Fable Legends

Fable Legends

Developer(s) Lionhead Studios
Publisher(s) Microsoft Studios
Director(s) David Eckelberry
Producer(s) Geoff Smith
Designer(s) Alex Skidmore
Ben Brooks
James Blackham
Artist(s) Kelvin Tuite
Writer(s) Andrew Walsh
Series Fable
Engine Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Xbox One
Release date(s) 2015[1]
Genre(s) Action role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player, co-op
Distribution Download

Fable Legends is an upcoming free-to-play cooperative action role-playing video game developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Studios for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One. It is the latest installment in the Fable series of video games. The game is scheduled for a 2015 release.

Gameplay

The game is based around four Heroes and a Villain. Each role may be filled by a player via online multiplayer or by an AI. The same game experience is possible regardless of multiplayer or single player (with four AI). All of the game's story and quests can be played single player, using AI heroes as sidekicks or enemies. It's possible to play through the game's content as either a Hero or as a Villain.

During each quest, the four Hero characters must use teamwork to succeed in their objectives, while the Villain player opposes them with an army of creatures.

Heroes

Each Hero in Fable Legends is a unique character with unique abilities, powers, and gameplay. Several playable heroes have been identified so far: Sterling, a Prince Charming type of character, who flourishes a rapier and wise cracks; Winter, who is focused on will-based abilities and ice attacks; Rook, focusing on ranged combat with a crossbow; and Inga, a paladin-like character wearing heavy armor, and wielding a sword and shield.[2]

Villain

The villain player controls the nature of the quest the hero characters embark on, such as where enemies spawn, how aggressive they are, when the boss will come lumbering out of its lair, when to bring down an impassable portcullis or lay a trap to separate heroes from each other to thwart them. The Villain has a certain amount of "creature points", which he uses during a setup phase to plan his strategy. Each creature costs a certain number of points to summon. During setup, the Villain can also place a certain number of interactive objects in the quest, such as traps and gates.

Once the battle has begun, the Villain player focuses on ordering his creatures about in real time in a similar manner to an RTS game. He can order the creatures to attack a specific Hero, to activate special abilities, and to position for ambushes. During combat, he can also activate gates to damage and split up the Heroes, and use his traps to distract and wound them.

Social play

Like other games in the series, Fable Legends will allow players to interact with villagers and customize their characters with weapons, looks, armour, abilities and more. In the hub-city of Brightlodge, players have the opportunity to partake in jobs, play mini-games and enjoy pub games. Once the player selects a quest, they are sent out into the world.[3]

Synopsis

Fable Legends takes place several hundred years before the events of the original trilogy.[2] This is a period of magic, folklore, and mythology, and humanity has yet to discover meaningful technology. Most people huddle in small villages, too witless and scared to venture out into the scary world about. Heroes are more common, but there is no Heroes' Guild yet, and the Heroes must rely on each other to succeed.

The story of one quest revealed at gamescom told of an ancient artifact called "The Moon on the Stick", which the children of Albion once made wishes to. The heroes in Fable Legends are on a quest to locate this artifact.[3]

Development

Fable Legends began development in the summer of 2012 and was announced on 20 August 2013 with a cinematic trailer directed by Ben Hibon and narrated by Michael Gambon as the Villain.[4] The first revealed gameplay footage was shown on 9 June 2014 with gameplay performed on stage by the development team.[5] A limited, closed multiplayer beta began on 16 October 2014.[6]

The game is intended to have a 5–10 year lifecycle, and will be integrated into the cloud features of the Xbox One. SmartGlass features will allow villain players to make their plan of attack before a quest.[7]

On 21 January 2015, Microsoft announced Fable Legends will also be released on Windows 10. The game will feature cross-platform multiplayer between Microsoft Windows and Xbox One. Also support for DirectX 12 will be added with the game's release.[8]

On 26 February 2015, Lionhead confirmed that the game would use a free-to-play model.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Xbox is the Best Place to Play this Holiday with the Biggest Exclusives and Blockbuster Xbox One Bundles". Xbox Wire. Microsoft. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Macdonald, Keza (2013-08-20). "Gamescom: Fable Legends is Fable, But With Friends". IGN. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Allen, Matthew (2013-08-23). "Visit the Age of Heroes with Fable Legends". The Dead Hamster. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
  4. ↑ "Fable Legends Official Trailer". YouTube. Lionhead Studios. Retrieved 2015-02-06.
  5. ↑ "Fable Legends Media Briefing - E3 2014". YouTube. Lionhead Studios. 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2015-02-06.
  6. ↑ Gera, Emily (2014-12-08). "Fable Legends multiplayer beta hits Xbox One on Oct. 16". Polygon. Retrieved 2015-02-06.
  7. ↑ Weber, Rachel (2013-09-13). "The Lion's Den: Meet The New Team Behind Fable Legends". Games Industry International. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  8. ↑ Reynolds, Matthew (2015-01-21). "Fable Legends announced for PC with cross-platform multiplayer on Xbox One". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  9. ↑ Mike Futter (2015-02-26). "Fable Legends is Indeed Free-to-Play – And it's Not a Bad Thing". Game Informer. Retrieved 2015-02-26.

External links