Gamescom 2013: Fable Legends First Impressions Preview - Is This Really The "Ultimate Fable"?

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Dan Webb

For months, the rumour of a Fable MMO have been washing across the internet. The once single-player game seemed destined to be heading that way, if a number of job listings were to be believed, but at Gamescom 2013, Fable Legends was unveiled and according to Lionhead, that isn't the case.

"Fable Legends isn't an MMO," says John Needham, Lionhead Studio Boss, "It's an online game that combines the classic Fable gameplay that we love with the online capabilities and graphical power of the Xbox One. This is truly a next-generation RPG."

According to Creative Director, David Eckelberry, the studio - who now has over 400 years of combined Fable development experience under its belt - wanted to create the "ultimate Fable." "We want to make a Fable that is the best playing, best looking experience you've ever had in the world of Albion," enthuses Eckelberry, "With its characters, its quests, its stories, it's a rich, lush world that we want to return you to."

Fable Legends takes place long before the first Fable and well before the creation of the Heroes Guild, in a time they're calling the Age of Heroes. It's a time where you're the hero, a time of magic and fairytales. Sure, it's going to be a pretty world, but it's one full of darkness, danger, and monsters galore.

The game code that Lionhead was showing off, according to the team, was pre alpha, and in their words, "incredibly early days" - three words that usually mean that the game is some way off and is subject to change. Even at this early stage though, the game looks gorgeous, with its trademark vibrant Fable greens and its picturesque woodland settings with swaying grass and trees distracting the eye, while butterflies and birds flutter around without a care in the world.

The hands-off gameplay demo revolved around a group of heroes, who were on their way to a place called the Moon On A Stick, a stoney crescent moon shaped artefact that grants wishes. In the distance sits a large city called Brightlodge, which is described as a classic Fable city; that is a hub for players to interact with NPCs, make fun of them, play mini-games, kick chickens and experience some of the more comedic stories. It's a place where heroes will go and have their own little experiences in between the heavier quests.

The demo, which was largely combat focused, was designed to show one thing: the game's new co-operative and multiplayer focus. "We're going to embrace multiplayer in a way that is immersive and comprehensive," Eckelberry tells us, as a group of heroes wade into a group of Red Caps - mythological beasts from English folklore who are described as malevolent goblins who dye their hats in their victim's blood.

Players will adopt the role of various heroes: the Hero of Strength who is tough, brave, uses shield bash on numerous occasions and has a West Country accent; the Hero of Will who wields the power of magic; and the Hero of Skill, who dazzles their opponents with archery and grace. There are more Heroes, according to Lionhead, details of which will be explained at a later date.

In the short combat demo, classic Fable combat ensued, with rolls, sword combos, force pushes and what not, but rather more interesting was the way the Heroes combined their abilities, whether it was the mage freezing the monster in place for the Hero of Strength to demolish or the way the mage set fire to the Hero of Skill's arrows. It looked like a new level of combat that suited the whole co-operative vibe perfectly.

At its core though, Lionhead is keen to emphasise that Legends is a classic Fable experience. You'll be levelling up, collecting XP orbs, customising abilities, looting treasure chests, collecting items, and so on. This is a Fable game, after all.

Fable Legends is designed to be a 'play how you want to' kind of game. If you want to play alone with three AI sidekicks, you can. If you want to play with three other buddies and create a foursome, you can do that too. In fact, you can do any combination, whether it's two players and two AI, three players and one AI, and so on.

That's not it though; there's a twist! Players can also take on the role of the villain, essentially choosing how the combat arenas shape up, deciding on where and how the enemies spawn, where the traps are placed, and so on. Controlled either via a controller or via SmartGlass, players can take on their friend's 4-strong team, take on a team of AI opponents, or like the Heroes, can take on whatever combination of the two they so wish. We see this in action briefly, as Lionhead switches sides for its demonstration, as the Heroes approach the Moon On A Stick and the villain has placed a huge Ogre in a cave to impede their progress.

Quite how this new mechanic will shape up is still a bit of an unknown and poses more questions than it answers, like, will this mean the gameplay is now made up of small arenas such as we saw in the Gamescom demo? Will it mean that there's less of an emphasis on quirky quests now it's co-operative? Or does it mean that Fable Legends is essentially a 4-player co-operative Fable extravaganza? It's a wait and see kind of moment if ever there was one and that's all we can do. Until then though we'll be kicking chickens in our back garden in anticipation. Just don't tell the RSPCA.

Fable Legends is coming to the Xbox One at an unspecified time, although beta-testing is due to kick off sometime in 2014.

Comments
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  • sounds great to try it frist in the beta.hope this be great like the 1st fable
  • I hope the weapons change depending on what you do like in Fable III, that would be pretty cool to see returning. Also, it all sounds very good so far!
  • With this and Fable Anniversary is going be lots of great fun anf I lived Fable 1 and still best in the series. I hope Fable Legends doing well and better again since Fable. Fable II and III is good but disappointed series is Fable III. I really like Fable Legends going to top of mountain once again.
  • With this and Fable Anniversary is going be lots of great fun and I loved Fable 1 and still best in the series. I hope Fable Legends doing well and better again since Fable. Fable II and III is good but disappointed series is Fable III. I really like Fable Legends going to top of mountain once again. Sorry some spells incorrect. :)
  • Fable 90% Fable II 85% Fable III 78% Those my reviews score in past for those. I cannot wait for Fable Anniversary because first time ever for achievements system and go back this best series once again. :)
  • So Cheevo360 gets a tumbs down again for his writing and spelling? And then some of you ppl said it did not matter...realy? Your realy a sad bunch, sorry i wish more would say that, as the guy is realy cool and just loves games.
  • 400 years of combined Fable knowledge? That is one of the oddest statistics I've ever read.
  • @6 Im just glad to see him back. Was getting a little worried...
  • Well, it may look good, but lets face it, if Fable 2&3 are anything to go by, this new one will be completed inside a day. Sad really, they need to seriously flesh it out and make it truly epic. Always promising, but failing to deliver.
  • My random reviews: Fable 1 - 90 Fable 2 - 85 Fable 3 - 70 My prediction for the HD remake - 95!
  • @8 Well i can`t blame him, everytime the poor guy expresses his love or toughts about a game, he get tumbs down. And its not because ppl dislike his comment, its just his spelling and stuff that seem to piss ppl off. No wonder he mabye avoiding to place comments just because of this, its the same reason why i hardly never place any comments here anymore. Whats wrong with ppl lately on forums.
  • Wait n see how this pans out as Fable 3 was a bit of a let down and had some game spoiling bugs in it! New Fable on New Xbox = Fresh start though, so let's hope that Lionhead can redeem themselves :)
  • Interesting but will it have a fee like elder scrolls online?
  • And then "What a pleasant suprice!" I get thumbs down for supporting Cheevo360? Real mature guys ;) Says something about the sort of people hanging out in here these days. Did i say people? Sorry i mean kids like 12 to 14 old ones.
  • @14 No people just don't like you
  • @15 LOL!! Still real mature ;) I not going into debate with any of you and for sure not with you. I just placed it as it is ;) And then some of you quikly placed tumbs up on Cheevos comments, thats what i call real mature just because of my obvious posts on the MS thing. If you don,t like me or the rest fine, so be it.
  • @17 I really wouldn't call your posts on the MS thing "obvious". They were more like what a hater would say. And that's your problem. You always think that everybody needs to agree with whatever you or Cheevo say. News flash, not everybody thinks the same way. If someone doesn't agree, they will dislike the comment to show you that they did not like what you posted. Also, it's very interesting how Cheevo still has 2 dislikes. Some real thumbs up they gave him.
  • "You'll be levelling up, collecting XP orbs, customising abilities, looting treasure chests, collecting items, and so on. This is a Fable game, after all." Apparently they didn't play Fable 3 >_> Customizing abilities? You mean switching gloves? Yeah, that was exciting -_- Bring back the old skill trees, and we'll talk. I've lost hope in the series for the time being - just hope they don't mess up Anniversary.
  • @#19 - I played it... I reviewed it =P
  • Heres an idea, announce the release date for Fable Anniversary already.
  • Dont care. Anything that isn't Black And White isn't being bought.
  • It'll be the ultimate farce
  • I would much rather have the REAL Fable IV. It would be great on Xbox One!
  • The problem I've always had with Fable games is they sight their sights so high that the current gen was never able to live upto the hype. Hopefully witht the new system, they can finally do the things they say they're gonna do.
  • Fables have been getting worse and worse with each sequel, but never going as low as to be unenjoyable. Hopefully this will keep the trend going at the very least. Having said that I am looking forward to it=)
  • I really hope they don't force us into anything like some other games where it has to be co-op to be any fun or get anywhere or force us to get achievements sort of like Dead Island did where we're forced to partner up with people for a large majority of the game, that's just ridiculous. They should be thinking of making the game based on people playing alone, preferably single player and then make it accessible for more than one person to join along the way, not the other way around. Also this "placing enemies and traps" is starting to sound like "hey become the enemy in a crappy tower defense type thing"!. All they need to do is take almost everything they did in the original Fable and some of the good ideas they didn't fully capitalize on in Fable 2 and make the game an even larger open world with the same orb system and customizable skills etc that we've grown to love while playing. They really don't need to change their formula as much as they need to polish it up and give us more epic quests and a larger journey and big badder bosses that challenge us even further. The new Fable definitely needs to stay away from gimmicky bs that will piss people off and stick to what they did right in the first two games, but just give us a bigger world, badass monsters, simple yet efficient menu system and a simple way to level up our character abilities and skills.
  • Might have been interested in a Fable MMO. This one does not grab me but then it doesn't help that Fable 2&3 left a sour aftertaste.
  • next gen is gonna be all MMO's isn't it :/ I don't have time to play one huge MMO, nevermind all of them. stick to the 360 and catch up on recent games, then back to PC gaming.
  • The only thing that I never liked about Fable games was the lack of dungeons and other monster-infested places to plunder. Once you finished all the quests, collected all the Silver Keys, and opened the Demon Doors, there was never much reason to keep playing. The trailer for this this game seems to address that issue, so hopefully the game has high replayability with partners.
  • @29 The first paragraph clearly says this isn't an MMO.
  • Pass. You're forced to play those characters, not make your own.
  • Loved 1,2 & 3, cannot wait for this.
  • Well... they don't really have to do much to make it better than 3 I suppose. Wait and see, might be good.
  • Is this out on PS4?
  • #35 WTF!!
  • Everything I just read made me so happy, I can't wait for this and Anniversary.
  • Don't get your hopes up. Fable has had a few spin offs and most of them are garbage
  • unfortunately, even the "Ultimate Fable" will have only half the depth of a good RPG.. sorry Fable fans.
  • I've got zero interest in a multiplayer Fable game. Each game's gone further and further away from Fable, and this is the result.
  • Fable, to me, is about a singular hero. I have no interest in this Fable/Gauntlet mash-up. Sad that classic single player adventure games are going the way of the dodo. Can't wait for Fable Anniversary though. I would have loved for the new Fable to be a beautiful, massive single player DOG on Xbox One. And now we get this. So disappointed.
  • Meant to type single player 'RPG' above...
  • @17 Can you bitch anymore? All your posts have to do with bitching, on every news feed you post on. People thumbs you down cause you whine. People thumbs down cheevo because his grammar is poor. Perhaps his first language is not English. Either way though it shouldnt matter. You shouldn't care whether you get thumbs up or down. Why would you let numbers affect your attitude
  • @44 I,m not even bitching dude ;) And no i,m not whine either. I just found it a poor move that Cheevo360 gets thumbs down for his grammar. I just not see the point in rating someones post bad just because of something like this. You could make a solid point here if you seen me posting on every little new section that is posted about the xbox one, as it seems people here somehow got the huge impression i,m a PS4 fanboy (what isn,t even the case) I could thumb down people here for less if i had the time or the need, but hey life and let life right?
  • I hope this gets released on the 360 to.
  • i'll look forward to Fable Legends for the time-being. i'm always up for a fun action/adventure rpg game, especially when it is multiplayer (co-op not competitive) so here's hoping Lionhead finally nails the perfect formula for the best Fable game yet!
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