Fablehas never shied away from making allusions to classical fantasy elements. In fact, it started out as arguably one of the most traditional depictions of fantasy in the games industry. The very title ofFabletells players what kinds of stories the franchise includes. Retellings of classic fantasy stories and new depictions of familiar fantasy creatures, from giants to werewolves, fillFable.The franchise is about how the player chooses to retell myths, weaving their own fable based on their behavior and moral choices, so with this in mind, one wonders how much the newFablegame will choose to lean on inspiration from real life.
If any famous real-life myth seems likely to feature significantly inFable 4,it could be the Sword in the Stone.Fablehas always had a particularly strong connecting with British history and culture, to the extent thatthe world of Albionborrows its name from an archaic name for Great Britain, and the development of Albion across the originalFabletrilogy strongly mirrors Great Britain’s transition from an island of disconnected nations to a unified kingdom. AFable 4built around the Sword in the Stone would continue the tradition of borrowing from British culture and open gateways for some interesting storytelling.
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Fable’s Sword in the Stone Connections
TechnicallyFablehas already interacted with the Sword in the Stone, but not to the extent that this important Arthurian legend deserves.The firstFablegamefeatured a side quest simply called “The Sword in the Stone,” in which players could pull a very powerful longsword called the Harbinger out of a stone if their physical stats were good enough. While there’s some interesting lore behind the Harbinger, it doesn’t have nearly as much of an impact onFableas Excalibur has on King Arthur’s story.
Interestingly enough, the other place whereFablehas touched on this story is in the trailer for Playground Games' newFablegame. As the narrator speaks, a fairy the trailer follows briefly comes across a mysterious sword left standing alone in the woods. The trailer reveals nothing more about the sword, but the human remains laying nearby suggest there’s a story behind this sword. It’s possible that Playground Games wanted to set up this sword as a central element ofFable’s plot, even if the trailer revealed little aboutFable 4’s story overall.Playground Games’Fablesetting, whether it’s Albion or not, could require the player to claim this sword as a symbol of some divine right.
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How Fable 4 Can Use the Sword
An Excalibur stand-in would offer a lot tothe plot of a newFablegame.Fablefamously focused in large part on a morality system that would change the player’s character and environment based on their choices. The struggle between good and evil is a constant inFable.That’s why a magically chosen monarch would be an interesting protagonist to play as inFable 4.If players are a ruler, or at least a rightful ruler trying to claim a throne, their decisions to serve justice or injustice would be even more impactful.
Fable 3already proves the potential of a player-made monarch as a storytelling tool.Fable 4could reimagine it by making it more pivotal to the player’s development and tying it deeply intoFable’s traditional morality system. It’d also be a good way to drive homeFable 4’s position as a reboot. The game clearly isn’t focused on the industrial Albion ofFable 3,so why not choose a classic myth to build a medieval fantasy world around. Although it’s possible the sword in the newFabletrailer isn’t the sword players need, it seems like too significant a nod to the Sword in the Stone to ignore. Playground Games’Fablemay be a reboot, but it should still embraceFable’s love of classical fantasy.
Fableis in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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