Bandle Tale is the chill and cozy take we needed on League of Legends

polygon.com:

League of Legends’ lore has grown so large and in-depth that it can no longer be contained by just the original game. It’s now spilled out into projects like Netflix animated series Arcane and the Riot Forge games. Each Riot Forge game is published by Riot and developed by a smaller studio with the freedom to explore a smaller slice of Runeterra. Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story is a crafting RPG set in the magical realm of the Yordles, and it’s the most whimsical Forge title yet.

The Yordles have a long and winding history in League of Legends. They’ve been part of the game since its original roster of 40 champions, and their lore has been reinvented and iterated upon over the last decade and change. While we’ve seen glimpses of the Bandlewood and Yordle society in Legends of Runeterra and League of Legends, the Yordles have always been a bit mysterious compared to the other factions in-game.

Enter Bandle Tale, a game set in Bandle City, the mysterious place from whence the Yordles came. The Yordles are small, furry creatures that serve as Runeterra’s equivalent to the fae. They’re mischievous tricksters, traveling across the mortal realms through mystical portals. The player begins Bandle Tale by making a Yordle of their very own, picking adorable accessories and a set of furry animal ears.

This is the first Riot Forge game with an original protagonist; every other League of Legends story has starred an existing champion. The player’s Yordle is an apprentice who has just wrapped up a 100-year crafting program on the humble island of Yarnville. Just when the Yordle hero is ready to set out and explore, something goes haywire, and the portals that connect Bandle City and allow entry to the mortal realms collapse. The protagonist’s knitting magic and ingenuity will be required to repair the portals and save the day.

Bandle Tale is a crafting RPG, which means it isn’t focused on typical combat. Instead, players need to craft items, explore the islands of Bandle