Analysis: Fable II

At least Kingdom Hearts had recognizable IPs. But seriously though, Fable 2 is an interesting twist on the Action RPG that delivers (like its predecessor) a pleasant mix of tried and true RPG elements with some innovative new mechanics. Unlike the more involved RPGs, like Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Fable 2 provides fun RPG game play for the casual gamer.

Combat

 

Fighting enemies in the Fable 2 universe is fairly straight forward. The strength of the enemies is balanced such that if you don’t rush too far forward you’ll have a good fight. I was rarely scared of dying while in a fight. And because of the game’s action elements, running away is pretty easy to do.

The combination of action elements with RPG style skills made battle an enjoyable experience. You locate the enemy, who very often popped up, down, or out of something, and kill it. The game employs 3 types of attack: Skill, Will, and Strength. For the most part, each skill tree provided the player with some type of challenge involving dexterity. But it was never too difficult to master.

The game rewards the use of one skill tree by providing more experience to the player for using it. For example, if you use ranged weapons a lot, you’ll gain more Skill experience, which can be used to purchase skills within that tree. This mechanic allows players to advance more quickly into the skill set of a tree if they focus on that skill. Thus the player will probably choose to focus on a single battle discipline.

The skill tree, while easy and manageable, felt a bit one-sided. Once I started using Will based skills all the challenge went out of the battles. I could run into the middle of any sized group of enemies, summon some undead minions to soak damage, and then AoE lightning my enemies to death. This tactic worked all the way up to the end of the game. This is, however, not necessarily a flaw in the design. The game draws its appeal from being manageable and playable. The player who doesn’t want to be bothered by choosing his attacks based on enemy weakness can still play through the game comfortably. With this setup the player may adapt his attack style if he wishes to end battles more quickly, but if he wants a comfortable single tactic, the game obliges.

That being said, the combat system isn’t completely one-sided. A more accurate description is no-sided. In other words, regardless of the discipline you choose, you will be an effective combatant through all of the game. There aren’t situations which are impassable without using any of the disciplines (with the exception of enemies you can’t get to on foot). Therefore a player is free to choose his path with little opportunity cost.

Persistence

 

Fable 2 draws a great deal of its appeal from the persistence of its world. While playing the game a player is immersed in an environment which reacts to his presence in predictable and interesting ways. This persistence helps the player feel the passage of time, as well as the evolution of the game as he is playing it.

A keynote in the design of Fable games has been the reputation mechanic. Players are introduced into a world which recognizes that player’s accomplishments. As he progresses through the game, the player gains notoriety, either good or bad, based on the choices he makes. This mechanic provides the player with a unique style of immersion in which his environment appears to be aware of him.

Over the course of the game, the avatar ages. This mechanic provides the player with feedback as to the progress he has made in the game, and helps characterize each major act. But the Fable designers took the idea a step further with the idea of Character Morphing. Within the fable universe the character is in a state of constant balance. For each deed he does he becomes more good, or more evil. In order to communicate this to the player the designers came up with a system where the avatar changes visually to represent his alignment. Simply put, the more evil deeds the player does, the more evil his avatar appears, and vice versa.

This visual feedback contributes to the player’s emotional investment in his avatar by giving him a character that is truly unique to the player because it is based on that player’s decisions. Furthermore, the character maintains wounds and scars received in battle (or based on his decisions).

A very interesting twist to the game is the ability, of the player, to marry and start a family. This mechanic draws light to the spectacular horizontal integration of the game’s design. Other mechanics aside, the family mechanic gives the player extra incentive to be good. But it also gives fiendish players opportunities to be extra evil.

Economy

 

Every RPG has some semblance of an economy. The player must, in some way or another, gain money which he uses to buy weapons and items. In Fable 2 this is no different, however the mechanics used in gaining money are innovative. Instead of killing monsters for gold, most of the money a player will probably gain comes from buying and renting out properties OR by working jobs like lumber chopping or bar tending.

The best way to earn money quickly, in Fable 2, is to get a job. The job mechanics typically give the player a meter and a moving slide. The player must hit some button at the right time to succeed. The more the player succeeds the more money he makes. This simple mechanic helps cut through the typical RPG grind of killing monsters for gold. True, it may be repetitive to do the same thing over and over again. But the balance of skill required, and the fact that you get better as you do the job more and more make it an enjoyable experience to make money.

My favorite way to make money in Fable 2 was the buying of properties. This mechanic was more than merely a method to gain gold. It provided the power player with a new challenge: Buy every property in the game and gain the title ”King.” But, more than that, the property mechanic gave the player more investment in the world. In buying properties and renting them out the player was providing services to the people of the world. 

Conclusion

 

If I were to describe Fable 2 in a few words it would go something like this: “Short, sweet, and fun.” Perhaps the most common complaint I heard about the game was that it was too easy. I agree that the game is easy, but I don’t label this a flaw in the design. The game hits its mark well by delivering a fun RPG experience to players that is never too involved.