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 Arenawhich 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!

---

The Lost Chapters

There are two things I need to say about this review first. Number one: For a long time I didn't know whether The Lost Chapters was just the official subtitle of Fable or whether it was an expansion - which it is. Number two: The album is a gamerip that includes some of the music from the main game, so there are duplicates at the start. In addition to countless short, similar-sounding variations of Danny Elfman's main theme, we also find pieces that have been snipped directly from the cutscenes and therefore contain sound effects. This is unsexy and would be an exclusion criterion for me if the score didn't contain at least one piece worth mentioning.

However, as Hook Coast (or the identical Knothole Glade) fulfills this requirement, I at least wanted it to be mentioned. The waltz-like tapping of the strings, which sounds as if we're skipping merrily through woods and meadows, is simply too beautifully done not to be mentioned. The unexpectedly sci-fi-esque Chapel of Evil also stands out somewhat. Otherwise, the gamerip is characterized by repetition of well-known Fable-melodies and therefore only something for completists like me.