Fable’s combat has drawn mixed impressions, especially after the quest-driven gameplay from Gamescom. Granted, the dedicated combat demo looked better and highlighted the different weapon types and spells. But even if it needs more polish, Playground Games’ goal was to essentially stay true to the original’s approachability while modernizing it.
During a Q&A session at the trade fair attended by TechRadar, associate game director Will Kennedy said, “When we’re talking about being faithful to the classic franchise, we thought about how there was an approachability to combat there. And we knew that we wanted to be able to capture some of that for our game as well. But at the same time, we’re making a game for gaming today.
“We wanted there to be breadth and depth to it, so we landed on wanting to have style-weaving combat. We wanted to be able to move from move to move really smoothly and easily, and that combined with the level expression that you’ve got.”
To that end, the developer is offering complete freedom to tailor your loadout, while ensuring “you have a really broad, deep, rich suite of options to choose from” early on. And while the gameplay may tell a different story depending on who you ask, Kennedy said the team is “really proud” and said the game feels “satisfying.”
“We’ve landed somewhere that is still approachable but has that depth that we want and so therefore is faithful but works in gaming today as well for players, which is something to be proud of.”
Thus far, we’ve seen the player character wield a sword and shield, a two-handed hammer, and a rapid-fire crossbow. Spells range from throwing fireballs and sending psychic daggers to transforming enemies into chickens. While the lack of responsiveness for one boss stuck out like a sore thumb, combat against regular enemies has admittedly looked more solid.
Of course, with Fable out on February 23rd, 2027, for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, it could look far better as we near launch. Stay tuned for updates, and in the meantime, check out how much playtime it should offer. Spoilers: If a Final Fantasy 7 Revelation-like runtime scares you, this should be far more manageable.
