Fable Legends Preview

Fable Legends is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Lionhead Studios, with an expected 2015 release date. Unlike the other games released in the Fable series, this upcoming title will be a free-to-play video game on both Windows and Xbox One.

Gameplay

The previous Fable games would only focus on one main Hero at a time, but Legends is centered around four Heroes and one Villain. Obviously, this makes for amazing co-op online, but it can still be played solo with the help of AI.

Playing as a Villain also sounds appealing, as you will get to command an entire army instead of working together with the other Heroes. You can play through the entire game as the Villain, so each quest definitely has some replay value.

Previous Fable games were too short, and it wasn’t uncommon for players to beat the games in a weekend and then forget about them. While the series has provided us with an excellent experience, the titles didn’t have much replay value. Being able to play as a Hero or Villain makes a huge difference, and the co-op experience provides us with even more hours of gameplay.

Fable Legends does not disappoint when it comes to the four Heroes, as each one has its own unique powers and ability, so gameplay is different for each character you choose. Right now, we know some details about Prince Charming, Winter, Rook, and Inga. Prince Charming appears to have a cocky attitude, and he’s the kind of guy to spit out a bunch of wise cracks at his opponents. Inga resembles a paladin warrior, with heavy armor, a sword and shield for protection. Winter obviously uses ice attacks to take down enemies, and Rook is a character that uses a crossbow.

So what about the villain? Well, this is where it gets truly interesting, as the villain controls a lot of what goes on in the game. Yeah, he has control of where the enemies will spawn, and not just the minions. Villain gameplay seems to be one of the most interesting aspects of Fable Legends, as this person will control when the boss comes out, how aggressive the enemies are, and he has a limited amount of “creature points” to use up. Basically, he will go through a setup phase, so playing as the villain is all about strategy.

Obviously, different creatures come at different costs, so summoning the right ones at the right locations is important. While the hero characters will work together to defeat the creatures, the villain must do what he can to ruin their co-op efforts. It’s not just creatures that the villain can spawn, he can also put traps and gates into the quest, making it even more difficult for the team of heroes to come out successful.

Villain and Hero gameplay in Fable Legends sounds more exciting than one would expect, coming from a Fable game. Never before has the Fable experience been so strategic, and dynamic in nature. For the Villain, it’s almost like a RTS game, and for the Hero, its an action-packed co-op experience using skills and abilities to win.

It almost sounds like the Villain gets the more exciting gameplay, as he can send creatures after a specific Hero, and basically play God. Don’t want all the Heroes working together? Put up a gate, and use a trap to distract them. Get them split up and send your creatures after the separated Hero.

Before, the Fable experience felt planned-out, and you couldn’t customize your character nearly as much as you felt like you needed to… or at least wanted to. Now, players get more weapons, more abilities, and more customization options. You will be able to alter your character’s appearance, take on jobs, interact more with villagers, and even play mini-games or games at the pub.

Where and When Does Fable Legends Begin…

If you were expecting a follow-up on the last Fable title then you may be disappointed, because Fable Legends takes place hundreds of years before the first Fable game. There is no technology at this point in time, but apparently there’s a ton of magic and folklore (as one would expect).

In the other Fable games, you would find people almost everywhere you traveled. In this upcoming game you will find that most people are scared and living in small villages, as they are afraid of the world surrounding them.

It appears the Heroes in Fable Legends are on a quest to find a magical object called “The Moon on the Stick”, but little is known about the ancient artifact at this time.

Conclusion

The development of Legends began in 2012, and the game was officially announced on August 20, 2013. We have included the official trailer below so you can get a preview of what Fable Legends will look like if you haven’t had the opportunity to see it yet.

It honestly seems like Fable Legends will be the best game in the series so far, and it’s intended to have a 5-10 year life-cycle, which is much longer than the weekend experience we got from previous games in the series. Apparently, the co-op experience is going to be amazing, and since it’s free-to-play they will likely release a bunch of new features and add-ons as time goes by.

Microsoft has also revealed that Fable Legends will in fact be coming to Windows 10, with cross-platform multiplayer support with your PC and Xbox One.

Official Fable Legends E3 2015 Trailer