Fable III

It is the dawn of the industrial age. 50 years have passed since the events of Fable II. The fate of Albion rests in the hands a new hero that is destined to start a revolution, overthrow the current king, take the throne, and destroy an evil darkness that threatens the land. Will the hero chose a righteous and benevolent path, or a dark and evil path? The adventure begins, and it is up to you to ultimately decide what path you choose.

The story begins during a dark time in Albion. The hero’s cruel brother is seated on the throne and the people of Albion loathe him. He is a cruel and heartless ruler. The hero that you play as is the younger sibling. The great hero from Fable II happens to be one of your parents, and you are sure that the way your brother is ruling the land is not the way your parent had intended.

You begin your adventure with a simple tutorial where you are introduced to the ins and outs of combats as well the “Road to Rule.” The Road to Rule is where you can spend guild seals to acquire new skills and expressions. Guild seals are earned by performing various side quests and missions. The main missions are required to progress through the game. Side quests are entirely voluntary and can either be of good or evil morality.

Morality has always been an important theme with regards to the Fable series. It defines what type of person your hero is about how people react to you. An evil character will tend to turn into a more evil looking person if he tends to commit more evil acts upon the people of Albion. Evil acts can be things such as: killing an innocent, stealing, beating or killing your spouse, making evil choices, etc. A good character will progress to a more angelic person by committing good acts such as: donations, rescuing people, sparing people’s lives, and following through on promises to help people.

Combat is also an important aspect of the game. It is very fast paced and you will battle multiple enemies at once. Combat can involve: swordplay, guns, spells, or hand to hand encounters. As you progress through the game, you can acquire various different types of weapons and spells, each with its own unique capabilities. Eventually you will also be able to “weave” two types of spells together for a more dramatic effect on your enemies.

You will not have to take this journey alone. Your faithful dog will always be at your side. Not only will your dog alert you that enemies are near, but he will also alert you to treasure and dig spots! He may even battle some enemies himself, once properly trained. This can be done with training books that you can acquire as you progress through the game.

Expressions make a return in Fable III and as always they are hilarious. Expressions are a way your hero can interact with the people of Albion. As you progress through the game, you can acquire more of them. Some expressions include: dance, hug, kiss, whistle, tickle, chicken dance, insult, threaten, laugh, vulgar thrust, and many more. Expressions can be used to make friends and enemies of the people, and if you play your cards right…. you may even find a spouse!

If you chose to marry, you must first purchase a home and a wedding ring for your lover. Once married, you must keep your spouse happy by providing a nice home and a proper allowance of cash each day. Be sure to treat your spouse right and they may surprise you with a gift. You can have more than one spouse… but it is best to have spouses that live in different towns so that they don’t run into each other and fight. Otherwise you may end up with a nasty divorce.

Once married you may end up having children if you have unprotected sex. You can have up to two children per spouse. Later down the road you will also be able to adopt children, but only two per household. You must love and care for your children and keep them happy…. otherwise you may end up with family problems later.

Making money is a necessity in Fable III. More so once you yourself are seated on the throne. I’m not going to tell you why…. but eventually you will need to amass several million dollars.

In the beginning of the game, it is not going to be very easy to get rich quick. Some missions and side quests reward you with money. You can also find money by digging at dig spots, or finding treasure chests. But the quickest way to make some money is to do some work as a lute player, pie maker, or blacksmith.

Once you start making some good money, it is a good idea to invest in real estate. If you are planning on getting married you will need a house of your own. But you can also purchase homes and rent them out. Doing so will gain you some money every few minutes of game play. You may also purchase various shops and pubs throughout Albion. That is where you make the real money, however they cost a lot more to purchase. You will receive a discount on purchases made at any shop you own, however. This can really be a lifesaver when you are running low on potions!

One final aspect of Fable III is your attractiveness and scariness. People will react to you differently depending on your appearance. Certain outfits have different ratings with regards to these aspects. For example, the masquerade outfit is very attractive, where as the mercenary outfit is scary and less attractive to people. There are even outfits that are downright silly looking, like the chicken suit. Eating fattening foods will also make you less attractive and some foods actually give you evil morality. Tattoos, make up, and hair styles can also be used to affect how you look to other people.

Fable III has colorful environments and detailed characters. The soundtrack is also delightful and it changes depending on the mood of the game. As for the controls, they are fluid and easy to learn.

In the end, Fable III is a highly in depth game with a variety of paths that you can chose to lead your hero to victory. Players will want to play through the game at least twice so that you may see how your decisions affect the game and its story. Good choices lead to one entirely different path over bad choices. You will just have to see the outcomes for yourself.

Fable 3 has an ESRB rating of M for mature. This is because the game features: blood, violence, use of alcohol, language, and sexual content. A strategy guide is available for those of you that want to get every bit you can out of the game.