable ears, fur color, hairstyle, outfit, and more. What’s more, you can name the character after yourself, so you’re truly part of the Yordle community. And as you cutely waddle around to meet and chat with others on the island, the story begins to unfold. There are no spoken lines in the interactions themselves, but the pop-up dialogue is engaging and never dull – it’s even peppered with humor here and there.