Playground Games hasn't revealed too much about its upcoming Fable reboot, and fans have been left to fill in the blanks. From fantastical creatures and epic heroics to battles with villainous foes, it seems like Fable 4 will be following in the footsteps of the earlier Fable games, and some players are hoping other specific elements make the transition to the new game as well. Among the broad strokes of gameplay and familiar themes, the next entry in the Fable franchise could bring back the beginning quests centered around childhood.
While each of the previous mainline Fable games had their own unique storylines, protagonists, and series of quests, the first two had similar starts. Despite the time jump between Fable and Fable 2, both titles introduced gamers to their in-game worlds when their heroes were just children. Fable 3 deviated from this slightly, but the protagonist was still a young person at the start of their journey, and this approach has a lot of advantages that the Fable reboot could capitalize on, with a few tweaks.
Taking Fable Back To Childhood
Previous Fable games have used childhood openings effectively to introduce gamers to the world and the characters, and this is definitely something Playground Games' newest entry could revitalize for its own narrative. By kicking the games off in this way, there's a sound story reason for why gamers' abilities will be underdeveloped or why they might not know too much about the wider world. The childish main character will therefore be a perfect conduit for players to learn more, meet new characters, and grow their fighting prowess.
In both Fable and Fable 2, the glimpse into the protagonist's childhood also added an emotional layer to the overall narrative and set up a lot of the motivations for the player moving forward, like avenging the deaths of certain family members. Having something traumatic and life-changing happen in the hero's early years in the Fable reboot would also pay homage to the older games. They may have had their heyday a fair few years ago now, but there are still lots of fans with a soft spot for the franchise, and Playground Games should try and include a few nods to the originals in addition to new features.
How The Fable Reboot Could Start Strong
Most gamers will be hoping that the Fable reboot maintains some aspects from the older games, even as it brings the world of Albion to a brand-new audience. From the teaser trailer that players have seen so far, the reboot appears to be embracing the more fairy tale-like features of the older games while still adhering to the series' rambunctious humor. Giving these elements a modern edge and at the same time keeping what made the Fable games great could be a good recipe for success, and returning the childhood openings could be an effective way to achieve both.
Many epic games begin with heroes that have humble origins, and starting as a child certainly fits this bill. They could be part of a famed prophecy or the victim of some kind of horrendous tragedy like in the first Fable. The Fable reboot could also eschew expectations completely and have a protagonist who's no-one special and accidentally gets caught up in a heroic quest. This would align with the Fable franchise's specific tongue-in-cheek humor and could add a meta knowledge of fairy tales that would give the game a more modern twist.
Fable is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.