Sun, sand, and soul-searching: Edge 362 explores Sable's bittersweet open-world coming-of-age story

Sable
(Image credit: Edge)

Three years since its debut at the PC Gaming Show, Shedworks' widely anticipated open-world adventure Sable is finally nearing release. In the latest issue of Edge, we catch up with studio founder Gregorios Kythreotis – who has produced a bespoke piece of artwork that adorns the cover of E362 – to find out what makes its beautiful, Jakku-inspired sandbox tick. 

Taking cues from Team Ico's output and The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, Sable's world nevertheless has a feel and mood that's all its own – helped no end by evocative sound design from Martin Kvale and an emotive score from Michelle Zauner, aka Japanese Breakfast. "The whole process has been amazing," Kythreotis says, of working with the pair. "At least I can say [with confidence] that this game's going to sound good."

Those who played the recent demo on Steam and Xbox may be surprised at just how much freedom you're given. The opening, as Sable prepares to embark upon a rite of passage known as Gliding, is misleadingly dense: once you're in the world, it's entirely up to you where you head next.

It’s a place where key items don’t simply magic into existence when you’re told about them: you can complete quests without ever having spoken to anyone, and the game will simply roll with it. "The main thing that we wanted to encourage was this idea that the player wouldn't feel like if they came across something before they should, that they would be punished for it," Kythreotis says. 

The result is a game that avoids the traditional open-world shopping list to gradually tick off, in favour of a story where you set your own goals, and where the discoveries feel all the more organic and satisfying. "It really feels like [the players] are the ones uncovering it rather than you standing over their shoulder being like, 'Yeah, look in that corner there,'" Kythreotis explains.

Highlights from Edge 362

Steam Deck

(Image credit: Valve)

Still, sometimes it pays to have a little guidance, so allow us to direct you towards some other highlights from E362. In Knowledge, we run the rule over Valve's Steam Deck, and explain why those 'Switch killer' headlines don't really do it any favours. We find out how Sheffield indie Steel City Interactive is set to define the future of boxing videogames. And in our Hype section we take a look at Annapurna's spectacular rock odyssey The Artful Escape, indie immersive sim Weird West and Soulslike sequel Salt & Sacrifice, as well as talking to the team behind Early Access hit Phantom Abyss.

It's a strong month for reviews, too, with the first verdict on Digixart’s endlessly surprising Road 96, alongside Neo: The World Ends With You, Death's Door, Last Stop and more. And accompanying our comprehensive review of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles are some fascinating insights from creator Shu Takumi. 

With a retrospective dedicated to how Bionic Commando Rearmed reinvented the arcade game for the download generation and a look at how today's developers are taking retro revivalism to new extremes, E362 is a packed issue – and it’s on sale now. 

Edge 362 is in UK shops now, and can also be ordered for delivery via Magazines Direct. To buy the issue digitally, head to Apple’s App Store or PocketMags.

Edge Staff

Edge magazine was launched in 1993 with a mission to dig deep into the inner workings of the international videogame industry, quickly building a reputation for next-level analysis, features, interviews and reviews that holds fast nearly 30 years on. 

Read more
South of Midnight Big Preview hero image showing Hazel looking out across a vast landscape with the Benji tree drawing central focus
After playing 2 hours of South of Midnight, I'm convinced that it has the sort of off-kilter energy that can define Xbox's 2025
Big In 2025 montage image showing Sam Porter Bridges with Lou, and various hiking delivery situations in new environments like sandy dunes
Electric guitar battles are cool, but Death Stranding 2's real secret weapon? The fear of slipping down a sandy dune
A giant crocodile from South of Midnight breaking out of a Big in 2025 frame
South of Midnight's gothic folk tale could be Xbox's ace up the sleeve for 2025
South of Midnight screenshot
South of Midnight wants you to feel like you're "inside a miniature" – and after playing one chapter, I want to stay in this world forever
Boro and Alta sit on a bench together in Wanderstop
"It's OK for me to move on": Years after scoring Minecraft, composer C418's latest project is about running a cozy tea shop with a "stupidly complex music system"
Wanderstop screenshot showing the main character sitting on a bench next to a jovial man holding a cup of tea next to a Big in 2025 logo
Wanderstop is a cozy management sim about a burned-out warrior who'd much rather be fighting than running a tea shop
Latest in Games
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"
The First Berserker: Khazan protagonist
The First Berserker: Khazan isn't even out yet, but the new Soulslike RPG already has over 1,300 94% positive reviews on Steam from early buyers
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"