Players today who hear “RPG” might think about intense characters and extremely immersive worlds. As such, players might seem easily overwhelmed when an RPG bombards them with hard-hitting choices and narrative options too early in the game. Thankfully, games like Fable helped players see that RPGs don’t necessarily have to approach gamers with a heavy story. In fact, thanks to Fable, players can play a rather chill experience with just enough of a serious undertone to keep them engaged.
As such, when Playground Games announced a Fable reboot, it’s natural for fans to get stoked. After all, RPG fans can finally get a game that’s hopefully both intense but highly entertaining at the same time. However, given Fable 3 and the new announcement are 10 years apart, fans may have new expectations for the title. Just what might fans look for in the Fable reboot, especially coming from the classic games?
10 Yes Please: A Simpler Time
Fans of the Fable series will remember the first time they booted the first game. Unlike more serious fantasy RPGs, Fable makes it obvious that it wants to have a much lighter approach to the genre. As such, interwoven in its grand (albeit simple) fantasy story are hours’ worth of simple yet entertaining dialogue that will definitely give players a good time.
Moreover, if they plan on retaining the game’s more humorous undertone, a simpler medieval setting might actually work. After all, its sarcastic humor, delightful British setup, spectacular magic, and fairytale aesthetic remain a signature of the franchise. As such, it’s a delight to see the teaser imply leaning away from Fable 3’s more industrialized and serious setup.
9 No Thanks: Industrial Setting
Fans of Fable still have contested feelings regarding Fable 3. After all, the latter’s more industrialized setup didn’t seem to retain the innate “charm” of the previous games’ more “classic” medieval fantasy setting. In Fable 3’s more industrialized Bowerstone highlighted Renaissance-era architecture, guns, and a much more serious tone. If Playground Games will indeed make this new Fable game a reboot, they might want to do away with the industrial setting.
What some players didn’t appreciate from Fable 3 would be its rather more “serious” tone. Aside from fighting for a throne, the game contains a rather more mature outlook on hardship and transitioning into the Industrial Age. And while these in themselves aren’t bad, they do make Fable 3 seem to be more akin to other “more serious” RPGs instead of its more “innocent” trademark.
8 Yes Please: The Heroes’ Guild
Eagle-eyed players will likely notice some familiar imagery throughout the Fable reboot teaser. In fact, the key to this point would be the sword the fairy approaches in the trailer. Players who pause the video can see the symbol of the Heroes’ Guild etched on the hilt, implying some sort of return to a time before Fable 3. After all, in-game lore explains that the Heroes’ Guild has been disbanded between the events of Fable and Fable 2.
A Fable reboot sounds like a plausible place for the return of the Heroes’ Guild. For the uninitiated, the Heroes’ Guild serves as the training ground for Guild Apprentices. They have to train before venturing out and forging their destinies as Heroes. It’s also the place where the Hero of Oakvale, the first Fable game’s hero, trains to become an adventurer.
7 No Thanks: Ruling An Empire
Interestingly, Fable 3 introduces yet another cool player option in the franchise: ruling an empire. The Royal Hero eventually becomes the King or Queen of Albion at some time in the game, and they have to make decisions for the kingdom. And while the problems NPCs present are entertaining, it seems “un-Fable” to expect players to get stuck ruling an empire.
On a related note, having to rule an empire in Fable 3 does seem to break a bit of immersion. Of course, it’s true that reclaiming the throne remained a crucial point to the hero’s story in Fable 3. However, if the Royal Hero has to rule the kingdom first, what reason do they have to still explore the world around them? While the kingdom mechanics remain entertaining, this overlap in immersion seem to diminish the fun in Fable 3’s experience.
6 Yes Please: The Humor
The frog eating the fairy in the Fable reboot teaser says enough about the tone of the game. And for a lot of Fable fans, this dark humor serves as a refresher for a lot of RPG enthusiasts. After all, many RPGs today tend to have much deeper and more serious narratives. As such, this pattern often makes playthroughs intense and emotionally taxing. Hopefully, the Fable reboot takes a step back and allows RPG fans to enjoy “just being the Hero” in a more straightforward story.
Moreover, the Fable reboot hopefully returns much of the more comedic parts of the franchise’s universe. For instance, a lot of side quests in Fable become fan-favorites thanks to their entertaining nature.
5 No Thanks: The Fetch Quests
RPG fans share mixed opinions regarding fetch quests. After all, quests by themselves exist to help players level up and get stronger. Unfortunately, devs don’t exactly have enough budget to make each and every side quest unique. As such, fetch quests exist to narrate stories with the same underlying structure. Fable seems to be no guest to fetch quests, either.
Unfortunately, the Fable reboot would hopefully make do with the fetch quests. Instead, the game should hopefully provide more entertaining side stories, even if they’re few in quantity. This way, the world can remain memorable and immersive.
4 Yes Please: Multiple Character Options
Interestingly, one other notable feature across the Fable games would be its variations of players “morphing” the world around them. These “morphing” occurs when players make significant decisions in-game that changes the world around them actively. Across the games, players can change their appearance depending on what stats they increase or what time of the game they’re in.
In later games, more things around the world change. For instance, in Fable 2 and Fable 3, the player’s pet dog can change depending on player Alignment. Moreover, the player’s decisions as Albion’s Ruler also changes the structure of the world.
3 No Thanks: Just One Story
Despite how the first Fable introduced a newer tone to modern RPGs, there’s much to be desired in the story. For instance, making the Hero of Oakvale strictly male does seem a bit restrictive, especially to Fable fans of different genders. However, some might argue that this choice was more to help the game have a stricter, more cohesive narrative with a premade character and setup.
Regardless, the existence of more diverse character options in RPGs today should motivate Playground Games to have a more flexible narrative. Instead of telling just one story from either a “male” or “female” character, Fable reboot can pull off a Fable 3 and let players choose.
2 Yes Please: The Alignment System
Fans of Fable perhaps love the series for its unique Alignment system. In the games, a player’s Alignment (determined by the character’s Purity and Morality) changes depending on the actions they take in the game world. This in itself seems like an interesting gameplay mechanic. After all, this system shows players not only make a difference at the end of the game but also act within the world.
Depending on their Alignment, players can look much holier or much scarier. They can possess halos or horns, and even force NPCs to react differently from them.
1 No Thanks: The Same Narrative
Despite fans calling the new Fable teaser a reboot, Playground Games didn’t confirm anything too concrete about the nature of the game. However, should it really be a reboot, the game would hopefully approach Fable’s first story differently. For instance, players may have had fun playing the Hero of Oakvale from the first Fable. However, a completely new story might also be able to capture their attention.
Moreover, even if Playground Games decides to adopt the same story as the original, the reboot should hopefully introduce new elements. These can be in the form of new characters, new choices, or even newer approaches to the canon.
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