Fable
Developer(s)	Lionhead Studios
Publisher(s)	Microsoft Game Studios
Designer(s)	Peter Molyneux
Release date(s)	September 14, 2004
Genre(s)	Action RPG
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Mature (M) OLFC M15+
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Xbox
Media	DVD

Fable is a video game for Xbox. It was developed by Big Blue Box, a satellite of Lionhead Studios, and was published by Microsoft. Shipped to retail on September 14 2004, Fable was well-received by critics for the quality of its gameplay and execution, even as they lamented its failure to include many of the features promised by creator Peter Molyneux.^[1] The game's music was composed by Russell Shaw, and the opening title theme was composed by Danny Elfman.

An extended version of the game, Fable: The Lost Chapters, was released for Windows and Xbox in September 2005.

Gameplay

In the game, the player controls the main character from a third person perspective. The character can be made to interact with people and objects, and in battle can be made to attack and execute skills by utilizing user-defined keyboard shortcuts.

Character customization

Fable features a character customization system based on the concept that everything the character does affects him. If he eats too much, he will gain weight. if he doesn't block in battle, he will have scars, and if he stands in the sun too long, he will tan, Having the character drink too much beer will make him sick and throw up.

The method of combat affects the hero's appearance, a warrior who uses heavy weapons will find his musculature and size increase, an archer will be lean and sleek, a mage will have glowing hands and can gain access to blue tattoos.

Every article of clothing the character acquires will change his in-game appearance. He can be further customized through a variety of haircuts, facial hair, and tattoo cards which allow for a range of body modification options. The clothing, hairstyle, and tattoos the character wears will affect the way he is seen by the non-player characters.

The actions that the character makes will award either good or evil points. Killing monsters or saving villagers will result in achieving good points. Committing a crime, killing an innocent person, or getting a spouse to divorce you will accumulate evil points. These affect not only the responses of the non-player characters, but also the appearance of the character. A hero with an abundance of good points will soon find a halo surrounding his head, butterflies swarming around him and his hair will turn blonde. An evil character will sprout horns, emit a red haze from around their legs, draw flies, and have glowing red eyes, in addition to getting a receding hairline. As he grows older, whether he is good or evil, his hair will start to turn white. The apparent age of the hero is related to the core skills he acquires. the higher he raises his level, the older his appearance becomes.

Property development

The player is able to buy property, and then either rent it out or live there. In each of the larger towns, there is a marital house that the player can buy. The player can also kill citizens of the town, and the deceased person's house or shop will appear for sale. When bought, the player can decorate the house and place trophies on trophy mounts to increase the value of the house. This value increase is especially beneficial if the house is being rented out. For houses, each day results in rent amounting to 5% of the value of the house, with shops and taverns having a lower percentage.

Experience and leveling-up

Throughout the game, a player has to earn experience points in order to purchase or upgrade abilities and statistics. Points earned have four categories: General, Strength, Skill, and Will. General points are gained through completion of quests and killing enemies and creatures. How the player goes about killing those creatures will affect in which of the other three categories they will gain points. Making the Hero use melee weapons to attack an enemy or making him eat healthy food earns Strength points. Firing the bow or engaging in trade earns Skill points. Using magic often earns Will points. The experience the character gains can be multiplied during combat through the combat multiplier. As the character successfully hits an enemy (melee, ranged or will attack) their combat multiplier increases. If the character is hit by the enemy, the combat multiplier drops down to the next multiple of five, or zero if below five. For example, if twelve experience points are earned and the combat multiplier is ten, the actual experience awarded is 120. Leveling up also ages the Hero.

Clothing

The primary method of defense in the game comes from the types of clothing that the Hero acquires and wears. In addition to providing defensive properties, clothes also affect the way the Hero is perceived by the various NPCs throughout the game.

Light-colored clothing makes the Hero look more noble to the townspeople, and thus cause them to praise and respect him. Dark-colored clothing causes the Hero to seem evil or threatening to townspeople, and cause them to fear him.

Plot

The game centers on the only playable character, a male referred to by his title or only as the hero. Players are able to buy new titles throughout the game such as "Ranger", "Chicken Chaser", and others including ones that can only be earned. The Hero lives in a land known as Albion.^[2] The period wherein the story is set is similar to the Middle Ages, but the history behind it - the land being ruled by one king through an ancient bloodline which leads directly into the current chaos - is clearly not. As a child, the Hero's village was raided and destroyed by bandits. A Hero named Maze saves him and brings him to the Heroes' Guild to be trained to become a Hero. He then embarks on a journey to discover the reason behind his village's destruction, discovering his destiny and the true fate of his family along the way.

Characters

The Hero

The main character of the game, whose birth name is never mentioned during the game (though players may purchase a title from vendors throughout the game). His appearance is customizable, and thus depends on the players' preferences. The Hero is able to become the strongest Hero in Albion because of his ancient bloodline connected to Archon, the royal bloodline of the Old Kingdom.

The Guildmaster

The Guildmaster is one of the oldest Heroes alive. He operates the Heroes' Guild and is in charge of training Hero apprentices. The Guildmaster watches over every step of the Hero's journey through the Hero's Guild Seal, often offering advice and issuing orders along the way. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, the Snowspire Oracle reveals that the Guildmaster's true name is Weaver, and that along with Maze, he led a bloody revolt against the previous Guild due to his belief that the Guild should not force its Heroes to walk the path of good, but rather should give them the freedom to choose their own destiny. Near the end of Fable: The Lost Chapters, the Hero is given the option of killing the Guildmaster to collect his soul.

Maze

An old wizard and head of the Heroes' Guild. Maze rescues the young Hero from bandits during the Oakvale raid, and takes him to the Heroes' Guild to be trained as an apprentice. He becomes a father figure to the Hero and helps to guide the Hero on his search for his missing family. However, the Hero eventually learns that Maze is in league with Jack of Blades, the being who destroyed Oakvale and killed the Hero's father. The Hero then proceeds to kill Maze in battle, and before he dies Maze reveals that he helped Jack because he didn't want to die. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, the Snowspire Oracle reveals that as a young boy, Maze's parents were killed by Balverines, but Maze was saved from certain death by Jack of Blades and two Heroes (Jack killed the Balverines that were about to kill Maze, and then killed the Heroes). Maze was never able to escape from Jack's shadow. Maze is voiced by Alexander Spencer.

Whisper

The Hero's friend and sometimes his rival, an acrobat who fights with a pole staff. According to the Oracle in Fable: The Lost Chapters Whisper and her older brother, Thunder, were stranded on Albion after a storm wrecked their ship, and subsequently were raised in the Heroes' Guild. She trains with the Hero when he is a boy, and the two quickly develop a strong rivalry. As the game unfolds, Whisper and the Hero battle against each other during a few quests. Ultimately, the two cooperate in a battle against monsters in the gladiatorial Arena, only to be pitted against each other in a fight to the death thanks to the interference of Jack of Blades. Whisper can either be killed or spared in the Arena, depending on the player's choice in the game. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, if she is spared, she will realize the Hero is a much greater hero and will leave Albion for her distant homeland. Later in the game it is hinted that the Hero has a soft spot for her.

Thunder

Thunder is Whisper's brother, and Champion of the Arena. He is initially disdainful of the Hero, and continues to look down on him throughout the game. Thunder is in love with Lady Grey and obsessively courts her, and thus develops a grudge against the Hero when Lady Grey becomes interested in him instead. Thunder makes a brief appearance near the end of the main story to aid the Hero in fighting off some of Jack of Blades' monsters. Near the end of Fable: The Lost Chapters, the player is given the option of killing Thunder to collect his soul.

Briar Rose

A very powerful and intelligent female Hero. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, it is revealed she is from a noble background, but her family fell into hard times when she was a child, and so she ended up joining the Heroes' Guild. Other sources suggest that just as Briar Rose's skills manifested, her mother died and her grieving father threw her out and she joined the Guild. She is more of a scholar than a fighter, and relies more on intelligence and magic rather than physical strength. Although she initially vilifies the Hero, Briar Rose slowly begins to respect him after the two fight together in quests against Jack of Blades' forces. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, Briar Rose helps the Hero decipher the ancient glyphs in Archon's Shrine, and the player is given the option of killing her to collect her soul. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, she has a different voice to that of the original.

Lady Elvira Grey

The seductive but villainous Mayor of Bowerstone, and also possibly of Oakvale, due to the location of her now haunted mansion and the appearance of a mayoral figure in the game's first fresco (seemingly her father). In her youth, Lady Grey was convinced by Jack of Blades to murder her older sister, Amanda, so that she could inherit the position of Mayor. In the original game, the Hero is given the option of marrying or not. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, the Hero may also expose her villainous deeds and take her place as Mayor. Although the parts of the quest that involve exposing her as a murderer are in the original Fable, the player cannot act on it even when finding proof.

Scarlet Robe

The Hero's mother. She was once a famous Slayer of Balverines, and was respected as Champion of the Arena and the greatest female Hero. When she was severely injured by Balverines during a particular battle, Scarlet Robe was found and nursed back to health by Brom, and the two of them fell in love, got married, and raised a family. She is eventually killed by Jack of Blades to activate the Sword of Aeons. Near the end of Fable: The Lost Chapters, the Hero can ask Scarlet Robe to give him her soul so that he can activate Archon's Shrine and fight Jack of Blades' new form.

Theresa

The Hero's older sister who has prophetic powers due to their ancient bloodline. During the Oakvale raid, Jack of Blades blinded her, and she was found by Twinblade and raised by bandits, eventually becoming Twinblade's second-in-command due to her prophetic powers. Despite her blindness, Theresa possesses extrasensory perception due to her exceptional Will abilities, and is thus more than capable of killing all those who oppose her. However, she leaves Twinblade's service after he is defeated by the Hero. Searching for their mother on her own, Theresa is eventually captured by Jack of Blades. After the battle with Jack of Blades, she tells her brother that he has a choice: "Strike me down now with the Sword of Aeons and gain the power Jack dreamed of, or cast it into the vortex and rid the world of it's evil forever." Whichever choice the Hero makes, Theresa is never seen again. According to the Oracle in Fable: The Lost Chapters, after the battle with Jack of Blades, she headed off to the mountains and was taken in by a nomad who later tried to steal her prophetic powers. Theresa killed him and moved off to live in the east. Oddly enough, though she is the Hero's older sister, one of the cutscenes in the game shows the Hero as a young boy and Theresa as a baby.

Twinblade

A gigantic ex-Hero who left the Guild to unite a dozen bandit factions and become the King of Bandits. When Maze alludes to him being responsible for the raid on Oakvale the main character then enters into his camp and defeats him personally. Before finishing the duel, the hero is interrupted by his sister, who reveals that it was Twinblade who found her after the raid, and saved her from the eventual death Jack of Blades (the real commander of the raid) left her for after cutting her eyes out. Teresa then leaves, and the hero is given the choice of eliminating or sparing him. Either way, Twinblade or his followers later hire a band of assassins to try to kill the hero.

Scythe

Scythe is an ancient Hero and one of the oldest beings in Albion (only Jack of Blades is said to have seen and done more than Scythe). Scythe is obsessed with cheating death, and he has only managed to live for so long due to supernatural means. He is a withered shell of a man, resembling a tall, mummified corpse. At the beginning of the game, he leaves for the distant Northern Wastes to guard the Oracle of Snowspire. He returns after the defeat of Jack of Blades to seek the Guild's help in battling a new threat to the Northern Wastes. He is the only Hero in the game the player is never given the option of killing.

Nostro

A deceased hero, once known as "The Gatekeeper". When he was alive, Nostro founded the Heroes' Guild, but was only happy with a blade in his hand. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, he is shown wearing bronze-colored armor. It is revealed that he had not died the way he wished to, as he had died at the hands of his assistant, who had poisoned him. Because of his manner of death, his soul wanders Lychfield in perpetual torment. The hero has a choice of collecting Nostro's soul and to use it to feed the Bronze Gate.

Jack of Blades

Jack is widely known as the oldest and strongest of Heroes, as well as the most evil and feared. His face is perpetually concealed by a white mask with a strange pattern. The Hero eventually learns that it was Jack who destroyed his hometown and killed his father. Jack seeks the power of the Sword of Aeons, which can only be activated by the Archon bloodline found in the Hero's family. Once he uses Maze to gain the key to unlock the sword, Jack lays siege to the Heroes' Guild and nearly kills the Guildmaster. After Jack takes the Sword of Aeons, he kills Scarlet Robe and engages in battle against the Hero, during which he is slain at the end of the original game. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, it is revealed that Jack was never a hero or even a mortal man, but a malevolent being who predates the age of gods and demons by millennia. Jack's spirit lives inside the mask, which he forged of pure evil to gain immortality, and has used countless host bodies to influence Albion from century to century. After his initial defeat, Jack's soul escapes and takes the form of a large dragon sealed behind the Bronze Gate near Archon's Shrine. The Hero uses Jack's mask to gather three Hero souls and open the Bronze Gate, then proceeds to slay Jack's new form. The player is then given the final task of casting the mask into the vortex and destroying it, thus banishing Jack from the living world forever. The Hero can also choose to wear Jack's mask and take over the latter's identity and reign of terror. Jack's voice is deepened in The Lost Chapters.

Development

While the game was still in development in 2002, it was called Project Ego.^[3] The game took roughly four years to create, with a team of around 70 developers working on it.^[4] The main ideas that constituted the entire development of Fable were that "the hero must visually reflect his experiences", and that "the world and its residents must react in a manner appropriate to the player's actions".^[5]

Reception

The game was generally well-received, retaining an outstanding rating (9.3) at IGN, and winning several awards.^[6] Though pointing out several flaws in the game such as "bland" character designs, Marc Saltzman of USAToday.com states that the game "should satisfy you with its incredible depth, open-ended game play and a solid story that gets even better about half-way through the adventure."^[4] Fable has been praised for its concept of free will and having consequences for the Hero's actions,^[7] the game has been criticized for its violence^[8] and for "promoting male violence against women".^[9]

Fable: The Lost Chapters

Fable : The Lost Chapters
Developer(s)	Lionhead Studios
Publisher(s)	Microsoft Game Studios
Designer(s)	Peter Molyneux
Release date(s)	September 20, 2005
Genre(s)	Action RPG
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Mature (M) OLFC M15+
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Xbox
Media	DVD
Input	Keyboard, Mouse

Fable: The Lost Chapters is a remake of the 2004 Xbox RPG Fable, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Windows and Xbox in September 2005. The game is currently being ported to Mac OS X by Feral Interactive.^{[citation needed]} The Windows version had only a few minor differences from the Xbox version.

Fable: The Lost Chapters features all the content found in the original Fable, as well as additional new content such as new monsters, weapons, items, armor, towns, buildings and expressions. The story receives further augmentation in the form of nine new areas and sixteen additional quests. Using the in-game menu systems, the player can examine their characters basic details such as romance information (which includes: sexuality, number of spouses, number of weddings, number of divorces, etc.), or other details such as their title.

The game's premise could be said to be that one's actions permeate the entire game. Thus, choices made in the game are paramount like in the original Fable.

The graphics in the Windows version have been enhanced above the Xbox version.^{[citation needed]}

Added features

• Five new silver keys, and a few more silver key chests.
• Two new suits of armor — the "Fire Assassin" suit, which is very similar to the normal assassin suit but with a red cloth and designs, and the armor of Archon, which is a shinier and stronger version of the standard plate armor in the game. there is also the 'Holy Warrior helm' and the 'Daemon Helm' apparently from a time when the followers of Avo and Skorm waged war upon each other.
• A new torso armor — The hooded guild apprentice shirt.
• Two new offensive spells — "Divine Fury" and "Infernal Wrath"; area of effect spells which deal large amounts of damage to opponents in the player's radius.(some spells look slightly different, such as Assassin's Rush now bearing a blue after-effect instead of a white one).
• Briar Rose; a hero who was almost entirely scrapped from the original release, is now included in several main quests and side quests.
• Scythe; another hero who was cut from the original game, is now a primary character in the new end game, and appears early in the game based on the player's actions.
• Jack of Blades; the main antagonist, has a deeper, more demonic-sounding voice as opposed to his original roguish tone, and he has a more explored background.
• Jack of Blades transforms into a dragon, the new final boss.
• Several new demon doors.
• The Northern Wastes, which were cut from the original release, are back. There are about six new locations there, which contain a new town, a demon door, some silver key chests, and an extension of the story.
• The Darkwood Bordello, an area cut from the Darkwood portion of the game. Finding it allows access to a couple of sidequests, a new demon door, behind which is the "Pimp Hat", and of course, the bordello itself. The player has the option of owning the bordello and making lots of rent money, or turning it into a women's refuge (for 'good' points).
• Several new weapons, including a sword called Avo's Tear, which acts as a 'good' counterpart to the 'evil' Sword of Aeons. Avo's Tear can only be acquired by the Hero after destroying the Sword of Aeons in the Chamber of Fate (as opposed to killing his sister with it). The other weapons are: The Bereaver, The Avenger and Orkon's Club.
• The player may now solve the mystery surrounding the death of Lady Grey's sister.
• The player can now become the Mayor of Bowerstone.
• Several new sidequests and minigames.
• New monsters — Ice Trolls, Summoners, Wraiths, and Frost Balverines.
• New actions — The player may now do several new dances, like the Cossack dance and air guitar.
• The Sword of Aeons has had a downgrade to make the new game elements harder yet still remains one of the strongest weapons in the game. (Because of its speed as a light weapon, it can hit much faster than a heavy weapon.) The sword has a damage rate of 230, whereas in the original Fable it had 550. It also has been stripped of its sharpening augmentation.
• The Battle Charge spell no longer affects non-hostile and non-targeted characters.
• Demon Doors on the mini-map are purple instead of red to eliminate confusion between enemies.
• Flourish-charged weapons now glow purple instead of fiery to eliminate confusion of fire-augmented weapons.
• Jack of Blades' mask is no longer a trophy, but a quest item. Depending on the second ending that the player chooses, the mask can either be worn or destroyed. (Once worn, it can never be removed)
• After Jack of Blades is defeated the first time, the Heroes' Guild is rebuilt and completely accessible.
• Ripples in water are now more continuous instead of "pulses" and have a slightly different look.
• Timers turn red when there are only ten seconds left.
• You can find Whisper at the Oakvale Tavern after the Arena if you choose not to kill her.
• There is now an Oracle in the game which can be asked questions. Once the player reaches the Oracle, it can tell them what has happened to the other characters in the game, such as Whisper and the Hero's sister Theresa, which increases the impact of some of his earlier decisions. It can also talk to the Hero about a number of other topics, including information about Albion's past and where certain monsters come from, which adds much more lore to the game.
• Bug fixes.
• At the end of the game you may now carry on playing and upgrade without having to wait after the end credits.

The Northern Wastes

A new area of land called "The Northern Wastes" is unlocked shortly after the game continues, following the first defeat of Jack Of Blades. The land is a frozen area, with only one settlement; Snowspire Village. The northern wastes can be reached initially via 'The Ship Of The Drowned', as part of core Quest. After this quest is completed, the local Cullis Gates are activated and the Hero can travel about normally. The northern wastes also houses some more unusual areas. these include

• The Necropolis - a mass graveyard occupied by many ghosts, undead, and frost balverines
• The Oracle - located at the peak of Snowspire village, can reveal a lot of background information regarding Albion and current characters.
• Archon's Shrine - a mysterious structure outside Snowspire village, it is central to unlocking the Bronze Gate
• The Bronze Gate - built in the time of the last Archon, it is said to have trapped a terrible evil. It is through here that the hero will face his ultimate battle with Jack of Blades.

References/Notes

External links

• Official Fable site
• Official Lionhead Fable site
• Fable: The Lost Chapters Official Website
• Microsoft's Fable: The Lost Chapters Web site

Fable video games

Games Fable • Fable 2 Soundtrack Fable Original Soundtrack Other Albion

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