Fable Anniversary (PC) Review

Good, Evil, or Neutral?

The foundation of Fable is a rather simple but very attractive premise of how decisions affect the world around you, a somewhat interesting allusion to real life. Fable’s main attraction however is how these decisions also affect your character's appearance (imagine wearing your heart as a sleeve literally) and the quests that come along with these choices.

Story:

Without giving too much away, you are a young boy of a small village - Oakvale. It’s a farm village with simple means. The village is one day under attack and the main character “Hero” is left in the capable hands of the Guild, a group trying to save Albion. You go through some tutorials and get a feel for the game winding up to being sent on your own once you enter adulthood. You take quest like any other game but the quest will extend your reach across the land which is necessary to progress story. The story is easy to spoil so I feel I will fray away from this.

Which Side To Chose?

Starting out in Fable for me was very exciting. I played this game as a youthful teenager and was in love with the game. The fact that each choice gives you a good, or bad point toward that decision was groundbreaking for the time.

Our hero as a neutral sapling.

Similar to Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic, Fable nails the system flawlessly and makes you very aware of the choice you are making. Starting from the time you are a child to the full age of an adult you will be making simple to more intense choices that affect gameplay. Will you watch the farmer's box of crates while he’s gone, or will you chose to break them all and take the goods? Will you sacrifice a villager to the occult for a strong weapon, or pay gold to a fountain of truth? It’s obvious that Fable puts you at the crossroads of morality. I had prior done a heroic playthrough when I was younger, so I had felt obligated to walk the path to Hell!

You could either sprout little devil horns or have gray angelic hair based on who you want to be. Without giving too much away about the alignment of your morality (It’s my favorite part of the game so I try to spar the details!) however I will say that you also gain appearance from what you use in combat the most. I’ll be getting into that further on.

Being neutral is a possibility however I have not attempted to do so. I feel it is possibly the hardest path to chose as you must obviously balance the two scales of good and evil. I don’t know what character appearances are gained from being long term neutral either, aside from the leveling attributes and scars you gain through the game.

Combat:

Combat is a mix of Swordplay(melee), Magic, or Archery. You gain attribution points per kill with whatever you are using which feeds into that stat even further. Will you go all out magic and dedicate most of your general exp to it, or share some love with melee, slaying foes with an axe while throwing some magic in the mix? Whatever you do, you will find your character gaining different appearances from these paths as well - making Fable one of the most unique gaming experiences I’ve had and wishing that more games followed suit.

Going all melee? You are likely going to get a hulkish figure by end game. Archery instead? The game follows up with a tall slender huntsman like appearance. Magic will find themselves glowing different auras based on their moral. Tattoos will play a key factor into seeing your characters magic strength as well.

Combat can be a bit stale in some instances. I found that melee was kind of boring and was rocking the longbow throughout the most part of the game. You got your basics of swing, guard,and flurry attack if you hit a certain amount of reg. You can swap the bow out anytime during combat and begin taking foes down from comfortable distances. Magic is at the ready with a tab of three choices per hotbar. Enemies have certain weaknesses which you can exploit as well through weapon augmentations, that is weapon based stones that fit into slots of the blade or bow to give them new found strengths - sharpening augments as well as flame, electric, darkness, or exp increase.

Graphics:

If you can get past some of the artsy pop-realistic style they got going on, then you’ll be a satisfied customer. There is no lack of detail as you enter some really charming atmosphere. The town of Bowerstone is small but energetic, my favorite is Knothole Glade, because of the vintage feel I get from it, Lionsgate was really focused when providing the environment with just the right unique touches. Graphics can be a little pastel and you will see the same NPC’s quite often taken on different roles in the game (the merchants just became funny after awhile as I slayed so many similar ones and they would respawn) but if you can forgive the game for it’s dated generator and keep in mind that it was created in 2004 (oh GOD) then you’ll be loving the game for what it has.

You might see things like..ermm..whatever this is.

Soundtrack:

What would a game be without a stellar soundtrack? Fable gives you just that, an unforgettable theme then supported by a beautiful worldly vibe beat with orchestrated instruments, considerably the flute that carries the tunes well. By favorite by far is the one I pegged to this blogger theme, Darkwood. Darkwood is strangely pleasant feeling while providing you with quartets of fear and anxiety for the area, making the quest for it one of my absolute favorites with the suiting theme. The soundtrack can tell you everything about the setting you are in, and that to me is phenomenal. Fable is an experience matched with a soundtrack unlike any other.

Our hero fending off a balverine attack. I love these enemies!

The hero in Darkwood.

Controls:
Here is where my problem lies. This was being played on PC, if you chose keyboard and mouse layout it’ll be a tad bothersome to learn, however I used the 360 controller which I was also frustrated with at the start. It’s a learning curve that will require patience which caused me to die a few times (gaining scars) but if you stick with it, eventually you won’t have a problem. The controls have a legacy setting or inspired setting so you can’t make your own button layout, again just keep in mind that the payoff is worth it if you can learn the controls.

End Game (spoiler free)

I had to include this category for the sake of the review. By the time I was at the end I felt as broken as all hell. I was tanking most mobs and being able to dish out relentless attacks which made even end game bosses turn into pudding. If you don’t mind a lack of difficulty (if you start with the normal mode which I suggest for new players) then you can still embrace the story, quest, and development in the game at a wonderful pace. Don’t let the end game discourage you from being as strong as you can be and rather enjoy the far distance you have come. It took me a bit over 20 hours to beat the main story, and you get additional DLC to do with it which I am assuming is another 5 hours I have yet to beat.

The Verdict:

While Fable has a few slim problems such as a skewed progression and tough controls, it’s really hard to say anything else is wrong with this game. Fable has been a praised gem for many years and will continue to be with the anniversary edition. I cannot recommend this game enough for new or advanced gamers, you can have plenty of chances to test your might or just enjoy the game for what it is. If you don’t play Fable you are truly missing out on an experience that shines brightly before it’s predecessors. There is no rush for the purchase as it stands steady on Steam for $35.00 (I got mine during the summer sale for 85% off and averaging 20 hours of game play that you'll find highly enjoyable, to me this game is a staple in gaming history.

FINAL SCORE: 9/10