A couple of days ago, Microsoft revealed its Xbox Game Pass selection through October 1. While it’s possible there are a few surprises, fans know what’s getting added to and leaving Game Pass through then. There’s a wide variety as usual, but Sable stands out for the rest. It is launching day and date on Xbox Game Pass, and as a smaller indie game made by two developers, it’s possible subscribers don’t know a lot about it.

First, Sable is an open-world exploration game with a focus on movement, puzzle-solving, and adventure. There is no combat and the story is not cut and dry. Players take on the role of a young girl named Sable, who is searching for a rite-of-passage mask for her coming-of-age Gliding ritual so that she can return home. Returning home is, in fact, the end of the game, but when to return home and everything that happens before is up to the player.

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Sable Premise and Story

In the mysterious desert of Sable, players will encounter puzzles to solve, ruins to explore, and characters to help. These quests of sorts are packed with historical and cultural worldbuilding dialogue branches, sometimes even including choices and so on, and these can be played in any order. The world is described as “rich” and “full of remnants of past civilizations,” which gives the game a unique perspective at least.

Sable Gameplay

World exploration to get there includes a hoverbike, and the rest is rather basic: climb, leap, hover, or glide, something similar to Breath of the Wild. The hoverbike is customizable by the player (as well as Sable’s clothing), with players capable of finding new parts to design it further, and things like wrecking it or taking fall damage don’t exist in Sable’s world.

Indeed, with no combat, no environmental damage (of at least the obvious kind), and so on, Sable’s world is extremely safe. It’s not unlimited, though, as while Sable can climb almost anything, a Stamina meter akin to Breath of the Wild limits players. The exploration is still the key component, with players able to go far and wide to help NPCs along the way, complete puzzles, forge new paths, and find items that help Sable discover who she is—masks, outfits, collectibles, etc.

Check Out Sable on Game Pass

Overall, it’s an interesting premise that fans may want to check out. In terms of concept and art style, fans should be aware of two main inspirations. The overall concept and likely the handcrafted environmental design came from Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Jakku, which seems pretty clear from just looking at the game. At the same time, its art style is inspired by Studio Ghibli and Jean “Moebius” Giraud which will also appeal to some fans.

No matter what, though, Sable is releasing on Xbox Game Pass and it’s one game that everyone should at least check out. To each their own, of course, but Sable offers a unique experience for Game Pass subscribers.

Sable releases for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on September 23.

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