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Fabulous

It's somewhat strange that Fable as a game was successful enough to spawn a franchise but never significant enough to leave a lasting impression on the market. Despite featuring numerous revolutionary gameplay mechanics typical of creator Molyneux, both before and after, there weren't many games like it.

At the start of the story, our freshly orphaned protagonist seeks refuge from his pursuers in the Heroes' Guild and must prove himself in smaller tasks before later saving the entire realm and defeating his family's killers. Fable breaks conventions from the outset. One game mechanic allows us to boast before taking on our heroic deeds. For example, we might promise to accomplish this task naked, thereby suffering huge debuffs. Upon successful completion, not only are we admired by listeners, but we're also rewarded with a greater amount of experience points. However, we're also more vulnerable, which has two disadvantages.

If we take too much of a beating, we'll see it – not only on the health bar but later on numerous scars that adorn our hero's body. Additionally, our stature changes when we invest XP in strength... and we age. Starting as a young adult, green behind the ears, wandering through the world of Albion in Union Jack underwear, we'll be growing both in form and experienced, being a gray-haired hero towards the end. Similar to the Kotor-games, our morality is also depicted in the form of a halo or devil horns, which is commented on by villagers through cheers or boos.

Additionally, apart from the missions, we can do a lot of nonsense, get tattoos, dress up, fart on people or get married (potentially both), play mini-games, buy and furnish a house, etc. Fable offered a lot of freedom for 2005, as well as a combat system that was reasonably well thought out with its combo system. Although it shouldn't be a hidden gem, it probably passed by the majority of the player base and falls into the category of good games that were ahead of their time.

What even fewer people may be aware of is the accompanying, fabulous soundtrack. Not only was it recorded by the world-renowned London Philharmonia Orchestra, but it also featured Danny Elfman, one of the most famous film composers. Admittedly, he only contributed the main theme, "Fable," but that sets a powerful tone right away.

The piece starts darkly, with a steady clattering, as if we're wandering through a gloomy forest. We fight our way through the thicket, the main theme played by a trumpet is heard from a distance. The violins join in, fanfares sound, and we step out of the darkness onto a clearing. The orchestra spreads out before us, grounded by brass and strings heading in the direction of the sky, the music surges towards us, triumphant and heroic – adventures await!

However, the orchestra ebbs away, retreats, becoming more oppressive and dangerous – something is in the air... Danger! The clearing disappears, we duck as we sneak through the forest again when suddenly we're discovered! Escape. Frantic, chaotic. It's chaos, with every instrument fighting to surge forward. Trumpets, violins, percussions – chaos. We slow down as calmness once again prevails. We gather ourselves, take a deep breath, stand up, and step outside. Strengthened, determined, and ready for our adventure. Let the journey begin!

For me, Elfman tells a typical hero's journey in these 3.5 minutes, starting with the departure into the unknown, the new world, the first confrontation, the decision, the battle against our nemesis, and finally the return with the elixir. It's musical storytelling that brilliantly captures the spirit of the series without drifting too much into fantasy territory like scores such as The Chronicles of Narnia .

That's fun, especially because the other twelve tracks of the OST, composed by Russel Shaw, continue in the same vein and quote parts of the main motif: "Oakvale" is not only the name of a tranquil farming village in the game itself but also musically wanders on this level. A glockenspiel, strings, and a flute create a cozy atmosphere that charmingly and sweetly heralds the stereotypical peace of a rural township. You may have heard it all before, but it's still enjoyable.

Shaw contrasts this mellow with pieces like the gloomy "Darkwood," "Lychfield Cemetery," or "Greatwood," without drifting too much into horror territory. Instead, he bestows upon every location in the game world a certain beauty, which sometimes appears more soothing ("Summer Fields," "Temple of Light"), sometimes busier ("Bowerstone"), or indeed more unsettling. Nothing seems inherently 'good' or 'evil,' just more peaceful or dangerous. Added to this are "Arena," which most likely passes as a combat track with its dramatic hammer blows, it comes across a little reminiscent of Stronghold .

Finally, "Guild" and "Fresco Dome" should be mentioned, which, through their chorales in the tradition of British fairy tales, evoke a medieval atmosphere. This fits very well with the tone of the score and into the overall composition, thereby creating a solid fantasy soundscape. Thumbs up from me, as well as the recommendation to catch up on the accompanying game in the Anniversary Edition – then the OST is even more fun!

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Nr.	Title	Interpret(en)	Ratings
01	Fable	Danny Elfman	5
02	Oakvale	Russell Shaw	5
03	Darkwood	Russell Shaw	3
04	Witchwood	Russell Shaw	4
05	Lychfield Cemetery	Russell Shaw	3
06	Summer Fields	Russell Shaw	3
07	Bowerstone	Russell Shaw	4
08	Arena	Russell Shaw	4
09	Temple of Light	Russell Shaw	3
10	Hobbes Cave	Russell Shaw	2
11	Greatwood	Russell Shaw	4
12	Guild	Russell Shaw	3
13	Fresco Dome	Russell Shaw	3

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The Lost Chapters

Bei dieser Review muss ich zwei Infos vorwegschicken. Nummer eins: Ich wusste lange Zeit nicht, ob The Lost Chapters nur der offizielle Untertitel von Fable ist, oder es sich hierbei um eine Erweiterung handelt – tut es. Nummer zwei: Bei dem Album handelt es sich um einen Gamerip, der teils die Musik des Hauptspiels umfasst, es sind also Doppelungen am Start. Zusätzlich dazu finden wir neben zahllosen kurzen, ähnlich klingenden Variationen von Danny Elfmans Main Theme, auch Stücke, die direkt aus den Cutscenes geschnippelt wurden und folglich Soundeffekte enthalten. Das ist unschön und wäre für mich schon ein Ausschlusskriterium, würde der Score nicht zumindest ein erwähnenswertes Stück enthalten.

Da „Hook Coast“ (bzw. das identische „Knothole Glade“) diesen Tatbestand jedoch erfüllt, wollte ich es wenigstens erwähnt wissen. Das walzerartige Tapsen der Streicher, das so klingt, als würden wir fröhlich durch Wald und Wiese hüpfend, ist einfach zu schön gemacht, um es nicht zu thematisieren. Auch das unerwartet Sci-Fi-esque „Chapel of Evil“ sticht etwas aus der Reihe. Ansonsten ist der Gamerip von Repetition bekannter Fable-Melodien gezeichnet und folglich nur etwas für Kompletisten wie mich.

Nr.	Title	Interpret(en)	Ratings
01	Microsoft Logo	Russell Shaw	1
02	Fable Demo	Russell Shaw	1
03	Fable	Danny Elfman	5
04	Oakvale	Russell Shaw	5
05	Hobbes Cave	Russell Shaw	2
06	Raid on Oakvale	Russell Shaw	3
07	Dad's Death	Russell Shaw	1
08	Guild Arrival	Russell Shaw	3
09	Guild Year 1	Russell Shaw	3
10	Heroes Guild - Daytime [Fresco Dome]	Russell Shaw	3
11	Heroes Guild - Nighttime [Guild]	Russell Shaw	3
12	Lookout Point [Summer Fields]	Russell Shaw	3
13	Danger (Enemies)	Russell Shaw	3
14	Quest Fail	Russell Shaw	2
15	Quest Won	Russell Shaw	2
16	Guild Next Couple of Years	Russell Shaw	3
17	Danger, Boss Battle	Russell Shaw	3
18	Guild Ceremony	Russell Shaw	3
19	Theresa Flashback	Russell Shaw	4
20	Bowerstone	Russell Shaw	4
21	Wedding	Russell Shaw	3
22	Greatwood	Russell Shaw	4
23	Temple of Light	Russell Shaw	3
24	Darkwood	Russell Shaw	3
25	Bandit Camp [Darkwood]	Russell Shaw	3
26	Chapel of Evil	Russell Shaw	3
27	Interlude	Russell Shaw	3
28	TwinBlade	Russell Shaw	1
29	Meet Theresa Again	Russell Shaw	1
30	Ambush	Russell Shaw	1
31	Witchwood	Russell Shaw	4
32	Knothole Glade [Hook Coast]	Russell Shaw	5
33	Arena	Russell Shaw	4
34	Mother's Past Revealed at the Arena	Russell Shaw	4
35	Execution Tree	Russell Shaw	2
36	Gibbet Woods	Russell Shaw	3
37	Lychfield Cemetery	Russell Shaw	3
38	Lychfield Cemetery Passage	Russell Shaw	2
39	Kraken Chamber	Russell Shaw	3
40	See Your Mother Again	Russell Shaw	1
41	Jack Captures You	Russell Shaw	3
42	Year One in Prison	Russell Shaw	3
43	Prison	Russell Shaw	2
44	Next Year in Prison	Russell Shaw	3
45	Hook Coast	Russell Shaw	5
46	Fresco Wedding Theme	Russell Shaw	3
47	Meet Theresa Again	Russell Shaw	1
48	Jack Boss Fight Intro	Russell Shaw	1
49	Jack of Blades Defeated	Russell Shaw	2
50	Ending (Sister Killed)	Russell Shaw	3
51	Ending (Sister Saved)	Russell Shaw	1
52	Dream Sequence	Russell Shaw	2
53	Summoning the Ship	Russell Shaw	1
54	Maze Battle Intro	Russell Shaw	2
55	Maze Defeated	Russell Shaw	2
56	Dragon Defeated	Russell Shaw	3
57	Fanfare 01	Russell Shaw	2
58	Fanfare 02	Russell Shaw	2
59	Fanfare 03	Russell Shaw	2
60	Fanfare 04	Russell Shaw	2
61	Fanfare 05	Russell Shaw	2
62	Fanfare 06	Russell Shaw	2
63	Fanfare 07	Russell Shaw	2
64	Fanfare 08	Russell Shaw	2
65	Fanfare 09	Russell Shaw	2
66	Fanfare 10	Russell Shaw	2