Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
Role-playing games are almost always fantasy based. They’re also almost always set in a world that pre-dates our own, containing all kinds of medieval or ancient weaponry that we would only be able to see in museums. Take The Elder Scrolls, Kingdom Come, or Dark Souls for example. In this review, we’ll be looking over one of the most popular games of the fantasy RPG persuasion, the famous second instalment in the Fable series.
This game is unique. Aside from everybody having hilariously over the top Bristolian accents, the NPCs are a lot more colourful and dynamic than those you may find in Oblivion or Dragon age. They feel like real old-timey townsfolk, even if a bit eccentric at times. The way that you treat them will determine how they act around you. For example, if you are a repeated mass murderer, you won’t really be able to visit a town without everybody running for the hills at the sight of you. I think this is an excellent feature, and one of the main elements that an RPG needs to make it an RPG, actual real world consequences of your character forging. Many big titles forget about how crucial this is.
Another thing that Fable II nails when it comes to role-playing is the ability to purchase real estate for leasing, and earn gold with several jobs, just two nice little features that make you feel more in control of your status and the world around you. You can spend your day forging blades and the nights bedding down at one of your favourites purchased properties, all ready to hit the Bowerstone markets first thing in the morning. There’s a lot of freedom when it comes to how you want to live your life in the busy land of Albion.
Your behaviour will also alter your appearance in game. Good deeds will forge you into an angelic-looking, pure of heart warrior, whereas evil deeds will cause your character to resemble a corrupted demon. This further adds to the freedom that you have to actually role-play and have it affect your gaming experience. The story is incredibly rich, too. Your character goes through a spiral of discovery, determined for answers. You’ll find yourself invested for hours with the developments in your path to glory, becoming immersed in the satisfying ranged and melee combat. Will you swagger through Albion with a flintlock pistol as a money hungry gangster, or brandish your longsword in the face of evil forces? The choice is yours in this timeless belter of a game.
