League of Legends meets Stardew Valley in Yordle-themed life sim Bandle Tale

The universe of League of Legends is getting a Stardew Valley-style spin-off in Bandle Tale: A League of Legends story.

Set in the mysterious world of Bandle City - an area of the League of Legends universe that's home to the diminutive Yordles and has never been seen in a game before - Bandle Tale was revealed during today's Nintendo Direct.

From @lazybeargames comes Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story, a crafting RPG set in the whimsical world of Bandle City. When the portal system collapses and throws everything into chaos, it’s up to you to save the city—and your yordle friends! 🍄🌼🕳️ pic.twitter.com/ASWRqGIWjSSeptember 14, 2023

The likeness to Stardew Valley is immediately clear. While you're not actively cultivating veggies, there's plenty of the 'cozy life sim' vibe to Bandle Tale. Gather resources, decorate your home, and get to know the city's other inhabitants - many of whom are the stars of League of Legends. It's enough that the responses to the game's trailer are already filled with comparisons to ConcernedApe's iconic game, which has become the modern touchstone for all things farming life-shaped.

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While it might not have come from the minds behind Stardew, Bandle Tale does boast some significant indie pedigree. Released as part of indie spin-off label Riot Forge, Bandle Tale is being developed by Lazy Bear Games, best known for dark, medieval life sim Graveyard Keeper, which launched in 2018 and earned some impressive Steam reviews. As the name might suggest, Graveyard Keeper offered a pretty grisly take on the genre. It's acquired something of a cult following over the years, so it's interesting to see Riot pick up the studio for something new, albeit a little more cuddly.

Bandle Tale was shown off alongside Song of Nunu, which comes from Tequila Works, best known for puzzle adventure game Rime. That game is set to launch on November 1, while Bandle Tale is coming to Nintendo Switch and PC sometime in 2024.

Check out our list of upcoming Nintendo Switch games.

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for news, shaping the news strategy across the team. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.