Yesterday, I had the incredible opportunity to dive deep into Playground Games’ highly anticipated reboot of Fable. While I’m familiar with the world and characters from previous demos, this was my first chance to get hands-on with the gameplay itself. And let me tell you, it was a blast! The demo largely focused on the city of Bowerstone, showcasing the vibrant characters and the impactful choices that shape each mission. Although there were glimpses of combat, I wanted to hold off judgment until I could experience it firsthand. Now, having played, I’ll say this: I’m pleasantly surprised by what I experienced.
The Heroic Fantasy Reimagined
While the story, world, and characters are crucial to Fable’s charm, Playground Games hasn’t shied away from embracing the action. You play as a hero, and while you can talk your way out of situations, you’ll need to get your hands dirty regularly.
“Heroes are sort of humans plus plus,” explains Ralph Fulton, Fable’s game director. “They’re special, stronger, more charismatic. Combat is where you truly show your differences. It’s a forum for expressing yourself and feeling like a hero.”
Unlike some RPGs that lock you into specific classes, Fable encourages experimentation. You’re free to combine magic abilities with melee combat to create your own unique playstyle. To illustrate this, I played through a mid-game mission called “Mud and Death” twice. Both times, I wielded the same massive two-handed hammer and ranged bow, but the spells were different each time.
Combat: A Symphony of Steel and Sorcery
The mission itself was straightforward, providing plenty of enemy fodder. Reanimated skeletons stumbled towards me, ready to attack. While seemingly simple, they offered interesting interactions. For example, some produced wailing wraiths from their bones when defeated.
The most fun was experimenting with how these undead reacted to damage. Sending an arrow into their knee caused them to crawl towards you. Knocking off their skulls prevented them from aiming, causing them to fire wildly.
Roast Chicken, Anyone?
Lopping off those heads felt great! The satisfying “ping” of a well-aimed shot was accompanied by the visceral impact of the hammer. And then there’s the Befowl spell: turning an enemy into a little clucker. Turning a skeleton warrior into an undead chicken, glowing green and looking far from tasty, is pure Fable. But that chicken can be transformed into a freshly roasted one with a fireball, ending its threat completely.
These experimental actions and their comedic results are what excite me most about Fable’s suite of spells.
“We knew we were going to get humor in lots of areas of the game,” Fulton says. “The chicken spell is funny, but the team really ran with it.”
Some enemies, sadly, are resistant to such foolishness. My demo ended with a boss fight against the Lantern Keeper, a twisted mesh of twigs and branches with a glowing green lamp for a head. Its beefy health bar posed a challenge, and while its woody frame wasn’t a fan of my searing fireball spell, I couldn’t repeatedly target it due to a cooldown on each incantation. That’s where my bow came in handy, firing arrow after arrow into its exposed head.
This fight didn’t mean it was simple, though. The Lantern Keeper has big attacks and can spawn wraiths. While annoying in numbers, these spectral mobs are easy to take down, and at times it became vital that I did so. Letting the boss deal big damage requires a health boost, obtained by collecting green orbs from defeated enemies – a system that pays homage to the original games without directly cloning.
My overall takeaway from playing Fable is that its combat systems feel great to wield, and better than just watching. There’s flexibility in the tools at your disposal and how best to combo them for increased damage. The standard side of combat — dodging, blocking, and parrying with a physical weapon — is smooth. But throw those stylish spells into the mix, and you have a fantastic translation of the original Fable’s combat into the modern age. Just don’t try eating the zombie chickens.
Source: IGN
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