During the event Developer_Direct aired today, we finally got an in-depth look at Fable, the new open-world action-RPG developed by Playground Games. In addition to showing us the gameplay, the team revealed that the title will arrive this fall on Xbox Series X|S, PC and of course on day one on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

During the presentation, Game Director Ralph Fulton shared numerous details about the nature of the project, making it clear that it is a real "new beginning" for the legendary franchise.

The team decided to opt for a full reboot rather than a direct sequel to the original trilogy. With almost two generations of consoles having passed since the last chapter, Playground Games has chosen not to be bound by the timeline, events or characters of old games, preferring the freedom to build a new Albion and tell an unpublished story. However, the essence of the series has been preserved by following the mantra "Fairy tale, not Fantasy". If classic fantasy à la Skyrim or Game of Thrones is epic, political and serious, Fable focuses on intimate stories of ordinary people who come into contact with magic, maintaining that typical British sensibility and humor that have made the brand famous.

As for the story, we will begin our adventure as a child, at which time our heroic powers will emerge. After a time jump, we will meet as adults in Briar Hill, our starting village. The triggering event of the plot will be the petrification of our grandmother and the entire village by a mysterious stranger. While there's the implication of having to seek help from the Guild of Heroes in Bowerstone, the game won't rush us: there won't be any narrative "time bombs."

Once we leave the village, we will be free to go anywhere. There will be no barriers, physical or difficult, to block us from certain areas; The progression and balance system was built precisely to allow us to visit any settlement and find fun activities right away, even ignoring the main quest to get married or find a job.

The combat system has been defined as "style-weaving". The goal is to allow us to switch smoothly and seamlessly between melee, ranged and magic attacks. We will be able to hit with a sword and throw a fireball in the same movement, offering a great tactical depth necessary to manage mixed groups of enemies. The presence of emerging and chaotic elements has also been confirmed, such as friendly fire between enemies (in the video you can see a Hobbe accidentally hitting a teammate), maintaining a light-hearted tone even during clashes.

One of the most interesting innovations concerns the revisiting of the moral system. Abandoning the classic sliding bar between "Good" and "Evil", the new Fable is based on the reputation derived from the actions someone witnesses. If we step on a chicken and are seen, we will start to earn the reputation of "Chicken Hunter". Each settlement will have its own perception of us based on what we have done in that specific area, and the different NPCs will react subjectively to our fame. This will affect everything from the comments we receive on the street to the possibility of getting married, to the prices in the stores. If we don't like our reputation, we can take actions to balance it or pay an auctioneer to spread new rumors about us.

The game world will be populated by over 1,000 unique NPCs, referred to as "Living Population", each with their own daily routine, job and bed to sleep in. This level of simulation will make cities functional and alive. Finally, it has been confirmed that British humor will be central, inspired by comedies such as The Office: the game will in fact use a "fake documentary" style with in-room interviews with the characters as a narrative device to tell details and jokes in a natural way.

Confirmation of the complete customization of the character has also arrived, with a look at the editor that allows us to choose gender, appearance and clothing. We therefore just have to wait for the next few months for more details on weapons, progression and game economy, before the autumn launch. We leave you to the long presentation, accompanied by a shorter movie that summarizes the characteristics of the gameplay: enjoy!