Playground Games' upcoming take on theFableuniverse has quite a bit to prove, as it’s been tasked with bringing the long-dormant franchise back into the fold, and into direct competition with other modern RPGs. More than that, Playground Games has no experience in the fantasy RPG space, as its most notable project until now has been theForza Horizonfranchise.
But while these elements are daunting, and the lack of any real gameplay footage is a little concerning as well, there’s still plenty of reason to be excited about theFablereboot. Indeed, the fact that it’s a completely new arena for Playground Games, and that it’s separated from its closest predecessor by two console generations, is precisely why fans should feel optimistic: the sky is the limit. As such, it would behoove Playground Games to lean intoFable’s X-factor, not trying too hard to make it just like every other action-RPG on the market; it should strive to retain the unique traits of the originals while making worthwhile modern touches. As unlikely as it may sound, multiplayer could be among the best venues for this balancing act.
Fable’s Multiplayer Should Keep the Good and Lose the Bad
Other Fable Games Have Fun but Flawed Cooperative Multiplayer
First introduced inFable 2, multiplayer had only the briefest of flings with the franchise. But the love affair was still rather compelling, as it facilitated cooperative gameplay withinFable’s uniquely charming world.Fable 2’s multiplayeris straightforward, but also disappointingly limited: players can’t actually bring their in-game avatar into another player’s world. Rather, they get some brief customization options before being plopped into the shoes of an unnamed, inconsequential filler character.
In essence, the non-host player is forced to be the host player’s henchman, existing only to assist them in battles before ultimately evaporating back into the digital ether. Co-op saw a marked improvement inFable 3, which allows players to import their single-player protagonist into the host player’s game world.
This means that the visiting player can actually benefit from leveling, item discovery, and the like. Two players can even get married inFable 3, allowing them to share resources. Still,Fable 3’s co-opcan feel tacked-on, as the game doesn’t change in any meaningful way to facilitate two-player gameplay: combat encounters are unchanged and therefore trivial, and there aren’t any real incentives or rewards for playing in co-op versus in single-player.
Additionally, there’s no quest progression, so aside from experience and the occasional bit of loot, players will leave the host world no better than when they entered it.
How the Fable Reboot Can Reinvigorate Cooperative Multiplayer
The upcomingFablegame could benefit greatly from proper co-op, similar to what was featured inFable 3. After all, there aren’t manymodern fantasy RPGsthat allow for such organic multiplayer gameplay.
Having said that, it ought to correct some of the mistakes of its predecessors if it wants co-op to be as good as possible. One obvious way to accomplish this would be to have actual incentives for co-op: maybe players could take on missions or bosses above their pay grade with the help of a friend, or perhaps there could even be co-op-only quests or activities to engage in, like theminigames inIt Takes Two.
Quest progression might be a bit trickier to remedy, as there’s no firm industry standard for this feature, but Playground Games could always take theBaldur’s Gate 3approach: make individual segments of the game worth playing multiple times.BG3does this through its robust player choice systems, which lend many quests a good deal of replay value.Fablecould do something similar, either narratively or mechanically, such as through different combat strategies.
Fable
WHERE TO PLAY
Fable is an RPG developed by Playground Games and published by Microsoft. Set in Albion, the game challenges players to define what it means to be a hero.
