Fable – Review

Announced in the early days of the Xbox, an action RPG known as Project Ego captured the imagination of gamers everywhere. The game would allow you to choose your moral code, altering the game and your physical appearance based on your ethical stance. You could be the hero that villagers would cheer, or the villain that would make them cower in fear. The choice would be up to you. Three years later, and with a new name, Peter Molyneux’s ambitious creation is done. Fable is finally ours to play.

You begin your journey as a young boy, in the quiet town of Oakvale. It is in this quaint village that you will learn the basic strategies of the game, doing a few small missions while exploring the town and talking to the villagers. Very quickly you will learn about the decisions you will have to make, and how they will affect you. Should you side with the bully, and beat up the small boy? Or will you start out early on the path to becoming a hero, and protect him? Every decision you make has a tremendous effect, not only on the outcome of the game, but also on how the people of Albion view you. These decisions also change the way you look. Should you choose to fight on the side of good, you may notice that your eyes have turned a vibrant blue, and your hair platinum blonde. Choose evil, and you may sprout horns, attract flies, and acquire a strange red mist that gathers at your feet.

After a tragedy strikes Oakvale, you are rescued from your burning village by a mysterious and magical stranger named Maze. He takes you to the Heroe’s Guild, where you will receive your basic combat training. There are three main disciplines used in battle, and the Guild will provide you the opportunity to sharpen these skills in a safe environment.

The first discipline you will learn is Strength, which governs your hand-to-hand combat skills. This area works to improve your speed, strength and agility when using a sword or other melee weapon. Next is your Skills training, which will hone your accuracy with ranged weapons, such as the longbow or crossbow. The final portion of your training is Will, which develops your magical skills. Once you master these training sessions, you are ready to leave the Guild, and set off on your own to take on the challenges of Albion.

Albion is a colorful and immersive world, divided into many different areas. Each area has its own unique qualities, whether it is the landscape, the climate, or the challenges contained within. Some regions have a Cullis Gate, which is a portal that allows you to teleport to any other area that also has a gate. The teleporting system works really well, as it is a quick and easy way to get from place to place. It is a good way to get around Albion, especially if you are anxious to get started on a new quest, or if there are certain areas that you don’t feel like dealing with at that particular time. These gates also help spare you from the incredibly long load times that occur between regions.

The weapons system works well, and one of the nice things about Fable is that you can hold an unlimited number of weapons and items. You also have the ability to augment your weapons with things such as silver or flames. These augmentations are permanently bonded to your weapon, and inflict extra damage to any enemy that is susceptible to that particular element.

Being an RPG, Fable does incorporate the use of Experience Points (XP), but it does it in a different way than most. You have four different levels of XP: General, Strength, Skill, and Will. You will earn General XP every time you kill an enemy. The other three categories of XP are earned depending on how you defeat the enemy. If you only use your sword, you will only gain points in Strength. It is possible to gain points in all three at once, by mixing Strength, Skill and Will into your attacks. When you have earned enough points, you can go back to the Guild and exchange those points for better attributes. Each of the three categories of XP is used to enhance skill from that specific category, while the General can be used to supplement the other categories. So if you don’t have enough Will points to buy the fourth level Force Push spell that you want, you can use any of the General points you have gained in conjunction with you Will points. This works very well, as it really allows you a lot of control in customizing your abilities.

Fable looks fantastic, showcasing lush environments and real time lighting effects. The depth of your character’s physical appearance is amazing. You can play for hours, and all of a sudden you will notice that your character is now blonde, more buff than he used to be, and quite scarred from battle. There aren’t any noticeable lags, even with multiple enemies on screen. There is some lack of collision detection, where an enemy will almost seem to disappear into the floor, but I have only noticed this problem in a few specific areas. Other than these few odd glitches, Fable runs smooth and is a pleasure to look at.

Big Blue Box did an excellent job with the audio, featuring music penned by the famed Danny Elfman. The score, coupled with the subtle ambient noise, creates one of the most atmospheric experiences in a game. Of course, like most games, the dialogue does get repetitive. Villagers seem to have only a handful of phrases, which they repeat incessantly. This gets especially frustrating when you are at your local tavern, trying to enjoy a well-deserved beer.

Sadly, the repetitive conversation is not the only thing that detracts from Fable’s greatness. The targeting system is very frustrating. Since you can kill anybody, you can target anybody. This includes the Traders you agreed to protect, or the guards that have jumped into the fray to fight by your side. The battle scenes can get crowded, and it is very easy to inadvertently kill an innocent. I f you accidentally attack a guard, he and any other guards in the vicinity will become enemies and attack you. This leaves you only two options. If you are in the middle of a quest, you will either have to abandon your mission and leave the area, or risk your good reputation and kill the guards. If you are in between quests, you can just simply leave. You can always teleport back if you have unfinished business.

The menu is clumsy, as well. You will sometimes have to cycle through four levels of the menu system, just to find the item you need. The “quick menus” in the two bottom corners of the screen allow you to store items you use most often. This sounds like a good idea, until you realize that the game sometimes takes it upon itself to decide what item you need in a particular situation. You may have a button programmed as a certain item, but the game thinks something else is appropriate. For example, you may wish to flirt with one of the local ladies, but the menu has determined that you can give this woman a gift, and has defaulted to the emerald that you have been saving for that “special someone”. Instead of flirting, you have just given away a precious stone. This is even more frustrating when it comes to the spell menu, but I will let you experience that joy on your own.

Despite it’s few flaws, Fable is an incredibly enjoyable game. There are so many different ways to approach the game; it can easily be played again and again.

Female Perspective: The biggest mark against Fable in this area comes from the fact that you cannot play as a female character. Many games are offering this feature as an option, and it is too bad that Big Blue Box did not incorporate it. On the other hand, without giving too much away, there are some very strong female characters present in Albion. Also, you can choose your player’s sexual preference, so if you want to have a man around the house, you have that option.

Conclusion: This game is definitely what you make it. If you choose to run through it, you will probably be disappointed. But if you take the time to explore Albion, and appreciate all that it has to offer, you will be amazed. With a great story and surprisingly accessible gameplay, this game will be sure to please.

Fable is indeed a fantastic adventure.

Review by Jocelyn

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