New Fable Promises True Open World & Reputation Reactions from NPCs
Don't worry, you can still become a Chicken Chaser.
After a lengthy period of silence, Fable is back with a new trailer and some information shared at a recent Developer Direct.
The franchise is coming back with everything players love so much about it: the freedom to do whatever they like and the world's reaction to their actions.
Playground Games promises customizable characters, flexible combat, and a "truly" open world where you can go wherever you like and make your own decisions.
Aside from quests and fights, you'll have plenty of other things to do: find side jobs, make your perfect home, chat with NPCs, and romance them.
Playground Games
Speaking of NPCs, each of them will have a name, a job, and a routine, so you could stalk them all day if you're bored enough. This "Living Population" includes over 1,000 characters, who will also notice your achievements and react to your reputation.
"So if a person sees you kicking a chicken, you will start to get a reputation as a 'Chicken Chaser' – and if enough people see you do it, or you do it a lot, that reputation will become one of the things you’re known for in that settlement," said game director Ralph Fulton (via VGC). "And people will react to you based on what they think about that particular reputation.
"But, crucially, different people will view that reputation in different ways. Kicking chickens isn’t objectively good or objectively evil in a way everybody will agree on – it comes down to the unique worldview of the NPC what they think of you because of it."
Playground Games
New Fable starts a lot like the ones before it: you begin as a child, and soon a disaster strikes: you find everyone in your village turned to stone.
This game is a reboot of Lionhead's famous series and will feature some familiar places and people, but Playground says it still represents "a new beginning" for the franchise.
"Fable is Playground’s first open-world action RPG, and we couldn’t be more proud to be carrying on the work of the legendary Lionhead Studios, the original creators of the franchise. And although our game is a new beginning, I think what we’re making is really faithful to the spirit of the classic Lionhead trilogy that we all love."
Playground Games
Playground’s view on the world of Fable is quite interesting to see: "Fable is Fairytale, not Fantasy," Fulton saw in one of the documents and thought it was what made the game unique.
"I guess our interpretation of what that means is that fairytale and fantasy probably exist on opposite ends of a spectrum. I think we all know what fantasy is – it’s The Witcher, it’s Skyrim, it’s Lord of the Rings, it’s Game of Thrones. And I think tonally it’s quite grand, it’s sweeping, it’s geopolitical, it’s serious. You know, you can almost picture the color palette of fantasy."
Playground Games
Fairytales, on the other hand, are "intimate, they’re small stories about regular people; they’re not grand and sweeping, they’re very personal and whimsical and ultimately, they deal with what happens when magic touches the lives of ordinary folks. And also they have this kind of moral component to them."
We'll see where it takes the developers soon enough: Fable is expected to be released this fall.
Don't forget to subscribe to our Newsletter and join our 80 Level Talent platform, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, and Instagram, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.
