Beer, swearing, and aggressive strangers. Simply your common Thursday evening in a North London pub. Seems fantasy isn’t too removed from actuality, although, with a stroll round Fable delivering the very same elements for an eventful afternoon. A hands-off presentation at gamescom 2026 gave me new perception into developer Playground Video games’ Albion and the tales happening in it. Right here, I’ll stroll you thru the whole lot that was proven, forward of me going hands-on with Fable and its fight programs later — keep tuned for my impressions of that very quickly. For now, it’s time to make a journey via Bowerstone and see what a full quest brings with it.
For these uninitiated within the unique Fable trilogy, Bowerstone is the capital of the fantasy world of Albion, and it’s by no means appeared higher than it does right here. In the beginning of my roughly 15-minute dwell gameplay demo, our hero, a younger girl with a sword on her again, rode as much as the portcullis of the looming metropolis. What could possibly be an intimidating sight shortly was certainly one of awe, although, with its central maintain towering over crooked, smaller buildings that stack up in the direction of it. There’s a delightful off-kilterness to the city, reflecting the imbalance in its world nearly as good struggles to outweigh evil. The askew rooftops and twisty brickwork marry fantastically with the winding nature of the town’s streets and the uneven cobblestones that make them. All of it makes this world really feel totally handcrafted and believably constructed by the people who dwell there, quite than a boring geometric sample laid down by an unimaginative metropolis planner.
It’s not only a sight to behold, although, however a metropolis filled with goal. Over 30 companies are dotted throughout it, from hairdressers to garments retailers to tattoo parlours. Playground actually desires you to create a personality totally in your personal picture, and make them really feel as married to the world you stroll them via as potential. Talking of marriage, our first cease in Bowerstone takes us to the hero’s household dwelling — a comfy, well-kept cottage warmed by a roaring hearth. Ready for us are our daughter, Daisy, and partner, Elliott. The love between him and our hero continues to be robust, it appears – as she walks away from him, he can’t assist however comment, “Ooph, so glad I married all of that”. Regular on, Elliott, we’ve bought a village to avoid wasting.
Briar Hill is that village, and the crux of Fable’s predominant story. A mysterious red-cloaked determine known as Isabel has turned the individuals of our hometown to stone, and it is as much as us to reanimate them. This quest we’re on now appears pretty early on within the plot, and has taken us to the capital to achieve entry to the Heroes Guild. A earlier mission has popped the important thing to the Guild’s headquarters in our stock, and so we stroll as much as the massive doorways with ease. Once more, each the outside and inside structure and artwork design on present are great, with a pleasant mixture of grandeur and deliberate tough edges on present.
Sitting contained in the guild is Humphry the Golden, a legendary determine in Albion folklore who seems to have seen higher days. Performed by Peep Present’s Tremendous Hans supremo, Matt King, he cuts the determine of a bedraggled alcoholic, slumped in a big chair within the darkness. By no means meet your heroes has by no means proved a more true phrase. Proving my level, in a stupor, he asks for a big beer, and we’re offered with our first selection — Playground guarantees Fable is packed filled with each large and small choices that may impression the whole lot from minor character relationships to main story moments. Do you give Humphry the tankard filled with hoppy goodness, or throw it over him in an try and wake him up? The latter is chosen, and a pop-up seems on the left of the display letting us know that he now thinks we’re an arsehole.
Nonetheless, Humphry wants our assist. In debt and on the cusp of being evicted, with the intention to achieve his steerage, we’ll must dig him out of a gap. It seems that this once-respected hero gambled away the possession rights of the guild and misplaced them to Slick Ronnie, a neighborhood Bowerstone gang chief. So, it’s now our job to get them again. It doesn’t take us lengthy to get in hassle with this gang, both. One step again onto the streets and we’re confronted with a trio of Ronnie’s lackeys who’re bothering Billie, described by Playground as a “part-time playwright, full-time orphan.” Dialogue choices are given, and an try and defuse the scenario is made. Sadly, for them, violence is deemed needed.
It’s the primary alternative for us to get a correct have a look at Fable’s fight, and I’m impressed. It’s all the time troublesome to know the way good a sport’s motion is till you get your palms on it your self — one thing I’ll be doing in mere hours — but it surely definitely appears slick. Sweeping sword slashes are executed. A bow and arrow is fired satisfyingly with a ping into somebody’s head. A protracted electrical whip is conjured and despatched crashing down onto the group. A fireball is sculpted from our hero’s palms and despatched blazing right into a chest containing a now-unbeating coronary heart. The flexibleness on present is nice to see, and it seems this received’t be an RPG that restricts your fight choices relying on a strict class construction
That encounter earns us a ability level, and a reasonably intensive ability tree is flashed up on display after which closed earlier than I’ve time to check it in any depth. Nevertheless, I did see what the ability level was spent on: magical blades, a spell any Fable veteran will little doubt fondly bear in mind. We’ll see in motion shortly.
First, it’s time to go to a extra down-on-its-luck a part of city the place Slick Ronnie’s hideout will be discovered. After all, the path takes us to a pub. The Poor Home is Ronnie’s chosen watering gap, and after speaking to its clientele, it turns into obvious we’d like entry to the again space of the institution. There are a number of methods in, however we select the simple highway and pay for entry to avoid wasting time.
As soon as via the door, we discover ourselves confronted with one other lock we don’t have the important thing for. This door is unguarded, nevertheless, so we put our trusty lockpicking abilities to the take a look at and achieve swift entry. There’s no Fallout-esque tumbler-rotating minigame to play right here, only a easy maintain of a button as an alternative. Ronnie’s workplace waits on the opposite facet, and the deeds to the guild are there to be plundered. Simply strolling away could be far too easy, although, wouldn’t it? On the way in which out, Ronnie isn’t very blissful to see us, and a fast try and bluff her by saying we wandered into this restricted space after a couple of too many drinks doesn’t go down properly. It’s time to combat once more, and the right alternative for these magical blades to see some motion.
Upon triggering the assault, three glowing blue swords float above our heads earlier than darting in the direction of an enemy every – it’s very a lot the spell you bear in mind, and a very good indicator that Playground has no intention of abandoning Fable’s historical past. It seems to be an amazing crowd management software when surrounded by a number of attackers, as we’re right here. A follow-up arrow to certainly one of their knees makes one satisfyingly stumble as they react to the goal harm, after which met with the pointed finish of our sword. Issues then get slightly trickier right here, as a cumbersome brute wielding a two-handed axe enters the combat. It’s immediately noticeable what number of extra hits he can take, so as an alternative it appears sensible to deal with increase his stagger bar via sustained assaults so an enormous harm window opens. Once more, I’m impressed by the fluidity of the motion.
This battle indicators the tip of our time with Fable for now, but it surely’s that fight that I can’t wait to get my palms on. I’m left satisfied by the enjoyably British tone of the world, the vary of characters that inhabit it, and the tales they’re keen to inform us. I’m left hopeful the fight matches that high quality, although, and might be discovering out very quickly if Fable feels as slick to play because it appears. I’ll let you already know very quickly.
Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can primarily be discovered skulking round open world video games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing on the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Comply with him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.