The highly anticipated reboot of the Fable series doesn’t foist an artificially drawn-out hundred-hour epic on you. As part of a Q&A session at Gamescom, the head of Playground Games gave specific figures on the game’s length. Therefore, you can expect to take 15 to 20 hours just to play through the main campaign. If you want to immerse yourself deeply in the world, your time in Albion will be significantly longer thanks to the vast amount of side content.
As deputy game director Will Kennedy explained to press representatives at the show, RPG playtime is divided into two clear chunks: In addition to the 15 to 20 hours of the central story campaign, you have another 15 to 20 hours available for side quests and exploring the open game world. If you focus purely on the quests, you’ll experience a compact RPG adventure with a total length of about 30 to 40 hours.
But that’s only half the story. Kennedy and associate game director Craig Littler emphasized that the core of the Fable series has always been its dynamic life and simulation systems. There is no fixed expiration date for interacting with residents, increasing your social status, purchasing real estate, or building relationships. In theory, these sandbox mechanics could allow you to spend an unlimited amount of time in the world without having to keep paying attention to the main story.
The announcement puts the new Fable within roughly the same purview as its historical predecessor, which also relied more heavily on a clear campaign and high replayability. Rather than overwhelming you with a giant map filled with collection missions, the development team relies on a focused experience and a high degree of freedom of choice.
It remains to be seen whether the conscious avoidance of artificial grinding will be well-received by the community, or whether some will expect more of a story focus.
