Sable is a wonderful exploration game set in a Moebius inspired science fiction world that blends mysticism and futurism into a light hearted adventure game. Although I loved my time with it, I'd recommend to wait a few months as of the time of writing until the developers address some of the technical issues that currently plague the game.

With that out of the way, let's get into the meat of it. Sable is an exploration game where you take control of a young woman in a nomadic tribe. Said tribe has a tradition of sending out teenagers to perform 'gliding' in which you collect various masks to determine your future role in society. The idea being is that you train with different mentors and gain a fuller understanding of the region before settling down for the next few decades. Thus, the core of the game revolves around you travelling to different parts of the map and completing quests in order to collect as many types of masks as possible before returning home.

The main issue I had with the game is that it occupies a proverbial 'no man's land' of game design. It's way too mechanically detailed to be called an exploration game ala Journey or ABZU. There are various quests, puzzle dungeons, stamina bars, a quasi reputation system with different characters. At the same time, the game lacks anything in the way of health or combat, which isn't that much of an issue. Exploration usually rewards you with clothing, which doesn't give you any extra stats or unlock conversation options with some NPCs. As a result, much of the gameplay loop feels like BOTW with some of the mechanics stripped away.

My main gripe with Sable's writing is that it lacks a main plot beyond the 'go out and explore' prompt you get at the beginning. While there are a few cinematic quests that take a few hours to complete, they don't tie into a larger thread or interlock with any other part of the world. I'm not asking to put a 'save the world' plot into an exploration game, but the introduction quest of the oasis city left me wanting more. The lack of an over arching conflict made the otherwise excellent world building feel somewhat static.

It's difficult to put into writing, but visually the exploration in Sable is a joy. Especially when you use subtle hints you get from NPCs in order to find secret areas or bits of world building. The bike you are given at the beginning reinforces the nomad theme the game has, although I wish the game used it for more than a glorified sprint button.

In conclusion, Sable is a good game that's let down by some major design and technical issues. Unless you're really into that sort of visual style and theme, I recommend you wait for a sale or until a content update rolls around.