The latest trailer for Fable, the fourth main series entry in Xbox's action-RPG Fable franchise, seems to be taking a page out of God of War Ragnarok's book by having the player character fight a giant in their home. Fable was once one of Xbox's premiere franchises, with all three original trilogy games enjoying a great deal of success.
Since the launch of Fable 3, the Fable franchise has been in a tough spot. Instead of producing a proper Fable 4, Xbox instead focused on spin-off games, none of which came close to the popularity of the original trilogy. A truly massive blow came to Fable when the decision was made to cancel Fable Legends, an online-focused twist on the series that led to the closure of Lionhead Studios. The Fable Fortune digital card game released after that, but it wasn't long for this world and has since been shut down.
Fable has had a rough decade, but it's finally coming back in a big way. Forza Horizon developer Playground Games has been trusted with rebooting Fable, with the project being announced at the 2020 Xbox Games Showcase. Three years later, fans have been treated to their first proper trailer, getting a look at Fable gameplay as well as being introduced to a giant character portrayed by Richard Ayoade. The ensuing gameplay sequence seemed to be a riff on the Jack and the Beanstalk fairytale, though it also called to mind a sequence from God of War Ragnarok.
Fable Giant Battle Has God of War Ragnarok Vibes
The Fable 4 trailer from the Xbox Games Showcase is narrated by Richard Ayoade's giant character. It shows a modern take on Fable's action-RPG combat and ensures fans that the franchise's unique sense of humor is fully intact. However, viewers don't know Ayoade is a giant until the end of the trailer, at which point a battle ensues between the Fable player character and the giant. The battle seems to include some platforming elements, avoiding the giant's attempt to smash the player, and figuring out creative ways to fight back against the colossal man. Ultimately, the player character is captured by the giant and the trailer ends before fans get to see what happens next.
The Fable 4 trailer retains the franchise's sense of humor, but the giant is still quite intimidating. The sequence seems to be rather intense, and it calls to mind a similar scene from 2022's God of War Ragnarok where Atreus and Angrboda square off against Gryla the Giant. The key difference is that the God of War Ragnarok giant fight doesn't have room for humor, and is instead presented as extremely serious and dark.
It will be interesting to see how else the Fable giant fight differs from God of War Ragnarok's take on the concept. Unfortunately, Fable is without a release window right now, meaning it's likely fans will have to wait until at least 2025 to get their hands on the game. There's a small chance it will launch in 2024, but Fable enthusiasts shouldn't hold their breath and should be sure to keep their expectations in check.
Fable is in development for PC and Xbox Series X.