Fable’s Trailers Have Already Won Me Over

It’s that season of comparing any unreleased game to those that came before, whether you like it or not. When looking at the image above, you probably thought, “Oh God, please, not again. Why can’t these journalists stop comparing everything?”

There have already been numerous takes on how Fable somehow “looks more like Dragon Age” than The Veilguard, mostly because of the game’s visuals. These statements couldn’t be further from the truth. Despite all its visual splendor, Fable still manages to look like, well, a fairy tale — not just another high or dark fantasy with no identity of its own.

But hey, I’m not here to compare the upcoming Fable and Dragon Age: The Veilguard to each other, so you can exhale now. I’m excited to play both of these RPGs for entirely different reasons. I love Fable and want to see a fresh take on the series by the new studio, especially since Playground Games spent over a decade working exclusively on the Forza Horizon arcade racing series. I also love Dragon Age (except you, Dragon Age 2), and I’m very excited to see how the Dreadwolf’s plan will finally unfold in The Veilguard.

But I would be lying if I said I’m feeling confident about both titles at this point. That’s because Dragon Age’s lengthy gameplay reveal has left more questions than the brief glimpses I’ve seen of Fable so far. And that’s the power of marketing done right.

From The Looks Of It, Fable Has It All

What Playground Games has done with the game’s marketing is simply a masterclass in creating intriguing and memorable trailers. Sure, that doesn’t necessarily mean the final product will match those carefully selected and crafted scenes from Albion. Yet, with everything we’ve seen so far, I’m starting to feel it might just become my favorite RPG of the past few years. Especially since both Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2, sadly, haven’t clicked for me, and the reveal trailer for Veilguard was nothing to write home about.

Fable’s trailers place in-game characters front and center, playfully depicting scenes akin to interviews, asking a simple question: what does it mean to be a hero? This is a perfect backdrop to quickly highlight the franchise’s standout aspects, from incompetent NPCs, non-heroic activities like chicken kicking, to unusual (and terrifying!) monsters like giant toads.

Related

Dragon Age Dreadwolf Needs To Stay Away From The Open World Formula

I’m hoping that BioWare takes a “classic” approach to building their world this time.

With great humor and without revealing too much, each trailer offers just a taste, maintaining a cohesive style and theme throughout, while also focusing on truly compelling characters like Humphry and Dave, whom I already can’t wait to see again.

As our own Jack Coleman wrote, Playground Games really nailed that Britishness Fable is known for, thanks in large part to sitcom actors Richard Ayoade and Matt King, who brought these characters to life. I’m not even British, so I won’t question his authority on that matter (neither is he, to be fair) — I just feel he’s right on point here. And so is the team at Playground.

Oh, and I can’t help mentioning how perfectly the default hero protagonist we’ve seen suits this kind of game. I don’t even want Fable to have a character creator at this point — I’m already sold on playing as this charming hero, with their “disproportionately high cheekbones and comically massive weapons” like it’s 2005 again. Most likely, Fable will let you create and customize your character to your liking, but this choice for the trailers just convinces me once again that Playground Games knows exactly what they’re doing. I’m definitely playing as her.

Fable has been on my radar since its announcement back in 2020, and I’ve enjoyed every second of its released footage so far. With such a high bar set, I’m eager to see the next Fable trailer, all the new characters (and actors), and the little charming episodes it will reveal. Well done, Playground — I haven’t been this excited for the return of a childhood game in a very long time.

Read Next

Balatro Made Me Appreciate Things I Usually Don’t

Never say never.