When a new Fable was announced last week, many fans, myself included, cheered and rejoiced at the prospect of a new entry finally shipping. After the wave of excitement subsided, however, then settled into the feeling of dread: Would the game we've been waiting for a decade live up to our hopes and dreams?
Since the reveal, many rumors have emerged that the game is an MMO and not the Fable 4 we've all been praying for. According to a report from Windows Central, inside sources have confirmed that this is not the case and the game will follow a more traditional Fable experience.
But what will this “traditional” experience contain? Or more importantly: what do fans want from a new Fable installment?
It might be easy to think that a simple fantasy setting and a ton of quests can appease the show's thousands of fans, but Fable is more than that. There's a special formula that runs through the series that developer Playground Games will hopefully use to inject their own ideas into the classic brew.
Here's what we hope it looks like.
5. Side Quests
While any open-world RPG can fill a world with quests and NPC task bosses, there's an undeniably beautiful charm to the world of Fable. The series very rarely delivered goals such as "go here and kill X number of enemies". Instead, the Fable evolved in each installment, adding more in-depth and carefully curated quest design to each subsequent entry.
I'm not talking about the main quest, which often develops in wonderful and weird ways. Instead, I refer to the side quests that are often the star of the series, and the series has housed elaborate stories to explore.
Fable 2 involved reanimating a corpse because a scientist wished to bring his dead girlfriend to life; it ended with hilarious results. On the other hand, Fable 3 involved stumbling across a Dungeons & Dragons-like board game, where players were reduced to embarking on an adventure.
Every game has hosted gripping excursions like these, and we can only hope Playground Games can invent more memorable stories for players to get lost in.
4. Humour
One thing most gamers recognize from the start is that the Fable series is VERY British. It features a cast of characters with voices from many British legends, such as Stephen Fry, Ben Kingsley and James Corden. Each has made the world of Albion full of life and personality.
Aside from the required accents, each game is incredibly funny, maintaining a tongue-in-cheek approach to every quest, side quest, and plot point. Sure, the narrative knows when to maintain its quintessential approach and jump into darker territory, but the rest of the game remains charming nonetheless.
Having this humor throughout the player enriches the overall plot with many surprises, twists and turns, which is what a serious narrative lacks, giving the developer the freedom to go in any direction they want.
Maintaining that sentiment will be a key part of the next Fable - and one the trailer presents with confidence.
3. Deeper Decisions
Every entry in the Fable series has toyed with the idea of making decisions; Fable 3 even put players in the shoes of a king and allowed them to make impactful decisions about the kingdom as a whole. However, for the most part these choices have seemed shallow, diverting towards the same end.
With a new entry in the series and games over the past decade truly embracing split narrative threads throughout their stories, it's a concept that needs to be fully developed in this new entry.
The fable has always revolved around morality and how player decisions determine whether they're bad or good, but there's never been much of a gray area. Having a sense of moral ambiguity will ensure that decisions have more impact and resonate more with players throughout their adventure.
Plus, the fact that all of these decisions lead to a dynamic conclusion will go a long way to making "Fable 4" stand out.
2. A natural open world
The areas of the previous ones have been very detailed and carefully crafted, meaning each is segmented, rather than playing as part of a larger open world. Technical limitations have undoubtedly prevented creating a world with the same scale as Skyrim, but now the technology has caught up with these concepts and is ready to be implemented.
Playground Games are proud to create a beautiful open world in the Forza Horizon series. Although it's primarily a car-filled world, each entry feels alive, begging for exploration. Implementing that same sentiment in the new Fable will be a key part of its success.
Fable 2 introduced the orb mechanic, which means you can see other online players in the world as a small floating orb. Forza Horizon adopts something similar with its Drivatar mechanic. Merging the two could bring a deeper connection between the player and the world.
Fable doesn't need a massive open world filled with question marks to investigate or hundreds of mediocre quests and side quests. In fact, the world doesn't have to be huge at all. What it needs, however, is to be detailed and filled with the fairytale charm the series is known for, creating a world that begs to be explored.
1. The dog
Honestly, Fable 2's dog was pure genius, and he created a spectacular connection between the world and the player. Not only was it used in heartfelt situations, but the dog was also a useful mechanic throughout the game.
They sniffed out treasure, dug places, attacked enemies and helped solve puzzles. It could have been easy to make each game feel like a giant escort mission, but the dog was smart enough to get by and brimming with personality.
A new entry without a canine companion would seem like blasphemy at this point and completely eliminate a fan-favorite element from previous entries. The dog's implementation in the latest Fable could create dozens of new interactions and develop a more intense bond as the graphics have evolved over the past 10 years. Honestly Playground Games make it happen!
What do you want to see in the new Fable? Let us know on Twitter!
