The story of Fable is starting to take shape. A new quest gameplay video from Playground Games, shown at XBOX FanFest in Seattle, sends the Hero of Briar Hill into Deepwood, the magical forest at the center of Albion, and game director Ralph Fulton has confirmed that it marks the first time the game mentions Isabel, one of its Heroes, by name. Fulton explained the footage on the Official XBOX Podcast, which the official Fable account shared after recapping the FanFest reveal. Check out the official posts down below:
Isabel Enters The Story
Isabel is played by Hayley Atwell, and she has appeared in earlier trailers, where she gave her own account of what being a Hero means. In the game itself, though, the Hero has no idea who she is until this quest. Fulton told host Joe Skrebels that it is "actually literally the first time in the game that the name Isabel is mentioned at all."
Up to this point, the Hero has spent the first half of the game hunting for clues about what happened to their village, with help from Humphrey the Golden and from the Hero's brother Connor. Fulton said Isabel's name "is going to put you on a path which will track her right across Albion," all the way to the end of the game. The quest takes place at the end of what Playground calls Act 3, which he said is "probably getting on for halfway through the game."
In the footage, the Hero follows the trail of "the woman who attacked my village." Arden asks whether the Hero has heard of Isabel, and says Isabel once came to her for help with something, so she made Isabel a pair of boots and sent her back to Humphrey.
Deepwood And The Curse
Fulton described Deepwood as "the magical forest right in the middle of Albion," and said it is normally one of the most beautiful parts of the world. In the quest, it is not, "for reasons which are definitely relevant to the plot." The Hero and Arden follow a river into a cave where something is affecting the water.
Red-glowing creatures roam the cursed parts of the forest. Fulton said players first meet creatures like these shortly after their village is cursed, and he hinted that the 2 events are connected, saying players who put those things together "might not be too far from the truth." He added that these creatures are stronger and more durable than normal ones.
Fulton also teased the end of the clip, saying "there is a cool reveal just as the screen goes black" that will take players "somewhere you've never been before" and explain more of what is happening in Albion.
A Retired Hero Who Rejects Heroism
Arden is played by Susan Wokoma, and she is one of only a few Heroes in the story, along with the player, Isabel and Matt King's Humphrey the Golden. According to Fulton, she "describes herself as a retired hero." She still has her powers, but she believes nobody should be a Hero because that kind of power is too much for any one person. Fulton said the question of what it means to be a Hero is central to the whole game, with Humphrey, Isabel and Arden each holding a different view.
A Story That Does Not Rush You
The Hero's village and grandmother have been turned to stone, but Fulton said the game is "not a race against time to save them." The story does not demand that players drop everything to save the world until "probably" Act 5 or 6, so there is room to explore Albion, take jobs or go on dates with villagers first.
Fable releases on February 23, 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PC and PlayStation 5, with up to 5 days of early access through the $99.99 Premium Edition. The cast includes Lily Nichol and Ukweli Roach as the Hero, Richard Ayoade as Dave the Giant, Natasia Demetriou as Jenny, Kwame Augustine as Connor, Nina Wadia as Grandma Samira, Nathan Foad as Jacob and Robert Whitelock as Nigel the Sheriff.
Fantasy games have had a busy week, with The Witcher 4 named Most Wanted at the Golden Joysticks, as covered in Ciri's The Witcher 4 Voted Most Wanted Game As The Witcher 3 Sets A Golden Joysticks Record, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim marking its anniversary, as covered in 15 Years In Tamriel's North: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Celebrates Its Anniversary With New Art And More.
With Arden arguing that no one should be a Hero and Isabel's name now on the Hero's trail, whose view of heroism do you expect Fable's story to side with?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.