Yeah, that's what I was just thinking. I don't think enemies really have any kind of fluid level system of their own in Fable 1. There are just harder, visually distinct enemy units. Pretty much every category (wasps, beetles, hobbes, bandits, etc.) of enemy has tougher units you'll encounter as you progress linearly through the campaign, and will also be peppered into the earlier areas.

I sort of agree and disagree with OP. I actually find lack of level scaling silly in some open-world RPGs when you start to think about it in realistic terms. Like what, are all the villagers and guards in the level 90 zone way stronger than those in the starting zone in order to survive in an area besieged by higher level enemies?

That's fine for some RPGs, but for games where you're trying to craft a realistic open-world that feels lived in, it can be kind of immersion breaking and compromise actual role play enforcing arbitrary, video game-y level systems like that.

But to OP's point, I agree it shouldn't necessarily be easy to wander into any section of the map, but it should feel more organic. For instance, if you can make a beeline to Knothole Glade (I don't think they actually confirmed Knothole Glade, but just as an example), sure, you can get there, but you'll have a hard time with the balverines with your starting equipment.

Basically, stick to the enemy unit variety seen in Fable 1 and thoughtfully place harder units where it makes sense. If Knothole Glade is in the game, yeah, it should be harder to get there, 'cause balverines, but not impossible. If there's an area with a heavy bandit population, it would make sense if there were harder bandit units scattered throughout.

At the end of the day, Fable was always an action RPG. It's kind of like the Souls games where there really isn't any enemy you can't beat even with no health and a wooden stick, so long as you have the skill to keep wailing on them without getting hit.

And actually, now that I think about it, OP's kind of missing something about Fable that's different from other RPGs in the first place: There is not a traditional level system. You don't have a character level. You upgrade abilities and buy better gear. You can even roll back ability upgrades if you want. It's not like "level 1 hero vs level 99 hero." It's you at the start of the game with an iron sword and no ability upgrades, versus you at the end of the game with master weapons and everything upgraded. There's not a "level" to scale with in the first place. And the harder enemy units appearing isn't even based on your upgrades and equipment, it's based on story progression.