The Fable franchise's upcoming return is a relief for fans, and not just because there hasn't been a new game for a while. Fable has established itself as a whimsical, lighthearted franchise, which is different from a lot of other fantasy RPGs on the market. While games like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim have moments of levity, they tend to be pretty serious on the whole and often dabble in themes much darker than Fable. Based on its announcement trailer, Playground Games' Fable 4 looks like it will reintroduce that more chipper tone to the current RPG market.
If that's the way Fable intends to present itself, it would benefit from using the kinds of stories that gave Fable its name. Although the franchise has a history of making references to fairy tales and folklore from Great Britain and the rest of Europe, Fable 4 should emphasize its return to medieval times with a greater emphasis on fairy tales. Fable 4 might already be distinct thanks to its cheery attitude, but it can go farther to stand out from Avowed and The Elder Scrolls by retelling all kinds of British fairy tales.
Building Classic Stories Into Fable
There's references to Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Canterbury Tales scattered through the Fable games as literary Easter eggs, while old fairy tales and classic British folklore make appearances too. Fable's side quest "The Sword in the Stone" is a clear nod to the origins of King Arthur. This long tradition of referencing real European stories, as well as Fable 4's reportedly British disposition, seem like they create a perfect opportunity to build well-known British stories and fairy tales into the heart of the game.
There's lots of ways these kinds of tales could contribute to Fable 4. Famous stories such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears or Jack and the Beanstalk could provide memorable NPCs for the Fable 4 protagonist to interact with, and their stories could be retold in ways that make them feel new. Jack's beanstalk could allow players to explore the clouds above Fable 4's setting, while other fairy tale characters like Tom Thumb could contribute their unique skills to the protagonist's mission. Fable could even incorporate an Arthurian narrative where a sword in a stone presents a recurring challenge to the player or a major NPC.
Fairy tales and traditional British stories offer a lot of interesting possibilities for Fable 4 because of the way Fable is designed. The Elder Scrolls takes its setting very seriously; the world that Bethesda has crafted is very self-contained and does everything it can to be unique. By contrast, Fable has always reveled in its close relationship with fantasy tropes and classic stories, referencing them and often poking fun at its genre while establishing an original world. That's part of what makes Fable special, so Playground Games would be wise to lean on that reputation for weaving well-known stories into the setting.
A New Day for Fable
A lot of people wonder how Fable 4 will fare compared to the other Xbox-exclusive fantasy RPGs in development. It's certainly fair to ask if Fable 4 is up to the challenge considering how long it has been since Fable had a major presence in the industry. Ultimately, the tone of Fable 4 could be what makes it a success. Playground already promises fans a cheerful game, which is a good start, so weaving fairy tales into Fable 4 to support the upbeat tone could be what gives it a strong return to form.
Fable 4 is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.