The second Fable aimed at instilling emotion in players, but landed on its face. So the question is, does the third installment, Fable 3, succeed in its quest?
“Fable 3 is all about power. It’s about making you feel powerful,” said Peter Molyneux of Lionhead Studios in an interview with the gaming news site, IGN.
So, do players feel powerful?
Where the first two games started players off in humility, Fable 3 does nothing of the sort.
Players begin as a prince (or princess) of the fictional kingdom of Albion whose parent was a renowned hero and former ruler of the land. Already established is the fact that your brother is the current ruler, and that there is a political storm brewing, centering on the people and the throne. This is where you come to play.
As with all Fables, the plot takes off with someone’s death, and in this case, becomes the catalyst for your character’s abandonment of title and pursuit of revolution. Your brother has been a bad boy, and with the help of various individuals throughout Albion, you intend to overthrow him and take his place.
This is both where Fable 3 gains my praise and my ridicule. The story is ambitious by nature, but flawed in its execution. It was nice to see Molyneux tackle the concept of civil war, but linear plot ravages the plot in unspeakable ways like a carpet bombing.
Never did I feel more led by the hand in a fantasy game like I did in Fable 3. From start to climax, I felt as if no decision was truly my own, but rather the result of someone else’s choice.
In order to overthrow your brother, you will need support from the respected members of various factions in the kingdom, but in order to gain their support, you must perform an errand, or two, or three, and you never get to decide what order to do them, really.
It becomes tedious, especially with your butler telling you to come to your hideout (the pause menu) every time you accomplish something significant. The hideout is a nice feature; the fact you are recalled to it so often is not.
What would have been nice, or at the least better, would have been the choice to encounter the would-be allies in whichever order I deemed fit, or for that matter, which of them I actually wanted to ally myself with. Suppose I would rather fight alongside a soldier-turned-bandit rather than an old gypsy man, Lionhead!
Fables one and two boasted the importance of choices, so why do I feel restricted to a set path in a game meant to make me feel powerful?
Inevitably, you will become king or queen of Albion. The game tells you this time after time after time. It is at that point that the real purpose of Fable 3 comes to light. How do you rule your country?
By the flip of a coin, really, or at least that’s how I did it. The choices at this point in game become so blatantly good or bad that there is no thought required in them supposing your character has a moral bearing in mind. And even being the king of a land I fought to obtain did not offer me the power that I was looking for.
The story just isn’t there to make this happen. Sad, considering how much Molyneux was proud of giving players control over a monarchy.
The real shining moments of Fable 3 come from the combat. It is true that there are fewer weapons and technically less powers than the previous games, but what few there are, are magnificent.
Depending upon what accomplishments players make in their run through the game, their melee and ranged weapons will transform, changing in appearance and in some cases acquiring new traits and flashier finishing moves. It is a neat idea and one I approve of, though requires tuning and perhaps more customization.
Spells are able to be combined, unleashing dual effects, which is a step in the right direction. The decrease in actual powers is supplemented by the fact that some of the older powers, such as time slowing, are now found via potions and the like. This allows players to react faster, time their abilities more effectively and overall adds to the “powerful” feeling Molyneux mentioned.
What the combat won’t save you from are the many bugs that infest Fable 3. Frame rate drops, infinite loops, and improperly activating triggers are just some of the nuisances you are likely to encounter. In one situation, I witnessed my character fall through the ground and become stuck in the nothingness beneath it, prompting me to restart the game.
Bugs like these are game breakers in the same way that not shifting gear will cause your car to stop working. I only hope for a speedy update that fixes these problems, or else I can envision many returned copies of Fable 3.
In the end, I am left wondering how it is that a game intended to bestow power could feel so weak. The third installment should have learned from previous mistakes, but instead,
Molyneux and his team have made the same as before.
If you loved the first two games, then I can’t keep you from snatching up this recent release, but if you are like me and you want more meat in your games, Fable 3 is not going to be king of your collection.
-By Nick Nahin
