The upcoming Fable reboot from Playground Games and Xbox was once one of the most anticipated video game releases of the generation, but much of that anticipation has started to fade the closer the RPG gets to launch, and the more the aforementioned duo shows it off. There are parts of it that look undeniably great, such as its presentation. There are other parts, like its narrative and writing, we simply don’t know enough about. And there are parts of the game that quite simply don’t look very good, such as its combat.
Recently, Xbox revealed an extended gameplay demo showcasing a lengthy and raw look at the game, indicating it is bullish about said gameplay. The reception to this demo and other raw footage has been a bit mixed. Xbox fans seem to agree with Xbox and are equally bullish on the prospect of the combat and more. Outside the Xbox bubble, though, the reaction has been far more mixed. Over on the RPG Gamers Reddit, for example, the combat has been getting blasted. Meanwhile, on the PS5 Pro Reddit page, it’s not faring much better.
In a post actually praising said footage, there are many comments criticizing the combat as looking stiff, unresponsive, and dated. It’s not everyone. As noted, the original poster themselves was impressed, but it is a majority of users on the PS5 Reddit page, or at least those who cared enough to participate in the discussion.
“This is a hype killer for me,” reads one of the top comments. Another comment adds: “Looks bad and dated.”
A third comment further adds: “For a game that’s been in development for so long and that will probably be one of the titles concluding the X|S gen, I’m honestly a bit underwhelmed.”
A further comment even further adds: “Combat looks a couple of generations behind.” And a fifth comment drives home the point: “I was positive, but I think this looks pretty poor quality to be honest.”
Now, it is worth noting that an RPG doesn’t live and die, inherently, on its combat. If it did, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt would not be considered one of the best RPGs of all time. The same applies to a lot of all-time RPGs, such as Fallout 3 or the original Mass Effect. If Fable is really strong in other areas, then its combat being lackluster — or at least giving the impression of being lackluster — won’t matter that much. That said, Fable doesn’t look like it’s going to be an all-time classic. It looks solid, but not in the category of the games above. So, if the combat does end up being middle-of-the-road or worse, then that could prove a problem for the Xbox RPG. Only time will tell, but in the meantime, it does feel like anticipation for Fable’s return is slowly but surely losing air. And this could prove to be a problem for a game that has reportedly gone way over budget.
