Playground Games has been working onFable 4since at least 2018. However, there is still surprisingly little information about the upcoming game. Meanwhile, therecentFableengine delay rumorscoming out of Microsoft and the lack of a clear release window hint that the new game might be a way off. Still, fans have high expectations for the upcoming revival of this unique action RPG franchise and how it might handle facets like NPC marriage.
Light life-sim aspects played a role in all three games, especiallyFable 2andFable 3; marriage was part of the series since day one. Unfortunately, the system has never been very deep, partly due to the nature ofFableNPCs. However, this represents an opportunity forFable 4to build upon the foundations the original set down.
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Marriage in the Fable Trilogy
With one prominent exception,Marriage was straightforward in the originalFable. As heroes adventure across Albion, players will start seeing hearts floating above the heads of various NPCs. This indicates a character was interested in the Hero, and the player could cultivate this affection with Expressions and Gifts. Once the heart reached full size, players could buy their paramour a ring and propose Marriage, after which the new spouse would move into the Hero’s house.
Fable 2added new features like the ability for players to have childrenand a family upkeep mechanic. However, the most significant changes come from the game’s NPC Personality and Opinion mechanics.Fable 2’s minor NPCs have a more nuanced opinion of the Hero, judging them based on three spectrums: love/hate, frightening/funny, and ugly/attractive. They also have a list of likes and dislikes, which determine their reaction to different gifts, outfits, and even locations in the game world. Of course, players can still brute force the system with Expressions and Gifts, but it encouragesFable 2players to put more thought into courting potential paramours.
Fable 3reworked NPC interactions again, introducing five relationship levels. First, players level up their love interest’s approval as they would inFable 2, then do a fetch quest to advance to the next level. Starting from Neutral opinion, players would need to level up their relationship twice to advance through Friends and into Lovers.
In addition to the normal NPC relationships, eachFablegame had at least one quest-related character that players could marry. Lady Grey,Bowerstone’s ruler inFable 1, started this trend, starring in an elaborate courtship quest alongside an unnamed Bowerstone resident who players could marry instead. Her undead form was one of two such NPCs inFable 2, and the Prince or Princesses’ childhood friend Elise or Elliot played a similar role inFable 3.
The Problems with Marriage in Fable
WhileFable’s marriage system can be fun to play around with, it has quite a few limitations. Some of these are minor annoyances, like how players could become King or Queen inFable 2andFable 3, but their royal consort still dresses like a pig farmer. In the first two games, it was also easy to make an entire town fall in love with the Hero once their Renown or Attractiveness scores were high enough, undermining the complexity ofFable 2’s romance system. It could also get annoying when strangers keep barging into the Hero’s house to ask when they will marry them.
TheFableseries’ randomly generated NPCs aren’t terribly engaging, either. This is fine if the player is just getting married for the funny voice lines, but it makes it hard to care about these NPCs beyond that. One might expect the quest-related spouses to be better sinceFabledevelopers created fixed charactersinstead of leaving it up to RNG. However, they’re arguably worse since the quests are generally a lot of buildup for relatively little payoff.
Fable’s Lady Grey is perhaps the most egregious example. Introduced as part ofFable’s main questline, she has a distinct personality and backstory and a lengthy multi-stage courtship side quest. Lady Grey is a very important woman, so earning her affection or anger should have a significant impact on the game. However, she may as well drop off the face of Albion after the player decides if they want to put a ring on her finger.
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Fixing Fable’s Romance
WhileFable 4doesn’t have to havefull romance subplots like some other RPGs, there are a few ways to improve the system while staying true toFable’s core identity. One small one is tying the spouse’s clothing to the Family Upkeep system introduced inFable 2. In addition, a spouse’s social standing should have some impact beyond how expensive their Gifts need to be. For example, the Hero might marry a noble to increase their prominence in town, but then the player has to worry about scrutiny from other aristocrats.
Fable 4’s NPCs could also use a more sophisticated AI package.The Simshas long featured Free Willand Story Progression options that allow Sims to act freely based on their needs and personality traits, creating emergent stories influenced by but separate from the player’s actions. WhileFable 4doesn’t need to be a full-on life sim, its NPC romances might be more engaging if the player’s spouse did more than wander aimlessly around town.
Players also don’t need the whole town asking them to marry them every time they visit. Players should have to flirt with an NPC usingFable’s Expressions before NPCs start showing romantic interest. Of course, there could be exceptions based on the NPC’s personality and other factors, but all of Bowerstone shouldn’t throw themselves at the Hero whenever they show their face.
Fable 4should also let players marry certain quest givers and main story characters. This would help players build an emotional connection to their spouse,especially if the newFablegame introduces a follower system. Characters like Whisper, Hammer, and Ben Finn might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the option should be there for interested players. Finally, spouses introduced in the main story like Lady Grey and Elise should play an ongoing role instead of bowing out after their romance side-quest.
Fable 4is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
