The last 10 years haven't been Xbox's best. Despite nearly getting the edge over the PlayStation 3 in terms of sales with its Xbox 360, Xbox entered the eighth generation with one of the most divisive console launches in recent memory. The next 10 years saw the Xbox One struggle to compete with its main competitor, the PS4, with its main failure being the console's lack of first-party exclusives. While the PS4 had Marvel's Spider-Man, God of War, and The Last of Us, the Xbox One lacked a lot of the franchises that originally put the publisher on the map, including one of its most beloved: Fable.
Debuting in 2004 for the original Xbox, Fable was a surprisingly impressive action RPG, which at the time weren't too common on the console market. Putting moral choices and story first, with an intriguingly complex combat system and a dash of unique, dark humor also present, the first Fable became one of the Xbox's most beloved titles, naturally spawning a range of sequels and spin-offs. Back in July 2020, Xbox announced that fourth installment, simply called Fable, was in development, and fans are conflicted on just how much it should take from the original trilogy of games.
What Fable Should Take From Fable 3
In the eyes of most long-time fans, Fable 3 is not the best the series has to offer. However, it's also not the worst. The most recent mainline entry, Fable 3 released in 2010 for the Xbox 360, and the critical reception was a little divisive. For the most part, Fable 3 is still a good action RPG, but there are some elements that fans of the series were disappointed with. The game's story started off extremely strong, but it threw itself hard off the rails in the second act, and the game's combat system wasn't nearly as complex or rewarding as its predecessors'.
That being said, Fable 3 is still loved by a select few out there, and some fans would be happy to see the new Fable take a little inspiration from the series' third installment. One of the best aspects of Fable 3 was its pre-defined player-character. While the first two games in the series had a voiceless, nondescript player-character, Fable 3's main protagonist had a voice and a personality from the get-go, giving the game's narrative more emotional stakes, as the player is told and shown how their character directly links to the in-game political situation.
With these pre-defined character motivations also comes the sibling relationship that's core to the game's story and emotional beats. Fable 3 begins with the player-character being the kingdom's prince/princess, and their brother acting as the tyrannical king. The first act of Fable 3 tasks the player with starting a revolution against their brother, which gives the game an immediate sense of urgency and personal stakes. The new Fable game should certainly take inspiration from this, and ensure that personal stakes and relationships are at the heart of the narrative, therefore making moral choices all the more important and memorable.
Fable 3's standout relationships and narrative, for the most part, is also carried quite a bit by the game's stellar voice cast, composed of some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Michael Fassbender, Ben Kingsley, Simon Pegg, Stephen Fry, Naomie Harris, John Cleese, and Nicholas Hoult are all just a few of the biggest names attached to Fable 3, and each one goes above and beyond to give the game its own distinct world, filled with colorful and memorable characters. While the new Fable doesn't need a star-studded cast, it wouldn't hurt to bring in some big names for both publicity and for first-class performances.
Fable is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.