Fablemay be one of the most groundbreaking game franchises in video game history. Since its initial release back in 2004,Fablegarnered a large and loyal following that only grown over the years, allowing the series to become an Xbox best-seller at its peak. The fantasy RPG was truly ahead of its time, but unfortunately, it has been nearly 12 years since the release of the third entry to the main series, and 10 since the Kinect-only spin-offFable: The Journey.
Fans rejoiced whenrumors ofFable 4started swirling in 2018. Then, with Microsoft confirming that the fourthFablegame had started development in 2020, many fans of the series got excited to be taken once more into the high fantasy realm ofFable. However, since the original developer ofFable, Lionhead Studios, closed down in 2016, Microsoft has since announced thatForzadeveloper Playground Games will be lead the series rejuvenation project, inheriting a huge legacy in the process.
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Fable’s Incredible Legacy
To this day, theFablegames are still very much worth playingand that says something about what Playground Games will be inheriting. The first twoFablegame were phenomenal games that are said to have been ahead of their time. The originalFablepaved the way for other fantasy RPGs to take root, especially those where the choices players made during gameplay had direct consequences on their environments. FromThe WitchertoThe Elder Scrolls,Fable’s influence can be found in both obvious and subtle ways.
Another aspect of what madeFablehighly popular within the gaming community was its unique combat system, especiallyFable 3’s underrated magic system. Rather than the button-mashing, slash-and-dodge fight mechanics found in most other RPGs,Fableadded a need for players to overcome their foes with utmost skill in order to gain the upper hand. Players had three combat categories to utilize – melee, ranged, and magic – which they could specialize in or combine as a jack of all combat trades.
However, the most beloved aspect to the franchise is likelyFable’sclassic moral system.Fable’s RPG mechanics were based on a simple choice system of good versus evil, with either choice effecting the player’s gameplay and their environment depending on how far towards either end of the spectrum they were willing to go. Those who were good and pure found themselves sporting a halo and loved by the people of Albion, while those who walked the path of evil had citizens cower in fear as they sported devil horns.
Playground Games and the New Fable
It has been almost 12 years since the release of thewell-reviewedFable 3and a lot has changed since then within the video game industry, as well as the genre of role-playing games as a whole. New technologies have been created and deeper stories have been told; these innovations have only made RPG fans hungrier for another excellent game with each new release.
Playground Games has never developed an RPG, instead making its name through theForza Horizonracing games, which might make loyalFablefans uneasy, but with Playground Games' search for new hires along with those that have already been made, the series should be in good hands. Hopefully it’s utilizing Rocksteady’s Martin Lancaster,Control’s Anna Megill, and other talented developers to their best potential while avoiding all the mistakes that Lionhead Studios made. The land of Albion is vast and its lore deep. There’s a lot for Playground Studios to work with, but there is also plenty of potential for a completely different perspective.
Fableis in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
