Summary
Being one of the most popular genres of fiction of all time, the fantasy genre has more than its fair share of tropes, but few are quite as prevalent as the “Hero’s Journey.” A narrative structure that essentially sees one unlikely person go on an adventure, conquer some evil, and come back a changed hero,the hero’s journey archetypeis one of the most common forms of storytelling, appearing across countless books, comics, TV shows, movies, and of course, video games. And with it being a series entrenched in fantasy stereotypes, it’s no surprise that theFablefranchise fully embraces the hero’s journey archetype.
After 13 years of waiting, fans are finally about to get their hands on a new mainlineFablegame. Coming fromForza Horizondev Playground Games, not much is currently known about theFablereboot, even after its first cinematic trailer was unveiled earlier this year. But while this newFablereboot will likely want to switch up a few things from its predecessors, it’s vital that it retains a pure and simple hero’s journey narrative.
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Fable Needs to be an Unashamed Hero’s Journey
While eachFablegame has brought something new to the table, and some have even changed the general themes and gameplay loop drastically, the one common theme that runs through the entire series is this notion of a hero’s journey. The very first game in theFableseries is probably the most unashamed example of this. The entire story ofthe firstFablegamesees players take on the role of a professional Hero, and seek to rid the world of bandits and mysterious evils. After saving their sister,Fable’s Hero discovers they’re descended from a powerful bloodline, and they wield a magical sword to win the day and save the world from evil. Hero’s journey 101.
BothFable 2and3also embrace the hero’s journey trope fully, perhaps even more so than their predecessor. From the get-go,Fable 2has players facing off against childhood bullies, and over the course of the story, the player-character only gets more noble, eventually saving the world and resurrecting all of the poor souls who died during the game’s climactic moments.Fable 3has a slightly more complex version of the hero’s journey, seeing the player take on the role of the kingdom’s ruler, facing off heroically against a mysterious threat and saving countless lives in the process.
Of course, a big hook of theFablegames is their Alignment system, which allows players to make a series of choices that can drastically impact the course of the game’s narrative, and the fates of certain major characters. While these choices can allow the player to commit some heinous acts, it doesn’t stoptheFableseriesfrom still being a hero’s journey at its very core, with the main character still following the same general patterns that are expected of the narrative structure.
Playground Games has the opportunity to take theFablefranchise in almost any direction it wants, but if there’s one thing from the original series that needs to carry over to the reboot, it’s the hero’s journey archetype. The hero’s journey structure is such an integral part ofFable’s DNA, and if it wasn’t in the reboot then it simply just wouldn’t feel like aFablegame, though that doesn’t mean Playground can’t have fun with its inclusion. A core part of theFableseries has always been its penchant for parody, and that seems to be carrying over to thisFablereboot. So whileFable 4needs to keep the hero’s journey structure, it could have some fun satirizing the trope, mocking some of its most common and cliched elements.
Fableis in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
