Fable: We Got a Very Impressive New Look at 2027’s Most Exciting RPG

Sitting inside the guild is Humphry the Golden, a legendary figure in Albion folklore who appears to have seen better days. Played by Peep Show’s Super Hans supremo, Matt King, he cuts the figure of a bedraggled alcoholic, slumped in a large chair in the darkness. Never meet your heroes has never proved a truer phrase. Proving my point, in a stupor, he asks for a large beer, and we’re presented with our first choice — Playground promises Fable is packed full of both big and small decisions that will impact everything from minor character relationships to major story moments. Do you give Humphry the tankard full of hoppy goodness, or throw it over him in an attempt to wake him up? The latter is chosen, and a pop-up appears on the left of the screen letting us know that he now thinks we’re an arsehole.

Nonetheless, Humphry needs our help. In debt and on the cusp of being evicted, in order to gain his guidance, we’ll need to dig him out of a hole. It turns out that this once-respected hero gambled away the ownership rights of the guild and lost them to Slick Ronnie, a local Bowerstone gang leader. So, it’s now our job to get them back. It doesn’t take us long to get in trouble with this gang, either. One step back onto the streets and we’re faced with a trio of Ronnie’s lackeys who are bothering Billie, described by Playground as a “part-time playwright, full-time orphan.” Dialogue options are given, and an attempt to defuse the situation is made. Unfortunately, for them, violence is deemed necessary.

It’s the first opportunity for us to get a proper look at Fable’s combat, and I’m impressed. It’s always difficult to know how good a game’s action is until you get your hands on it yourself — something I’ll be doing in mere hours — but it certainly looks slick. Sweeping sword slashes are executed. A bow and arrow is fired satisfyingly with a ping into someone’s head. A long electric whip is conjured and sent crashing down onto the group. A fireball is sculpted from our hero’s palms and sent blazing into a chest containing a now-unbeating heart. The flexibility on show is great to see, and it appears this won’t be an RPG that restricts your combat options depending on a strict class structure

That encounter earns us a skill point, and a fairly extensive skill tree is flashed up on screen and then closed before I have time to study it in any depth. However, I did see what the skill point was spent on: magical blades, a spell any Fable veteran will no doubt fondly remember. We’ll see in action shortly.

First, it’s time to head to a more down-on-its-luck part of town where Slick Ronnie’s hideout can be found. Of course, the trail takes us to a pub. The Poor House is Ronnie’s chosen watering hole, and after talking to its clientele, it becomes apparent we need access to the back area of the establishment. There are multiple ways in, but we choose the easy road and pay for entry to save time.

Once through the door, we find ourselves faced with another lock we don’t have the key for. This door is unguarded, however, so we put our trusty lockpicking skills to the test and gain swift entry. There’s no Fallout-esque tumbler-rotating minigame to play here, just a simple hold of a button instead. Ronnie’s office waits on the other side, and the deeds to the guild are there to be plundered. Just walking away would be far too simple, though, wouldn’t it? On the way out, Ronnie isn’t very happy to see us, and a quick attempt to bluff her by saying we wandered into this restricted area after a few too many drinks doesn’t go down well. It’s time to fight again, and the perfect opportunity for those magical blades to see some action.

Upon triggering the attack, three glowing blue swords float above our heads before darting towards an enemy each – it’s very much the spell you remember, and a good indicator that Playground has no intention of abandoning Fable’s history. It appears to be a great crowd control tool when surrounded by multiple attackers, as we are here. A follow-up arrow to one of their knees makes one satisfyingly stumble as they react to the target damage, and then met with the pointed end of our sword. Things then get a little trickier here, as a bulky brute wielding a two-handed axe enters the fight. It’s instantly noticeable how many more hits he can take, so instead it seems wise to focus on building up his stagger bar through sustained attacks so a big damage window opens. Again, I’m impressed by the fluidity of the action.

This battle signals the end of our time with Fable for now, but it’s that combat that I can’t wait to get my hands on. I’m left convinced by the enjoyably British tone of the world, the range of characters that inhabit it, and the stories they’re eager to tell us. I’m left hopeful the combat matches that quality, though, and will be finding out very soon if Fable feels as slick to play as it looks. I’ll let you know very soon.

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.