When the newFabletrailer dropped on Xbox’s Series X stage in July 2020, fans of the fantasy RPG finally got their first look at the next incarnation of Albion. While the color scheme and storybook style were reminiscent of past titles, this new incarnation by Playground Games seems to be a new beginning for theFableseries. This will likely include leaving some of the less favored mechanics and features of the past titles behind, so what can fans expect to be forgotten in this new entry? While Playground hasn’t revealed much about its upcomingFablegame, some inferences can be made based on the information released up to this point.
Many stalwart fans of the originalFablefound issue with the latest two main entries, with fans’reviews ofFable 3showing significant disappointment.Fable,the game that started it all, is a mysterious and, at times, dark story about the tale of the player as the hero or villain that will save Albion. It was rich with magic, mysticism, and classic British humor. Players couldn’t get enough. In contrast,Fable 3is dark, but in a literal sense, and magic is mostly replaced with machines in Albion’s version of an industrial revolution. Spells can be replaced with guns, and most enemies have done just that. It’s a complete departure from the world fans grew to love in past entries.
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Back to the Past
If Playground Games wants to make a positive impression with its newFableentry, then it should take a hard look at everything that saw past entries deviate from its core. Guns, introduced inFable 2for starters, have no place in a world where magical projectiles can literally fly out of people’s hands. The storybook magic quality ofFableis what made the game feel so unique in its original form.
The only reason the industrial revolution happened in the real world was because society could no longer maximize physical output without advanced machines, something magic would’ve been great for. As such, it feels odd to emphasize one in a world complete with magical powers. It would also do the new entry well to keepFable 4’s setting in Albion,something thatFable 3began to veer away from, but also the purest, most magical form of the setting.
In the same vein, Playground’sFablecould benefit less from the ideas of science and logic that began propping up inFable 2, and more the sense of humor and storytelling that has made the series popular. While important fields of study in real life,Fableis a world of magic. If the developer frames magic as science that hasn’t been figured out yet, it takes away from the mystery and light-heartedness of theFableworld.
The newFableentry by Playground Games has a rare opportunity. Fans didn’t expect a new title for quite some time after the multiplayerFable Legendswas cancelledand original developer Lionhead Studios was shuttered in 2016. So whenFablewas announced last year, the fans were practically giddy with anticipation. This can be a new beginning for theFablefranchise that focuses more on the stories surrounding these heroes and less on science and capitalism.
Fans of Past Fables
This doesn’t mean thatFable 2andFable 3didn’t have their merits. The writing and humor that players had grown to love in the first entry was still present in the sequels, and the industrial setting even provided some new unique opportunities for storytelling. Some fans have even compiled awish list of originalFablefeaturesthey want in the reboot. Not to mention, the objective fun it was to have the chance to be a king of an entire realm inFable 3.Making choices that had heavy moral and financial consequences was a unique and interesting mechanic that is still fun to re-visit to this day, so while these games were in no way bad, Playground should look at how it can replicate the fun of those games with the charm of the original.
Fableis in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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