Playground Games has showcased a lot of the life systems that go into Fable, but we’ve more recently seen its combat and how players can overwhelm their enemies. Of course, that means weapons and abilities, which also means progression. Thus far, the developer hasn’t really outlined what that will look like.
What you shouldn’t expect, however, is incremental upgrades, at least according to creative directors Will Kennedy and Craig Littler. Speaking to Gamespot at Gamescom, Kennedy said, “We want our upgrades to be what we call meaningfully meaningful. So you don’t get things like, ‘Oh, 1% damage,’ and things like that. What you get is bigger swings. A good example is the weapon spell we showed.
“When you first get the weapon spell, you can do a suspend part up in the air. But one of the upgrades you experience is the slam, which really expands the utility and impact of the spell. There are lots of examples like that.”
Beyond upgrading abilities (and weapons, which remain distinct), you can also find items in chests that improve your status in society. Littler notes, “You might find a gift, for example, that would work with the life system. I don’t know what kind of gifts you would find in an old mine, probably a Bag of Blistering or something, but once you’ve collected that, you can then use that on the NPCs around the world.”
While we still don’t have much of a grasp on build variety or what benefits loot can offer, Playground Games has showcased the different weapon types. Aside from the typical sword and shield, players can wield a two-handed greathammer, a bow, and a crossbow. There’s been some criticism of combat after its quest gameplay, but the more extensive showcase focused on battling the Hollowfolk and Lantern Keeper looked better.
Fable is out on February 23rd, 2027, for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, so there’s still time to polish the mechanics. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime, and head here to learn why Playground Games isn’t necessarily afraid to go toe-to-toe with the likes of God of War Laufey.
