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Fable at 20: a uniquely British video game with a complex legacy

In 2004, Fable was as famous for what it didn’t deliver as for what it did. But this Python-esque fantasy game deserves to be remembered for more than that

At the time, thanks to some overenthusiastic press interviews with the Carters’ old friend Molyneux, Fable was notable as much for what it didn’t do as for what it did; hyped-up features such as meaningful choice and consequence, acorns that grew into mighty trees over the course of a playthrough and a game world with no boundaries, did not come to pass. Photograph: LionheadFable was set in Albion, an idealised version of England’s green and pleasant land, all villages and castles and forests packed with baddies and bandits, a place where people gossiped relentlessly and the pub was sacrosanct. Characters all had unashamedly over-the-top British regional accents, and there was a lot of belching, getting pissed, playful townspeople banter and creative insults.

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