Fable bets on accessible but deep combat and steps away from the soulslike formula

Playground Games has once again lifted the curtain on Fable, the return of Xbox's action RPG series, and this time the spotlight is on combat. The studio's message is clear: they don't want a game that punishes every mistake or turns every encounter into an endurance test. As reported by Vandal, the idea is to keep the ease of access that defined the original games, but with a system that offers far more options.

Why does it matter? Because in an industry where almost every action RPG ends up being compared to soulslikes, one of Xbox's biggest franchises openly distancing itself from that trend is quite the statement of intent. For players, content creators, or anyone simply looking for a long adventure without the frustration, this approach could define the kind of audience the game wins over.

What you need to know

• It won't be a soulslike: the studio isn't aiming for a particularly demanding experience.
• Accessibility is a direct legacy: associate director Will Kennedy points out that the original Fable games have a legacy of fairly accessible combat.
• Targeted attacks: with ranged weapons, you'll be able to aim at specific parts of enemies' bodies.
• Visible consequences: an arrow to a Hollow's leg knocks it down, though it will keep crawling toward you.
• Magic and experimentation: the studio promises plenty of possibilities by combining weapons, spells and the enemies themselves.

Accessible doesn't mean simple

The distinction Playground Games is drawing is an interesting one. For years, the conversation about difficulty in video games has been framed as a dilemma: either a game is demanding and deep, or it's welcoming and shallow. What Kennedy's team is proposing is to break that false dichotomy. The barrier to entry should be low, but the ceiling for skill and creativity should be high.

The Hollow example is telling. It's not just about chipping away at an enemy's health, but about changing how it behaves: it stops walking, falls to the ground and keeps coming at you by crawling. That kind of reaction makes combat more tactical and, above all, more visual. It's no longer just about how much damage you deal, but where you deal it and what it triggers. Add the promise of enemy interactions and a magic system with room to experiment, and the approach points to combat that rewards curiosity more than memorizing patterns.

A nod to series veterans

Anyone who played the classic Fable games will remember that combat was never the main reason to return to Albion. That was the humor, the moral choices and the feeling of leaving your mark on the world. It makes sense for the studio to respect that identity: trying to turn Fable into something it never was would have been an unnecessary risk. What it does seem to want is for combat to stop being the weak point and become one more reason to enjoy the game.

Our take

Here at the Underworld Lordz newsroom, we see it as a sensible decision, though with some caveats. We like that Playground Games isn't jumping on the soulslike bandwagon just because it's trendy; Fable has its own personality and should stand by it. Plus, an accessible system with plenty of depth is exactly what tends to work best on stream: viewers understand what's happening, while the creator can show off with creative combos, over-the-top physics and absurd, clip-worthy moments.

That said, "depth" is a word studios throw around very freely. Aiming for an enemy's legs sounds great in an interview, but the key will be whether those mechanics are actually necessary or whether you can ignore them without consequence. If everything can be handled just as well by mashing the attack button, the system's supposed richness will end up as little more than a footnote. For competitive players or those who love to optimize, the big question will be whether there's room for mastery: adjustable difficulty options, optional challenges or something that makes mastering the system worthwhile.

We'd also like to see more specifics. For now, we know the philosophy and one eye-catching example, but not how magic will fit in with the rest of the arsenal or what variety of enemies will let you make the most of these interactions. We're giving a studio with Playground Games' track record the benefit of the doubt, but we want to see it in action before we celebrate.

What do you think?

Some argue that every modern action RPG needs a serious challenge, while others are grateful to enjoy the story without suffering through every fight. Fable has picked a side, at least in its intentions. Would you rather have accessible combat full of possibilities, or would you have liked to see a more demanding Fable? Let us know in the team chat or drop by our Discord to discuss it.