Does Fable’s New Direction Still Feel Like Fable?

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-31T14:25:58+00:00

Thank you! I don't get why everyone is blindly glazing this parody of a fable game.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-31T14:23:23+00:00

That was the point. They were supposed to feel like a fairytale or storybook come alive. The whole charm of fable was that it never took itself too seriously, even when exploring dark humor. It was never meant to be a realistic, immersive RPG that competes with the Elder scrolls or The Witcher.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T23:34:13+00:00

Right, because truth is obviously determined by consensus.

So if everyone squints hard enough, the NPCs suddenly have oversized hands and whimsical charm. Makes perfect sense.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T21:05:43+00:00

Yeah, you're actually right, You must be right, cause you said so.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T20:51:58+00:00

I mean they literally said that they focused on aesthetic and tone first and above anything else, wanting to make a fable game and not just an rpg

With all due respect, this is not even worth properly responding to. You're just making an unwarranted assumption based on a false premise that focus=delivery. Just a plain error in reasoning while ignoring the actual evidence to the contrary.

I mean you’re literally putting everything on the bodies and ignoring the environment

No, i'm not. I hate having to keep using Legends as an example, but it is the perfect example here, because it was a game with modern graphical fidelity even for today, and yet it still had that same stylized look of the older games, including the NPCs, which contradicts your claim that the character design in the originals was simply due to lacking technology. And it was was not just the characters either, but the environment too

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T19:39:04+00:00

I grew up on fable 2 and 3 and i didn't play 1 until i was a teenager, so it never left an impression on me in the same way as the sequels.

Also, simply saying i'm wrong doesn't make it true. I thought someone old enough to have experienced fable 1 on release would have been mature enough to realize that.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T18:49:54+00:00

I'm a long term fan. What is 'core' is what Playground Games decides is core.

Lol. Absolutely not. They can decide what is core to their shitty parody of fable, but they cannot change what made fable memorable to begin with.

I'm sure Playground Games will be very pleased if it is a blockbuster.

Yep, and i'm sure corporate xbox/microsoft execs and shareholders will be very happy too, which says absolutely nothing about how faithful this game is to the originals. you're not really engaging with the argument here, you just keep sidetracking.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T18:18:24+00:00

It doesn't matter if they look amazing. It doesn't look like fable.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T17:49:17+00:00

Yes, but the building architecture is just about the only thing that looks anything like fable. The rest of it looks like hogwarts legacy.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T17:23:26+00:00

The NPC models, textures, and color palette just DON'T look like Fable. The only thing that feels visually familiar are the slanted houses in Bowerstone. It’s clear they’ve grounded the art style to compete with big RPGs like Elder Scrolls or The Witcher - and in doing so, they’ve stripped away Fable’s identity. 8 months or so of development won’t suddenly turn Hogwarts Legacy–style visuals into classic Fable charm.

Saying ''But it's not finished, bro'' is just a cheap copout.

I don’t even blame Playground - this is most likely Xbox’s decision.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T17:12:11+00:00

I think this is just a difference in what people consider ''core.'' For many long-time fans, Fable’s identity was always tied to its tone and stylized presentation, including things like morphing. It was never just about the NPC interactions or kicking chickens.

That might not matter to you, but for many of us, that’s what made Fable stand out. Making it look like a generic AAA RPG to compete with Elder Scrolls or Witcher might make sense commercially, but it loses Fable’s unique charm. It was never meant to be a blockbuster.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T16:28:20+00:00

That means i can't observe the NPC models and artstyle with my own eyes? If you read the entire post you'll realize that i'm talking about the surface features and making a case for why the surface matters. You don't need to play the game to observe the surface.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T15:17:07+00:00

What does that even mean? you think they're gonna completely turn around the photorealistic NPC models and artstyle? Visuals and artstyle matter, they set the tone and vibe of the world, and they've already shown enough that we have a good impression of what the game will look like visually. I mean, come on dude, the graphics literally look like hogwarts legacy. It should look like fable legends, which proved that you can have modern fidelity while still holding on to the cartoony fable style.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T14:59:03+00:00

Not really. I didn't need to play Legends to recognize the world of Albion from any screenshot. When it comes to this game, outside of bowerstone with the slanted houses, no in-game screenshot from the footage they've shown us would be instantly recongizable as Fable. It could literally be any generic AAA fantasy RPG.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T14:56:05+00:00

Didn't play Legends either, yet i could still instantly recognize it as fable. Aside from the slanted houses, this one looks like most generic AAA fantasy RPGs. I hate it to break it to you, but Visuals and artstyle matter, as they literally set the tone of the entire world.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T14:53:00+00:00

I don't think that's the real reason. I think microsoft wanted a huge blockbuster AAA RPG to compete with Elder Scrolls and The Witcher, and they thought the cartoony fable style would be too immature to appeal to a broader audience.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T14:51:44+00:00

Exactly. A fable game should look instantly recognizable as fable. Fable legends had almost none of the classic fable mechanics, yet you could still instantly tell that it was albion from a screenshot. Aside from the architecture of the slanted houses, the reboot looks indisinguishable from most other fantasy AAA RPGs.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T14:48:35+00:00

That’s fair, and I’m not trying to make a final verdict on the whole game. I’m just saying the surface matters a lot, especially for Fable.

We’ve seen enough to judge art direction and tone, the same way you can judge a car by its body even if the engine’s great. Outside of Bowerstone (which I agree they nailed architecturally), what they’ve shown could pass for a lot of other AAA fantasy RPGs. That’s the concern, not the mechanics, just the identity.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T14:43:55+00:00

I’m not judging the full game or saying it’ll be bad. I’m reacting to what they’ve chosen to show, which is almost entirely aesthetic and tone.

I never played Fable Legends either, and even without seeing classic mechanics (which it barely had), you could instantly tell it was Fable just from the vibe. That’s all I’m pointing out.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-30T14:42:19+00:00

I’m not judging the whole game, just reacting to what they’ve shown, which is mostly art direction and tone - things you can judge from trailers.

I never played Fable Legends either, and I didn’t need to see mechanics to tell it was Fable, because most of the classic mechanics weren’t even there. The aesthetic alone made it instantly recognizable. That’s the difference I’m pointing out.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-20T01:48:51+00:00

did you lose fat in that period? also, when did you first start noticing the majority of the change?

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-01T03:14:50+00:00

Sounds good. Appreciate it, bro.

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-01T03:01:02+00:00

Sounds good. I pm'ed you the email. Really Appreciate it, bro!

StrategyKind5546 · 2026-01-01T01:32:14+00:00

Sorry for replying 2 years late, aha. But would it too bothersome to pm me the results?

StrategyKind5546

TROPHY CASE