Summary
Fableis a hit series of fantasy games by Lionhead Studios. The first game was released in 2004, and two more games were added to the main series before the franchise went quiet. However, it was announced in 2020 that aFable 4was in the works. As such, it got fans talking about the Xbox-exclusive franchise once again.
The main premise behindFableis that the player’s actions will shape the protagonist’s appearance and how the NPCs in the open world will react to them. Some would cheer, some would boo, and others would run away in terror. To really make players think about the morality of their character, the developers included some choices in the games. Some were presented as just good or evil decisions, while others were more complex. Either way,some choices were harder to make than others.
When exploring Rookridge inFable 2, players have the option of finding and talking to a weeping ghost. Doing so will activate the side quest’Til Death Do Us Part,‘which has an odd setup. The ghost will explain to the player that he died after his proposal of marriage was rejected by a woman named Alex. To get his revenge, he instructs the player to make Alex fall in love with them and then break off the relationship. The player can either do as the ghost has asked or marry Alex anyway to complete the task.
The morally good version of this quest has players choosing to marry the woman and neglecting the fact that they married her under false pretenses. Doing as the ghost has asked isthe evil option. This quest is particularly challenging as both options seem to be cruel. Granted, breaking Alex’s heart is less evil, but marrying her out of spite isn’t kind.
Fable 3’s main story sees the player acting as a prince who is trying to help the people of Albion in return for their help in dethroning their tyrannical brother. To get these people onside, the player must promise to fix any problems caused by their brother when they become king. This seems easy enough, but gamers soon learn why their brother is acting the way he is.
About halfway throughthe story inFable 3, the player will encounter an all-consuming evil presence known as The Darkness. Their brother knows this creature is heading to Albion, and so is making the choice to place its citizens in poverty so that there is enough money for the military to fight off the oncoming threat. The people of Albion do not know this, though, and the player is given the choice between keeping their promises or saving money to fight The Darkness. Saving everyone’s life is the easy choice, but it comes at the price of being hated as a tyrant.
The plot of the firstFablesees the players trying to stop Jack of Blades from retrieving the Sword of the Aeons and using it to rule Albion. To get the sword from the void, the villain needs to spill the blood of one of the protagonists’ family members, which he does at the end of the game before the final boss fight.
Once the player beats Jack, they will be given the choice of discarding the sword or killing their sister and getting the most powerful weapon in the game. For a good ending, the choice is easy, and it wasn’t that hard of a decision before the DLC for the first game was released. Going through the last part of the game with a hugely powerful sword is tempting, and players do not know that a good version of the sword is added inThe Lost Chapterswhen it comes time to make this decision.
4Aging Up
Reaver Tries To Trick Players in Fable 2
The main story inFable 2tasks the player with finding three heroes to help fight the evil Lucien. The first two heroes are willing to help, but the third,Reaver, has a few tricks up his sleeve. The gunslinger agrees to talk to the player if they bring an old seal to a group known as The Shadow Court. This deed turns out to be a trick, though, as the seal is a magical device that can pass on age. This is how Reaver has remained so young for centuries, and his plan is to have the player give up their youth on his behalf.
Fortunately for evil players, another innocent civilian has also gotten lost in the ruins of The Shadow Court. This means that the player must choose between aging their own character that they have spent the entire game trying to make look perfect or passing the seal on to the young woman in an evil move that will see her take the curse.
3The Spire
Players Have Three Tempting Options At The End Of Fable 2
The Spire is an ancient weapon that will allow its maker to cast a wish once it is completed. This is why the main villain, Lucien, has enslaved most of the people in Albion and murders the player’s sister at the beginning ofFable 2.However, once players beat Lucien at the end of the game, they can use this wish themselves. The game gives them the choice between reviving everyone who died building The Spire, reviving their pet dog who dies during the story, or being given a lot of money.
These choices are difficult as there are positive and negative outcomes for each. The player gets nothing for reviving the fallen citizens but will be loved by every NPC in the game. The money helps to buy buildings on the map for more quests, but the citizens of Albion will hate the player. Reviving the dog does nothing but help lead the player to more treasure. However, this choice doesn’t affect their alignment.
2Killing Whisper
The Final Round Of The Arena Is A Fight Against The Player’s Best Friend
Whisper is introduced in the tutorial of the firstFableas another student studying at the Heroes Guild at the same time. She appears throughout the game as the player’s rival, but her taunts are played as good fun between the two. However, the last time players will see Whisper in the game is during the Arena quest.
The Arena in Albion isa gladiator arenawhere combatants face waves of enemies for money. The last boss in his quest is Whisper, and the player can choose to get more money once she is defeated. Once the boss fight is over, Whisper will still be alive. However, players can choose to kill her for good for a bit more prize money. Killing Whisper is the obvious evil choice, and there are no rewards for sparing her.
1Choosing Who To Kill
Fable 3 Starts With An Impossible Choice
The developers ofFable 3chose to start the game with one of the most difficult moral choices for the player. When the game starts, the main character is introduced as a prince who isin a loving relationshipwith a boyfriend or girlfriend, depending on the gender the player picks for their protagonist. During the tutorial/prologue of the game, the player gets to hear rumbles about how evil King Logan has become, but that isn’t demonstrated until a group of protesters shows up at the castle.
His brother has had enough of people trying to fight his attempts at being king, and so have the guards seizing the protesters and the player’s lover. They are all brought into the castle hall, and the player must decide who the guards will execute. Neither choice has any positive effects on the player; it is just a narrative choice to show just how evil King Logan is and why the player must dethrone him.
