Fable: The Journey is an action role-playing video game that has players use Kinect to manipulate magic in order to defeat enemies. By using their hands to perform certain gestures, players can cast a variety of spells, ranging from electric bolts to magic shards. As enemies are defeated, experience is collected which the player can use to upgrade health and spells.
A large portion of the game takes place with the player character's horse. Driving the horse requires "holding" the reins and guiding the horse along a path. The player must also care for their horse by petting and brushing it as well as caring for it when it gets hurt.
There is also cross-game interaction with Fable Heroes. Playing Fable Heroes will level up the character in Fable: The Journey as well as unlock additional items.
Gabriel takes the place as the Hero of the latest story for the Fable series, starting out as an ordinary Dweller. His journey begins when he is separated from his fellow Dwellers while staying near Bowerstone. As he attempts to reunite with his people, he encounters Theresa who is wounded and fleeing from the Corruption. At first Gabriel acts cowardly, beginning to run at the first sight of trouble. However he soon returns, helping the blind seer onto the cart and urging Seren to avoid the devastating forces of the Corruption's first lieutenant, The Devourer. Narrowly escaping the attack, Gabriel's relief turns to horror when Theresa admits that the Devourer's attack poisoned his horse. She offers a way to heal Seren, but warns that it will take personal sacrifice on Gabriel's part. Gabriel readily agrees. Travelling to the Spirit Chambers, a temple of the Enlightened, Gabriel was told to dip his hands into the Pool of Sight to recover the power that would enable him to heal Seren. After receiving a disturbing vision of Albion's downfall at the hands of the Corruption and passing a series of tests in a spiritual realm, Gabriel returns with a pair of gauntlets, much like those used by the old Hero King. Using their power, he heals his animal companion, only to realize that they are stuck on his arms and cannot be removed. Revealing this to be the sacrifice she warned of, Theresa offers a way out of this predicament for Gabriel. This solution, however, was located in the far-off Forge of Fire, another Enlightened temple that was located on the edge of the massive forest of Thorndeep. Begrudgingly, Gabriel took Theresa back on the cart and set off for the temple.
Passing through the thick forest, the duo came across a series of hobbe forts blocking the roads. Setting off on foot, Gabriel travelled through the old gold mines before coming across a local woodsman named Fergus, who had been tied up and captured by the hobbes. Releasing him, Fergus and Gabriel reunited with Theresa and Seren, and the group made their way further into the forest. Deciding to stay at Fergus' place for the night, Gabriel and Fergus were interrupted by the sudden appearance of native balverines. Fighting their way to Seren and Theresa, the two warriors managed to fight off the creatures. The next morning, upon leaving Fergus' home, the Devourer came upon the group once more, forcing Fergus to join Gabriel and Theresa on their journey. Once again running for their lives, the trio managed to escape into the light, back on course to the temple. Facing a myriad of foes on the way, the group nevertheless managed to safely arrive at the Forge of Fire, where Fergus found the remains of his wife, Peg. With Fergus busy burying the remains, Gabriel managed to pass the trials and tribulations of the temple, claiming the Willstone of the Hero Blaze in the process. Unfortunately, it was at this moment that the Devourer personally attacked the group, determined to stop them once and for all. Fighting off his minions, Gabriel was still no match for the Corruption's lieutenant, who disabled his opponent and proceeded to taunt him, warning the Dweller that there was no hope left for Albion. Desperate, Gabriel called upon Fergus to aid him in his hour of need, a request that drove the once-cowardly woodsman to put aside his fear and save his friend. Distracting the Devourer, Fergus' death gave Gabriel the opportunity to destroy the abomination for good. Mourning the death of Fergus, Gabriel admitted to Theresa that he would not take off the gauntlets, resolute in helping Albion in its time of need and moving on to the next temple.
Travelling through the dangerous hills of Miremoor, Theresa and Gabriel were stopped by the wreckage of a long caravan of carts, left burning in the open road. Looking for survivors, the duo only found one, a farm girl by the name of Betty. Claiming to be one of the few survivors, the sympathetic Gabriel let Betty join Theresa and himself in their attempt to cross the River Ironwash, as Betty believed that her father may have escaped there. Betty guided Gabriel through a shortcut to the River Ironwash, past the haunted lands of the Fallen Fen. Fighting alongside the ghosts of the Albion Royal Army, Gabriel used his power to drive off the hollow men and light the great beacon, which banished all remaining hollow men, freed the soldiers from their curse, and made the Fallen Fen safe again.
Proceeding to Sable's Crossing, Gabriel blasted a way through the bridge, much to the disgust of the Toll keeper, and made his way to the Whitespire Mountains. Fighting through Northward Fort, the group made a much-needed stop at the abandoned watchtower known as the Far Watch, where Betty and Gabriel made their feelings clear for each other. Interrupted by Theresa, Gabriel kept watch at the campsite while Betty allegedly went out to get more firewood before she was captured by the second of the Corruption's lieutenants – the foul Temptress. Urging Seren to catch up, the Temptress lead the Dweller and the Seer to The Shattered Prism, the last of the temples and home to the Willstone of Sol, the Hero of Light. Passing its trials, Gabriel emerged victorious, Willstone in hand and ready to get Theresa to the Spire to fight off the Corruption once and for all. It was here, however, where the recently recovered Betty revealed her true nature as the Temptress herself, blasting Theresa aside and attempting to kill the Dweller in an intense battle of the wills. Pulling himself together, Gabriel managed to cast aside the Temptress' tricks and defeated her in single combat, destroying her at long last. Helping Theresa back on the cart, the group continued their journey.
Continuing westward, Theresa and Gabriel once again had to fight off the Corruption's growing forces, battling their way through the Echo Hills of Albion. It was here where Gabriel at long last caught up to his old friend, Katlan, who had been mortally wounded in a vicious balverine attack. Fighting off the creatures, Gabriel could only console his dying friend, who readily admitted that Heroes did indeed still exist upon seeing Gabriel's ability before passing away. Resolute in his campaign against the Corruption, Theresa and Gabriel went through the nearby tunnels and emerged in the canyon-ridden landscape of Deepgorge. With the Corruption having completely overridden this once-rich area, the duo had to fight their way through the industrial town of Bastion before arriving at their final destination, the beach of Kraken's Jaw. Preparing to take the deactivated Cullis Gate, it was here where Theresa revealed that she only had the power to teleport two people to the Spire, abandoning Seren to the approaching hordes of the Corruption. Though apprehensive about leaving his lifelong companion and friend, Gabriel finally gathered the strength to let Seren go, taking Theresa's hand and teleporting to the ancient Old Kingdom tower.
There, in the Spire, Gabriel had to undergo one last trial – the sacrifice of Theresa herself. Channelling the light through the Seer, this power was enough to drive the Corruption back, buying Theresa the time to make her final wish. Escaping to the heart of the Spire, Gabriel managed to escape the doomed tower mere seconds before it was destroyed, apparently killing both Theresa and the leader of the Corruption, the Corruptor himself.
Walking the beaches of Kraken's Jaw, Gabriel reflected on his journey and his new destiny to protect Albion from any future threats before finding Theresa's blindfold, left lying in the sand. It is at the end of the game that Gabriel is revealed to be newly blinded, just as Theresa had been, before adorning the Seer's blindfold.
Fable: The Journey has received a range of mixed reviews. It received an aggregated score of 61/100 on Metacritic.[3]
Giant Bomb praised the game’s characters, humor and emotional depth: "You end up genuinely feeling sorry for certain characters on several occasions when bad things happen to them, and the game culminates in a moment that will likely be among the most poignant seen in a game this year".[10]
The strongest criticisms of the game came from Destructoid, who said: "...altogether it's evident that Lionhead worked hard on this latest Fable adventure. That does not mean, however, that it's good. Far from it. As much as Lionhead may have tried its level best, the limitations of Kinect ensure, at every step, that The Journey is boring when it works and tear-inducing when it doesn't".[4]
Related Research Articles
Lionhead Studios Limited was a British video game developer founded in July 1997 by Peter Molyneux, Mark Webley, Tim Rance, and Steve Jackson. The company is best known for the Black & White and Fable series. Lionhead started as a breakaway from developer Bullfrog Productions, which was also founded by Molyneux. Lionhead's first game was Black & White, a god game with elements of artificial life and strategy games. Black & White was published by Electronic Arts in 2001. Lionhead Studios is named after Webley's hamster, which died not long after the naming of the studio, as a result of which the studio was very briefly renamed to Redeye Studios.
Peter Douglas Molyneux is an English video game designer and programmer. He created the god games Populous, Dungeon Keeper, and Black & White, as well as Theme Park, the Fable series, Curiosity: What's Inside the Cube?, and Godus. In 2012 he founded and currently runs 22cans, a video game development studio.
Xbox Game Studios is an American video game publisher based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, spun out from an internal Games Group, for the development and publishing of video games for Microsoft Windows. It has since expanded to include games and other interactive entertainment for the namesake Xbox platforms, other desktop operating systems, Windows Mobile and other mobile platforms, web-based portals, and other game consoles.
Fable is an action role-playing video game, the first in the Fable series. It was developed for the Xbox, Windows, and Mac OS X platforms by Big Blue Box Studios, a satellite developer of Lionhead Studios, and was published by Microsoft Studios. The game shipped for the Xbox in September 2004. An extended version of the game, Fable: The Lost Chapters, was released for the Xbox and Windows in September 2005. A port of the game for Mac OS X, created by Robosoft Technologies and published by Feral Interactive, was released in March 2008 after a delay of more than two years due to licensing issues.
Fable II is a 2008 action role-playing open-world video game, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360. The game is the second installment in the Fable game series, and the sequel to 2004's Fable. The story takes place within the fictional land of Albion, 500 years after the first game. Players assume the role of a young hero who is destined to stop a former ruler turned madman from destroying the world. The game features several prominent actors portraying major characters in the game, including Zoë Wanamaker, Ron Glass and Stephen Fry. The game's setting takes inspiration from the historical late colonial era, in terms of architecture, social quality and basic firearms such as flintlock pistols.
Overlord is an action role-playing video game developed by Triumph Studios and published by Codemasters for Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Linux and PlayStation 3. It was released in 2007 in North America on 26 June, in Europe on 29 June and Australia on 6 July.
Fable II Pub Games is an Xbox Live Arcade title that includes three pub game-styled minigames called Keystone, Fortune's Tower and Spinnerbox for the Xbox 360, developed by Carbonated Games under the supervision of Lionhead Studios, which all share functionality with Fable II. The games are included in both editions of Fable II. Fable II Pub Games was free for those who pre-ordered Fable II from participating retailers.
Kinect is a discontinued line of motion sensing input devices produced by Microsoft and first released in 2010. The devices generally contain RGB cameras, and infrared projectors and detectors that map depth through either structured light or time of flight calculations, which can in turn be used to perform real-time gesture recognition and body skeletal detection, among other capabilities. They also contain microphones that can be used for speech recognition and voice control.
Fable III is a 2010 action role-playing open-world video game, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The third game in the Fable series, the story focuses on the player character's struggle to overthrow the King of Albion, the player character's brother, by forming alliances and building support for a revolution. After a successful revolt, the player becomes the monarch and is tasked with attempting to defend Albion from a great evil. The game includes voice acting by Ben Kingsley (Sabine), Stephen Fry (Reaver), Simon Pegg, Naomie Harris (Page), Michael Fassbender (Logan), Zoë Wanamaker (Theresa), Bernard Hill, Nicholas Hoult (Elliot), John Cleese (Jasper), Jonathan Ross, Adjoa Andoh (Kalin), Kellie Bright, and Louis Tamone.
Project Milo was a project in development by Lionhead Studios for the Xbox 360 video game console. Formerly a secretive project under the early codename "Dimitri", Project Milo was unveiled at the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in a demonstration for Kinect, as a "controller-free" entertainment initiative for the Xbox 360 based on depth-sensing and pattern recognition technologies. The project was a tech demo to showcase the capabilities of Kinect and was not released, despite conflicting reports that the project was an actual game.
Fable is a series of action role-playing video games for Xbox, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Xbox 360 and Xbox One platforms. The series was developed by Lionhead Studios until the studio was closed in 2016, and is published by Xbox Game Studios.
Kinect Star Wars is a Star Wars video game developed by Terminal Reality and published by LucasArts and Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360 that uses the Kinect motion peripheral. The game features four game modes: "Jedi Destiny", the primary game mode; podracing; Rancor Rampage; and Galactic Dance-off. In Jedi Destiny, players assume the role models of Jedi Padawans as they wield their lightsabers and use the Force to attack enemies mostly from the prequel trilogy using gestures. Podracing is a race-based game mode, Rancor Rampage is a destruction-based game mode, and Galactic Dance-off is a dance-based game mode similar to the Dance Central series.
Puss in Boots is an action game based on the film of the same name. It was developed by Blitz Games Studios, and released by THQ for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Nintendo DS. It features support for Kinect and PlayStation Move on the respective platforms.
Fable Heroes is a beat 'em up video game in the Fable series, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox 360. Announced at the 2012 Xbox Spring Showcase, it was released on 2 May that year as part of the Xbox Live Arcade Next Promotion. It is the first "family-friendly" game in the Fable series.
Brave is an action-adventure video game adaptation based on the 2012 film of the same name developed by Behaviour Interactive and published by Disney Interactive Studios. Actress Kelly Macdonald, who voiced Merida in the film, reprised her role for the video game.
Dragon Ball Z: For Kinect is a video game based on the anime series Dragon Ball Z for the Xbox 360's Kinect. Published by Namco Bandai Games under the Bandai label and developed by Spike Chunsoft, the game was released in October 2012. It is one of the few Dragon Ball games that never saw a release in Japan, although it still features a Japanese speech track available for international players.
Fable Legends is a cancelled cooperative action role-playing video game developed by Lionhead Studios and projected to be published by Microsoft Studios for Windows and Xbox One. Microsoft cancelled the game on 7 March 2016. The servers shut down on 13 April 2016.
Gary Carr is an English video game developer. His career began at Palace Software, where he worked on titles such as Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior and Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax. In 1989, he joined Bullfrog Productions and worked as lead artist on Powermonger and Populous II. He also worked on Theme Park, but, after a disagreement with Peter Molyneux, he left the company to work for The Bitmap Brothers, where he worked on The Chaos Engine 2. He returned to Bullfrog in 1995 hoping to work on Dungeon Keeper, but worked on Theme Hospital instead. He left Bullfrog again in 1998 to join Mucky Foot Productions.
Fable is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios. Set in the fictional world of Albion, Fable represents the first new installment in the franchise since Lionhead Studios's Fable III in 2010. Positioned as a reboot, the game aims to update the series with contemporary gameplay mechanics and visuals, targeting a new generation of players. It is scheduled to be released for Windows and Xbox Series X/S in 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
