It’s Fable… but not as you know it. The Journey relies on Kinect

Besides your trusty steed, blind seer Theresa (voiced by Zoe Wannamaker) is also along for the ride – you’ll recognise her from the previous games. She needs your help to rid the world of a powerful and evil force… she’s also the one who tricks you into donning those aforementioned gloves – sorry, gauntlets – that allow you to wield all kinds of magical powers and abilities. Saddled with all this responsibility, Gabriel evolves from a nobody to saviour – and it’s all made possible thanks to the application of the Kinect motion controller.

Labelled as the title Kinect has been waiting for, The Journey is a decent effort and has enough to keep you entertained throughout its relatively short 10-hour playthrough. Using Kinect is fun and liberating, although there remain the age old flaws and limitations surrounding accuracy. On many occasions your attacks will go awry and your actions won’t get a response from the all-seeing motion sensor. It’s not that much of a problem, mind…. The game is very forgiving and affords you the luxury of the occasional misplaced spell.

For this outing the developers have departed from Fable’s traditional third-person perspective that gives you the freedom to roam wherever you fancy, instead opting for a first person on-rails slant. Cue collective groaning. On the face of it, this is a shame but in practice it works well and is necessary for the use of Kinect to stand even half a chance.

You spend a lot of your time looking at your horse’s rear

Fable: The Journey is a low impact game that requires you to be seated in front of your screen, proving that there’s more to Kinect than fitness games and working up a sweat. It’s certainly refreshing that there’s no need to jump about like a madman, plus there’s very little risk of injury, which is certainly welcome for less athletic gamers like myself. In fact, it’s much like Capcom’s Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor in that respect (see our recent review) although the controls have been better thought out and they actually work… most of the time.

You’re introduced to which gestures do what during a brief tutorial that initially outlines how you control your horse and caravan. Tugging slightly on the virtual reins and gently moving your hands back and forth determines direction, while a quick snap of the reins makes Seren up the pace a little, eventually going into a outright gallop if you require. When it works, it works well but riding along and steering occasionally is never going to win favour with hardcore gamers now, is it? Kinect’s failings are particularly acute during these stages with Seren as your actions often aren’t recognised. I often found myself steering her headlong into some inappropriately-place boulders or explosives in the road.

There’s very little to these horse and cart sections – of which there are many – besides ensuring that you don’t collide into walls and obstacles, and that you drive over as many of the collectible XP orbs as possible (these allow you to choose upgrades from a skill tree). You’re even advised to rest your hands on your lap during most of the sections so you don’t get too sore and tired – which highlights just how little there is to do.

Firing off spells is the best bit by far

It’s fortunate then – and a blessed relief – that in no time, Theresa will encourage you to slip on those gauntlets and you’ll be able to cast spells and manipulate objects. It’s these fighting and puzzle sequences that make this game so much more appealing; from the moment you dismount and have a Hobbe or Balverine bounding towards you, you really feel in the thick of the action; the first person perspective works very well and it’s supremely satisfying waving your hand to shoot enemies with fireballs and bolts or interact with the environment. You even get to earn more spells and upgrade them as you progress. In fact, in my eyes, the entire mechanic proved even more enjoyable than the likes of Sorcery on the PS3 (reviewed here), which itself made such good use of the Move controller.

And you can even apply a little aftertouch to redirect your magic midflight – very handy for getting those bad guys when they’re hiding behind obstacles.

With your right hand dedicated to shooting, you use your left hand to push, pull and drag objects, or magically pick up a bad guy and toss him to one side. Placing your arm across your chest allows you to counter attacks too. Leaning left and right lets you strafe – which is perhaps the most energy intensive movement you’ll have to call into action while playing.

But it’s not only riding and magic that makes use of Kinect’s unique controls. Lionhead really seems to have a thing about getting you to bond with your animal companions and it does its level best to cultivate and nurture your relationship with your horse. Besides urging her to move faster through woodland and caverns, you’re able to stop on occasion and perform simple gestures to groom, feed and heal Seren. Sadly, no matter how many apples she scoffed from my hand or wounds I patched up, she never stirred as much emotion in me as my canine friends in previous games. I mean, it’s not like Seren liked chasing balls or sniffing out buried treasure for me. Pfft. Heart of stone perhaps, but for me the sequences sans Seren are far better.

Some of the old Fable enemies make an appearance

So there you have it, the majority of the game is divided between riding segments and magic-oriented combat and that’s about it – although there are some side quests along the way, new characters to meet, great-looking environments to gawp at and the occasional boss fight.

Sure, The Journey may feature hollow men and magic, Theresa and our protagonist’s weird infatuation with his animal companion but this is quite unlike the other games in the series. The lush visuals are still there and the mystical land of Albion is lovingly recreated using the Unreal 3 engine but The Journey really does have an altogether different feel to it. The world is apparently three times larger than previous Fable games – it’s just a shame that you don’t really feel you get to explore it. As mentioned above, much of the action takes place along a set path with you looking at Seren’s rump.

The plot is typically strong and the multitude of cut scenes really helps to push the story along. There’s plenty of that trademark Fable humour too, which along with the visuals makes everything seem nice and familiar.

Ultimately, The Journey really does feel like an epic trip across the map – and in a good way. Its clearly not going to be for everyone but it’s a nice slant on a traditional format and more often than not, highlights how Kinect can be incorporated nicely into a game.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360

Lionhead has released a statement confirming that there was indeed layoffs at the studio. They have mentioned that it’s not a reason for concern and after a project completes things like these are normal.

Fable: The Journey has received very poor scores across the board but that couldn’t be a reason for these layoffs, right? Well we can always speculate.

Here’s their statement they released via IGN.

Following the completion of Fable: The Journey the Lionhead studio is in the process of beginning work on its next projects. As is common in the games industry, a reduced headcount is needed as projects kick-off and ramp up as development gets underway.

At this time a very small number of positions have been identified as at risk of redundancy and the affected employees were notified today. We are working very closely with those people during this difficult time, to help them explore alternative opportunities within Microsoft including new roles at Microsoft Studios which is actively hiring.

Let us know in the comments section below.

Fable: The Journey, along with the rest of the world, is also now out in India for the Xbox 360, playable only using the Kinect, just in case you have been living in a cupboard under the staircase and did not know.

You can watch the launch trailer here.

“We are very excited to bring to India the latest title in the Fable series,” said Anshu Mor, Category Lead, Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft India. “Fable: The Journey is enthralling and immersive at every level and makes it difficult for gamers to return to reality after playing it. The game has a great, deeply layered story line, engaging challenges within the game along with fabulous graphics that create a realistic world that will truly enchant the player.”

Reviews have started coming in, and the reception is mixed as expected. Stay tuned for our very own review.

The trailer above shows off the amazing artistic style and visual design of Fable: The Journey, aspects of the game that one and all have praised despite everything. Plenty of gameplay is shown above. Have a look.

Wield magic as a deadly weapon while defending the fate of Albion! Embark on a dangerous quest to uncover the evil that threatens the land, as you learn to harness your vast and mysterious powers. Forgo your easy-going nomadic life and become a hero as you help decide the future of Albion.

The aim here is to establish the fact that Fable: The Journey is a hardcore game, not a casual one. I don’t see how videos like this one will help with that, though.

Obviously, plenty of gameplay is also shown here. Have a look if you want.

Fable: The Journey releases on October 9 in North America and October 12 in Europe for the Xbox 360, and works only with Kinect.

Stay tuned for more updates.

It is being developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios.

Built from the ground up for Kinect for Xbox 360, Fable: The Journey is a whole new way to experience the deep storyline, heart-pounding action, and picturesque world of Albion that fans have come to know and love in the beloved Fable franchise. Wield magic as a deadly weapon as you defend yourself and your trusty steed in combat against dangerous enemies, engage in hair-raising chases, solve perplexing puzzles, and interact with humorous characters in this action-packed adventure journey to becoming a hero.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

It’s interesting that Lionhead is aiming for something new with this Fable title, looking at Theresa’s backstory for the first time along with introducing a non-Bloodline hero in the form of Gabriel.

This journey that takes place and the mysteries that unravel, encompassing the Fable atmosphere, are the video’s focus. Check it out above and sound off in the comments.

Ever since Peter Molyneux left Lionhead, there has been a big void in the company, a void which creative director Gary Carr wants to fill and he seems to be in the right track. Peter Molyneux was well known for saying crazy things about everything, and there’s something Carr has said that will easily one-up everything Molyneux has said so far.

“I can’t really recall a time when we gave a game to the press and just left them to it. But we had to do it. By that stage, Fable The Journey wasn’t something we could have PRed, it wasn’t something that we could have promoted on its own, we just had to show it to people and let them decide for themselves,” Carr said.

“Fortunately the response was really positive. I struggled to find people who said ‘no this is still shit’. I understand that people won’t love this game just by watching other people play it. You have to see it for yourself. That’s part of the challenge.”

He came up with something absurd that I can’t really decipher even if I tried.

“Every single game is on-rails. I can score a fantastic goal on FIFA if I press certain buttons in the right order at the right time, that’s the rails bit. Peter’s on-rails rant, if we should call it that, was him trying to hit back at the criticisms saying that it wasn’t on-rails. I think, if we had done this again, we would have just said, yeah, it’s on rails.”

So there you go folks. Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Thanks, CVG.

Due later this year, Fable: The Journey is the newest, potentially disappointing installment in a long line of disappointing games. The fourth game set in the charming Albion universe is Kinect exclusive, and although it has been often accused of being on rails only, Peter Molyneux has always claimed that the accusations were incorrect and false.

In any case, here’s the newest trailer for the game. It looks good, and conceptually, it might turn out to be fine. Then again, it is Fable, and it is a Lionhead Studios game, and it is a game only for Kinect. That’s three times the disappointment right there.

Check out the trailer: