Fable Anniversary Review

The best part of Fable was always finding an acorn, planting it, and nurturing it over 60 years until it bloomed into a glorious oak tree - providing bountiful amounts of shade for the perky citizens of Oakvale. Or it might have been, if the whole concept had ever made it out of Peter Molyneux’s brain and into the original back in 2004.

Let’s face it, the idea never even sounded fun in the first place, and instead it became a metaphor for the former Lionhead boss’s broken promises. And yet, Fable still received a warm reception ten years ago, despite the crazy hype that surrounded it - a much warmer one than Anniversary will - perhaps unfairly - receive today. Unlike 343 Industries’ Halo Anniversary, it seems that the RPG genre has advanced much more in the intervening years in comparison to the FPS. That, or Fable was never as good as people remember.

With the exception of Lionhead’s application of some new paint (which makes Albion look great by the way), this is still more or less the same Fable you played a decade ago. Is that a good or bad thing? Well, if you remember how clunky some of Fable’s systems were but don’t care, Anniversary will be amazing, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters - the remake is, after all, a love letter to fans of the original.

For anyone who has the memory of a sieve, here’s the lowdown. Fable’s combat system is very dated. The one-button system - which utilizes melee, ranged or magic depending on which of the face buttons you press - was surpassed in almost every way by Fable II’s elegant refinement. Melee has suffered the most of the three, offering bugger all in terms of variety; beyond hammering X until you get a flourish and have to hold it down for a stronger attack.

Fortunately, range and magic solve the former’s repetitiveness by offering varied spells and abilities that trump those found in later games. Again though, spellcasting is bogged down by the use of one button, so you have to manually cycle through and decide which one to cast. The antiquated feel continues with the quest system too, as you’re forced into returning to the Heroes Guild to accept your next task. The constant teleporting back-and-forth causes some awful pacing issues, but you need to go back nonetheless if only to stop the slaphead Guildmaster from harassing you in the ear.

Yet, despite all its flaws, Fable still has the same charm it had ten years ago. Not only is there no annoying dog to take care of, there’s a beautiful, funny and varied world to explore that’s still as charmingly British as Hugh Grant used to be. Jack of Blades is still a brilliant villain, the Arena is still an excellent set piece and Lady Grey is still suspected of committing sororicide. Lionhead may have improved the series’ combat and UI with Fable’s successors, but the first still maintains superiority when exploration and personality enter the equation.

Considering Anniversary’s release at a budget price, it’s hard not to recommend the remake despite its many age-related issues. With the added bonus of the Lost Chapters expansion on top of the vanilla game, your journey across Albion is going to last well into the double digits in terms of hours played. Extras such as Demon Doors, silver keys and treasure hunts will tempt you into playing past the credits, and for those of you that completed it the first time around, the enhanced visuals, improved save system and nostalgia should be enough to seal the deal.

Take Fable Anniversary at face value and look past its more dated aspects, and there’s no reason not to enjoy the game that started a trilogy. But if you can’t stand anything but state-of-the-art mechanics and multiple complex RPG systems, Anniversary may prove to be just too dated to stay on your radar.