My time with Fable 3 wasn’t along the lines of a traditional show floor demo. Though I had yet to play the game, I took advantage of an opportunity to sit down with lead designer Peter Molyneux for a nice chat over a few of Fable 3’s finer details. This will by no means be an all inclusive preview, but I think it will shed some light on some of the game’s underlying features.
In our group of three, another writer asked if and/or why one button combat was going to make a return appearance. Molyneux answered this plainly stating yes, it was, but also used the opportunity to expand upon the mechanic. Fast weapons switching, such as going from sword to gun, had been a tedious menu driven process. For Fable 3, it’s going to be streamlined through the tap of a button. More casual players will still be able to blast through without getting too far down the rabbit hole, but a wealth of options will exist for harder members of this core.
The weapon/combat system is actually quite a step up from the previous game. Fans had been pining for more a higher quantity of each sort of weapon, and Lionhead has chosen to oblige them in a rather intriguing manner: create even fewer weapons. Before you start screaming, know that they’re kind of pulling your leg. While weapons you can directly obtain will be few in number, what you can make of them will be virtually limitless. Weapons, in fact, will start to change in real time (in statistical power and appearance) as you use them. The catalyst for modification lies with your particular play style. The curvature of a blade could change depending on how many times you flourish it, the blade could gain notches based on how many times you died, or it could glow a particular color based on whether you’ve done good or evil. The sword (or hammer, blade, gun, etc) will also level up, unlocking abilities or finishing moves as you progress. Thousands of combinations are possible.
A means of organizing your weapons, along with your clothes, treasures, and whatever else you stumble across, is available in a hub (of sorts) called the Sanctuary. Far from a mere inventory, your Sanctuary allows you try lay out different weapon combinations to bind to the buttons. You may want to, for example, use you spell gauntlets to cast magic combos and then instantaneously strike someone with your sword. With some tinkering in the Sanctuary, that’s all possible. The Sanctuary also features a completely revised map system. With it, Lionhead has essentially traded Fable II’s estranged menu for a living map, not unlike a 3D, fully detailed Google Earth for the towns. The level of detail was striking, as it managed to include not only houses and landmarks, but every person walking around in the town.
Curious of the weapon forging process, I asked what one should do if they start to develop a weapon they’re not particularly in love with. Weapons, as it turns out, will not be set in stone, and will be completely malleable throughout the entire game. Don’t like a sword? Change your behavior accordingly and see what happens (I can already imagine leagues of tables buried through huge FAQs). With community taking a greater focus in Fable 3, it should come as no surprise that you’ll be able to swap weapons over Xbox Live. Your weapon is intrinsically linked to your Gamertag, and can be bought and sold as such. Hell, you can even buy back your own sword, should you so desire.
Fable 2 was particularly unique, at least from my perspective, in that it offered almost an open-world interpretation of how it was to be played. For example, I blasted through the narrative as fast as possible, where as one of my friends made it as far as being able to take a wife. I wanted the story, she wanted to get married and then murder a bunch of prostitutes in front of their child. I asked if Lionhead was doing anything to steer players more toward the story, but he actually turned my question on its heels. Fable 3 (and 2 for that matter) is open to whatever you can get out of it. Peter said that he never wants anyone to feel forced into doing something and he particularly hates when a game endlessly nags him to do something he doesn’t want to do. Fable will once again be a game of options and choices, and choosing to go off the beaten path isn’t necessarily the wrong way to play it.
Fable 3 comes your way in late October, check back with us then for a full review!
