Fable: The Lost Chapters Preview
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Lionhead Studios and Microsoft Game Studios teamed up to release Fable for the Xbox in September of 2004. Since Lionhead's previous game, Black & White, was a game that I didn't like very much, and since I don't even own an Xbox, the release of Fable excited me not at all. But now Lionhead and Microsoft are planning to release Fable: The Lost Chapters, essentially a stand-alone expansion pack for Fable, and they're going to release it for the Xbox and the PC.
In other words, this is sort of a complicated preview. Xbox owners already know about Fable, and they're probably only interested in the new content, to see if there's enough there to make it worthwhile to purchase the expansion pack. PC owners, on the other hand, might not know anything about the game, and so they're probably more curious about the mechanics and the storyline of the game, and whether it was ported in an effective way to the PC.
Just to add another layer to the issue, the preview version of Fable: The Lost Chapters that Microsoft sent us is essentially the entire game, with only a few optimization and compatibility issues to be resolved. So I could basically review the game here instead of previewing it, because I don't think the version I played is going to be significantly different than the final release.
So what I'm going to try and do here is cover all the bases, mostly just describing what's included in the game and how things work, but also giving some analysis of the new content. That way hopefully Xbox and PC owners will both find something useful to read, and they'll both gain a better understanding if Fable: The Lost Chapters is something that they'll want to purchase when it's released in September.
Fable
Fable is an action role-playing game. You start out as a child, only to witness bandits stealing into your hometown and massacring the inhabitants. The Guild of Heroes rescues you, because they see the potential in you, and it's only later that you learn why the bandits arrived, and that some of your family might have survived. Most of the game is then taken up by you going on quests for the guild, building up your character so you can rescue your family and take revenge on the culprit who ordered the attack. And, oh yeah, the main bad guy is also trying to take over the world and stuff, and so you have to stop that, too.
That is, as with most action role-playing games, the story behind Fable isn't all that interesting or original. It's just there to give you a reason to kill a wide variety of enemies and go on a wide variety of quests. It's the mechanics of the game that make Fable fun to play, as it's enjoyable to build up your character, collect equipment, and defeat skeletons, trolls, bandits and more.
For the PC version of Fable, the controls are about what you'd expect. The WASD keys drive your character, the mouse controls the camera, and the mouse buttons allow you to attack, block, and make special (flourish) attacks. You gain flourish attacks by successfully attacking and blocking enemies, and the flourishes are important because they can't be blocked. In fact, some enemies can only be defeated by using flourish attacks against them. The PC version also includes hotkeys, which make it easier to quaff potions, operate specialized equipment (such as lamps and shovels), and use (expressions) (such as giggling and dancing), and they help diffuse what is otherwise a fairly clunky menu-driven interface.
Many parts of Fable work just like in other action role-playing games, such as how characters have three skill areas, one each for melee weapons, ranged weapons, and spells, and how characters gain experience in each by using the associated weapons. But Lionhead Studios is always good at throwing in extras to make a game more interesting and to give it more personality, and to make it different than anything you might have played before. For example, in Fable you get to watch your character grow up. This involves the character getting taller and broader, the character's hair turning to gray and then white, and the character acquiring scars from all of his battles. From what I can tell, this aging process is purely cosmetic, but it still makes the game more fun and involving.
Or how about this? Instead of just taking quests in the game, you can also make boasts. Boasts involve things like claiming that you'll complete the quest without using equipment, or that you'll complete it without taking any damage. Boasts are fun because there's an actual boasting platform, and every time you make a boast, the people nearby all clap and cheer, and when you finally leave the platform, they sound disappointed. Plus, boasting is a good way to make a little extra money from quests, because each boast is essentially a money wager that you'll be able to do what you claimed.
There are also card games, a fishing mini-game, treasure hunts, silver keys that allow you to open special silver chests, and (demon doors) that ask you to complete some task (or solve a riddle) before they'll allow you to enter. So there is a lot going on in Fable, even beyond the expected combat sequences, and the variety makes it more fun to play.
Fable: The Lost Chapters
So what did Lionhead Studios add for the expansion pack? This is a little more difficult for me to answer, since I didn't play Fable, but according to the press release I received, there's a little more of everything -- more spells, monsters, pieces of equipment, mini-games, fishing spots, demon doors, and places to explore.
About half of the new content is sprinkled throughout Fable's original campaign. For example, when exploring the Darkwood, you'll now find a bordello area, complete with a new demon door. The bordello has a quest-like activity that I couldn't figure out (I'm not sure if it's even working yet), but if you solve the demon door, you'll earn your very own (pimp hat.)
There is also a new (chicken kicking) mini-game that you can play in Oakvale. It works a little like shuffleboard, and if you get a high enough score, you can win a silly chicken hat. There is also a new quest at the school in Bowerstone, where you can turn in the books that you find, and where the teacher there will then give a lesson about the books to his students. This usually generates some funny sequences, since several of the books aren't really intended for toddlers. But if nothing else, it means that there is now a reason to examine every bookcase in every house in every town. If you turn in enough books, you'll win a hat as a reward. (Do you sense the trend yet? I think I found a dozen new objects in The Lost Chapters, and half of them were hats.)
The other half of the new content comes in a short final act for the game, which starts up immediately after the final battle of Fable. However, Microsoft has asked us not to talk about the final act, and so I'll only mention a couple of vague things. First off, all of the voice actors from Fable came back for The Lost Chapters, and so you won't find people sounding strange in the new content. The last act is a pretty seamless extension to the game.
The other thing is that, at least right now, the final act is pretty easy. It has a few boss fights, including a final boss fight, but none of them are as difficult as the ones from Fable. To put it into perspective, in the final boss fight from Fable I ended up using something like 80 potions. For the final battle in The Lost Chapters, despite the opponent looking much fiercer, I only used about 10. But this is probably an area that Lionhead Studios will tweak quite a bit before the final release of the game.
In Conclusion
I found Fable: The Lost Chapters to be an entertaining, enjoyable game. It's not as deep as some role-playing games, but it's fast-paced, it's easy to play, and it has a quirky sense of humor. It also has some adult themes (for example, your character sheet includes a line for how many times you've had sex), but as long as that doesn't bother you, then The Lost Chapters seems well worth the purchase price (estimated at $49.99 for the PC version) -- at least for people who haven't played the game yet. People who have already played Fable will have a tougher decision, and it will probably hinge quite a bit on the Xbox price for the game. The new content is nice, but it could be categorized as (more of the same,) and so you'll have to let your pocketbook be your guide.
