Playground Games is the new mind behind the Fable franchise, which means that change could be on the way for this classic series of fantasy RPGs. Playground Games has shared very little about its Fable reboot so far, meaning it’s unclear how closely it’ll stick to the franchises traditions or how drastically Playground might rework the series. It’s entirely possible that the new Fable game will be almost unrecognizable, differing from its roots in every department possible. While Playground Games probably shouldn’t completely disassemble the Fable franchise, it could definitely consider making some major changes in the character customization department.
Historically, Fable limits the player’s ability to customize their character, outside of minor aesthetic choices like the protagonist’s hairstyle and tattoos. This is likely because the character’s appearance is mostly meant to change through Fable’s various moral choices, which makes sense, but it’s still a shame that players have so little freedom. Now that Fable is in Playground Games’ hands, however, character customization could finally become a major part of the game. It’d be great to see Playground build up its new Fable world through various playable fantasy races, whether Playground pulls the race options from Fable lore or the fantasy genre’s broader roster.
Potential Playable Races in Fable
Many fantasy RPGs like The Elder Scrolls give players access to a wealth of playable races that inform the player’s abilities. Each race’s culture and unique biological traits can supply mechanical benefits that set the player character apart. Interestingly, Fable generally doesn’t tap into this common feature. Each adventure in Albion focuses on humans, rather than prioritizing the various fantasy creatures that populate the world. If Fable wants to keep the physical consequences of morality, then limited character customization would be understandable, but Playground Games could at least offer fans a few different races to choose from that’ll modify their starting skills and their morality-driven appearance.
Fable is hardly short on options if it decides to incorporate playable fantasy races. There’s plenty of traditional options like dwarves, elves, and halflings that it could offer players, although introducing these races would be a pretty significant deviation from Fable’s human-centric setting. If it wants to stick to Fable tradition, Playground could incorporate some classic fantasy creatures from the franchise, like the goblinoid hobbes or a sentient version of a Hollow Man. Playground Games could even let players be a balverine from the start of the game, fulfilling a longtime wish among Fable players.
Balancing Fable Innovation and Tradition
Plenty of Fable’s mainstay features would still be feasible with non-human player characters. Players may not be biologically compatible with whomever they marry, for instance, but they could still raise a family by adopting children in the style of Skyrim. Playing as an elf or a hobbe would make morality-driven appearance changes even more interesting than ever, too, since each race would likely end up looking a little different as they each lean towards a particular moral stance. Through additional playable races, Playground games could preserve classic parts of the Fable experience while making them feel fresh.
There’s definitely some hope that the Fable reboot will have multiple playable races. The game’s announcement trailer suggests that it’s going back to a classic medieval fantasy setting, rather than keeping Fable 3’s industrial world, so there’s ample opportunity to introduce more fantasy elements than ever before. Playground’s Fable game ought to offer a greater variety of fantasy foes and setting than ever before, but hopefully players will have more access to fantasy options too. Fable needs to both acknowledge its heritage and create a distinct identity for itself, and light character customization through playable race options would go a long way towards achieving that.
Fable is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
