Fable 4 May Be Better Off Forgetting the Past

As soon as the new Fable game was announced and even before then, fans were speculating about where and when the game might take place. There were rumors that it would serve as a sequel to the original trilogy, but it was quickly debunked and it now seems that this new entry will serve as a new beginning for the fantasy series. Fable will likely see players return to the world they recognize, complete with magic and mystical creatures in a faithful RPG open-world, but in an all-new rendition. While it should and likely will be an homage to the games of the past with similar themes, it should leave a lot of what happened after the first game in the past.

When the original Fable released, it was to wide praise from audiences and critics who delighted in the humor and storytelling. However, Fable 2 began to exponentially evolve the time period where Albion was set, so new aspects of science and machinery began to make their way into the canon. This ultimately led to the departure from fantasy and introduction of a steampunk into the Fable universe. Fable 2 and Fable 3 relied too much on machinery, vehicles, and guns because that was the time period they were set in. While these games also had their perks, Fable would be best forgetting those entries and forging ahead with its own story entirely.

Weirdly enough, what made the first Fable so good was the simplicity in what it accomplished. It had nothing to prove but the story it came to tell, and it excelled in that. However, the next entry takes place over 500 years after the initial. Fable 3 added another 50 years to that timeline, further progressing Albion's human society, with new steampunk inventions, vehicles, and guns.

With such an absolutely giant leap into the future between Fable and Fable 2, it probably only seemed logical that the citizens of Fable's Albion would have invented new and improved ways to do things. While a strange choice, it could have possibly allowed for Fable 2 to be accessible to players who didn't get the opportunity to play the original, and the fact that Fable 3 only takes place around 50 years later seemed to seek to be much more connected to Fable 2.

It would have also been hard to make a dutiful sequel that close to the original Fable, as it felt like a complete experience in itself. When the player finished it and were faced with their choices, it was a nice end to the storybook the game set itself up to be. It would be in the new Fable game's interest to at least try and recreate a similar feeling of exploration, storytelling, and freedom.

In a world that thrives with magic, one would hope to see that flourishing within the creatures and wildlife of Albion. While the game series has featured various forms of new and inspired magical creatures, it would be really cool to see a world alive with all kind of species and varying creatures, running across Albion's fields and forests. The trailer showcased fairies and hungry frogs, but fans would like to see them take it a step further as well.

The last two sequels featured a large amount of human enemies with guards and enemy armies featuring no small part. Even more so that friendly enemies could be possessed by some outside dark force, but there were few physical incarnations of the Crawler physical appearance itself. While the Crawler and the Darkness were intended to play into a larger lore in Fable: The Journey, it didn't really make a lasting impression.