Fable: The Lost Chapters
I am not sure precisely when I first played Fable, I think either 2007 or 2008. I played the Xbox version of The Lost Chapters, and my goodness what a game. The soundtrack remains one of my favourite OSTs of all time, and I'm listening to it while I write this. The world is beautiful as it is fantastical, the accents - Has any other game featured so many Brummie accents? The humour is delightful. Truly, I think this game has everything.
The Soundtrack
The main theme was composed by Danny Elfman, the same brain behind The Simpsons' theme and Desperate Housewives' theme, among many other projects: Beetlejuice, Batman, Spider-Man, The Nightmare Before Christmas - I actually find it crazy such a big name in music wrote the theme to little ol' Fable. Here it is, in all its glory:
The rest of the soundtrack was composed by Russell Shaw. I won't upload all the songs, but these two are my favourite:
Oakvale
Temple of Light
I especially love the use of string instruments, Shaw's soundtrack has a lot of plucked strings. I don't know what it is about them, I just find them soothing. Oakvale features some, but I think the best example of this is Greatwood.
Jack of Blades
I think Jack of Blades might be what kickstarted my descent into emo.
Look at that emo badass. The red hood? The mask? Yes please.
While looking for an ingame picture of him to use here I found that people have done skins and outfits of Jack in Minecraft, Guild Wars 2, Second Life, Skyrim, and even Counter-Strike! For me, he's one of the most iconic villains of all time.
Rumour has it, the two masks seen strapped to his chest are the King of Blades and Queen of Blades. The masks (including Jack's) act as a sort of phylactery for souls, which is how Jack has been able to "stay alive" for so long.
Oakvale
My favourite place in the game has to be Oakvale. Not only is it my favourite song, but something about the town is so peaceful and comforting. That might be considered a little ironic (or am I misusing the word?) if you know what happens to Oakvale in the story. No spoilers!
As a child I replaced my armour with regular town clothes, equipped a stick (because you couldn't unequip weapons) and pretended I was a regular person. You couldn't exactly do much other than walk around and emote to NPCs, but I guess I found it relaxing.
Fable Anniversary
Ten years after Fable's first release, Fable Anniversary was released. That was in 2014. Yes, Fable Anniversary could now have a Fable Anniversary Anniversary. And it would be two years old already.
I played the whole game on Steam Deck and it played amazingly. It was so great to see my love of Fable wasn't just rose-tinted glasses, but that is still holds up as a phenomenal RPG.
Fable (2026)
Fable is being rebooted. The remake is supposed to release this year, and I am very excited and a little anxious. Can it capture the magic the first game had? Not only did it bring many British folklore tales to life through its enemies and quests, it did it with charm and humour. The trailer released back in 2023 did seem rather good, it featured Richard Ayoade and I love him so I have high hopes! Maybe one day it'll get its own shrine?