Game Narrative Review: Fable II

GameCareerGuide here presents the second in a series of narrative reviews written for a contest supported by GDC Austin
in association with the IGDA Writers' SIG. This entry was penned by
David Gerald Saunders, masters student in level design at The Guildhall
at SMU.

The goal is twofold: to encourage students to look at game
narrative and writing with the intensity and depth that they do other
aspects of game development, and to reward the students who excel at
game narrative analysis. To read the first entry, and an in-depth
explanation of the contest, click here.]

Game Title: Fable II

Platform: Xbox360

Genre: 3^rd Person Action/RPG

Release Date: October 21^st, 2008

Developer: Lionhead Studios

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Game Writer/Creative Director/Narrative Designer: Peter Molyneux (C/D), Dene Carter (Writer, Story), Reese Bryant (Writer), Mark Hill (Writer)

Overview


The narrative of Fable II, like its predecessor, follows
the classic monomyth structure; an orphaned child named Sparrow sets
out on a quest of adventure to exact revenge against the man who
murdered his (or her) sister, only to discover supernatural powers
granted by an ancient, prophesized lineage. Accompanied by a Dog of
undying loyalty and guided by a blind fortuneteller, Sparrow must
thwart the murder's nefarious deeds and save the world.

But what makes Fable II particularly interesting is its
two-part narrative structure, namely, the game's extremely linear main
storyline, overlaid with a tremendously dynamic, changing world. The
player's moral choices directly affect the shape, landscape, and makeup
of the world, and thus Fable II, despite being linear, gives the player the impression that they are writing their own, personal narrative.

Characters

• Sparrow - The player avatar, whose sex,
  physical appearance, and demeanor are determined largely by the overt
  choices, combat specialization, and social actions the player makes
  throughout the game. If the player chooses to enhance strength,
  Sparrow's muscles will grow accordingly. If the player chooses to
  enhance magic, arcane lines will tattoo themselves upon the Sparrow's
  skin. Should the player perform enough "good" or "pure" actions,
  Sparrow will grow more attractive, while if the player performs enough
  "evil" or "corrupt" actions, Sparrow's head will grow horns and his
  (her) skin will turn sallow, ghastly, and foul. Sparrow speaks not a
  single line of dialogue in the entire course of Fable II; the
  designers' goal was to make Sparrow a true analogue to the player's
  moral will. Only two of Sparrow's motivations are communicated to the
  player: Sparrow's love for the Dog, and Sparrow's sorrow at Rose's
  death.
  

• Rose - Sparrow's older sister, Rose, serves as the player's introduction to the world of Fable II
  before becoming Sparrow's reason for adventuring forth into the land.
  As the only family member Sparrow has, Rose's main concern is providing
  for Sparrow; both Rose and Sparrow grow up as homeless street orphans.
  Almost immediately it is clear that Rose wishes for a better life for
  her and her sibling, and her admiration for the castle looming in the
  city's distance is reinforced on numerous occasions. When Rose and
  Sparrow come across a magic box granting them each one wish, Rose
  wishes to visit the castle. Her wish is granted, and upon visiting the
  castle is murdered by Lord Lucien, whereupon Sparrow vows revenge.
  

• Sparrow's Dog - As the player's trusted, loyal companion, the Dog serves as the Fable II's
  most sympathetic connection. Every step of the way, the Dog's purpose
  is to pull the player into an emotional connection with the game.
  Indeed, of the few choices the game makes for the player regarding
  Sparrow's disposition, the Dog is the most glaring; early in the story,
  Sparrow's wish from the magic box is to have a Dog. The Dog is an
  immovable part of the narrative, follows the player wherever they may
  go, and cannot be discarded or killed. Should the Dog become critically
  wounded, it limps upon three legs towards the player, begging to be
  healed. Should the player leave the wounded Dog to its fate and attempt
  to abandon it, the Dog will, eventually, crawl its way back to its
  unloving master. Much like Sparrow, the Dog's physical appearance
  changes according to the player's actions; a good Sparrow will have a
  healthy, loving companion, while an evil Sparrow will have a mangy,
  fierce companion.
  

• Theresa - A blind fortuneteller, Theresa
  serves as the game's narrator and link to the main storyline. She is
  the one who encourages the children to wish upon the magic box, and she
  is the one who takes Sparrow in after Rose's death. Her soft, well
  spoken, but slightly aggressive demeanor helps distinguish Theresa as
  the mastermind behind the player's actions. As a character with almost
  zero backstory provided, and with an overly intimate knowledge of what
  needs to be done and when, Theresa's intentions are suspect throughout.
  In fact, after the player liberates an ancient, evil artifact from the
  final adversary, Theresa, instead of destroying the artifact, claims
  ownership of it.
  

• Lord Lucien - Despite being the main "bad guy" of Fable II,
  Lord Lucien is only seen four times during the course of the story.
  Reclusive, obsessive, and well dressed, Lucien's only concern is
  finding a way to resurrect his wife and daughter, who died some years
  before the beginning of the game. These are touchy subjects for Lucien,
  and his butler reminds the player of this fact before meeting Lucien
  face-to-face. Although not much of Lucien's personality is portrayed by
  he himself, his backstory, and thus his motivation, is briefly
  discussed throughout the narrative. Early on, Lucien invites Rose and
  Sparrow to his manor and performs a mysterious ritual, after which he
  determines he must kill the two children. Lucien, while certainly evil
  later in the story, is portrayed early on closer to a shade of grey,
  and before murdering Rose and attempting to murder Sparrow, he
  whispers, as an effort to reason with himself "this is not what I
  intended, but nothing must stand in my way!"
  

Breakdown


Fable II is unique in that it has two distinct narrative
structures: one that revolves around the main storyline, and one that
revolves around the player character. Throughout the game the player is
given choices about how to complete various quests. These choices
typically come down to disparate good vs. evil options, and the game
world is affected based on which the player chooses.

For example, should the player decide to help a town's sheriff catch
criminals in a certain town, the town will flourish and develop into a
bustling middle-class hotspot. But should the player decide to ignore
the sheriff, and instead help the criminals, the town will fall into
unkempt ruin.

This player-controlled narrative structure is enhanced by the game's
morality and gesture systems. Within the morality system, players who
perform good deeds will become the talk of the town, and upon entering
the cities the townsfolk will lavish the player with attention, gifts,
and praise. Both Sparrow and the Dog will get more attractive, look
healthier, and Sparrow will eventually don a halo. Players who perform
evil deeds will cause the townsfolk to flee, to cower before Sparrow,
or to adorn Sparrow with gifts out of fear. Both Sparrow and the Dog
will look fierce and ragged, and Sparrow will eventually grow devil
horns.

Through the gesture system, the player has the option to get married
(to the same or opposite sex), have children, buy a house, and get
divorced. The player's spouse can die, or the player can engage in
polygamy (which their spouse may not be too fond of). They can gain
favor with different individuals by giving them gifts, or lose favor by
being rude. They can take different jobs around town and use the money
they earn to buy different real estate properties. They can then rent
out these properties at above or below market rates, changing the
demographic makeup of the townsfolk and the goods sold. If they want,
they can name their Dog, teach it new tricks, and even play fetch.





Indeed, this is the crux of what Fable II provides its
players; the ability for them to feel that they have an impact on the
way the narrative plays out. It is here that the game's narrative meets
the game's core gameplay, and this is one of Fable II's greatest successes.

At the same time, however, the game's main storyline is largely
unaffected by any player choice whatsoever, and stands in direct
opposition with the game's stated core gameplay tenant: "every choice
leads to a different destiny." Regardless if the player is good or
evil, is a real estate mogul, or is loved or hated by the people, the
main storyline plays out in near identical word-for-word terms.

The result is a linear narrative that is disconnected from what the
core of the game is: player choice. The story in a game such as this
must itself grow with the player, if only at the surface, if it's to be
believable in the context of a complex, changing game world. It's
necessary that the main characters react differently to good or evil
players; Rose, who speaks to Sparrow from beyond the grave, might be
disappointed at the evil Sparrow, and might congratulate the good
Sparrow on deeds well done. Lucien might attempt to recruit the evil
Sparrow, and might scoff at the good Sparrow's attempts to thwart his
plans. Instead, as the main storyline stands, it straddles a middle
ground that forgoes an opportunity to call the player back for a second
playthrough.

Strongest Element


Fable II's strongest narrative element is that surrounding its
charming, non-core, quest NPCs. Be it a drunk, asking Sparrow to help
sneak booze past his nagging wife, a hopeful suitor being shooed away
by his secret love's mother, or the highway bandits loafing about, the
side-quest NPCs of Fable II exude comic British charisma. The
care and attention to detail given to the personalities of these
characters is one of the key components that makes the world of Fable II so compelling.

Unsuccessful Element



To adequately understand the game's main narrative, the player must
have an advanced knowledge of the events that occurred in game's
predecessor, Fable I.
Due to the quickly glossed-over backstory, people, places, reasons for
completing quests in a certain way, and even the core of the main
storyline itself is lost on those without this knowledge. Much like the
way many novels include a chapter or two of detailed synopsis, Fable II
would benefit from a clearer presentation of these key elements. An
example is the character of Theresa, who is the blind (and possibly
immortal) sister of the player in the first game. New players know
almost nothing of her past, and her character comes off as a bit
shallow. Another example is the game's ancient prophecy; the nature of
this prophecy, although a key piece of the main narrative, is only
referenced on a few occasions, and never fully explained. This is one
of the reasons the main story feels flat -- players aren't quite sure
what is going on. Fleshing out these key points, and reinforcing them
on multiple occasions, would greatly enhance the impact the story has
on the player.

Highlight


By far, the most memorable moment in the game is the ending, where the
Dog jumps in front of Sparrow and sacrifices its life to save the hero.
This comes as a shock to most players. The Dog, the loyal companion the
player couldn't get rid of, is not only useful in terms of gameplay,
but exceptionally well characterized and in many ways an extension of
the way the player chose to interact with the game. Soon after the Dog
dies and the main storyline is over, the player is given one of three
wishes: to resurrect all those who died under Lucien's reign (except
the Dog and Sparrow's family members), to resurrect only the Dog and
Sparrow's family members, or to receive tremendous amount of in-game
currency. After making this difficult choice, the player can then
continue wandering the lands of Fable II.

Critical Reception


With an average Metacritic score of 89, critical reception of Fable II
was quite positive. Many reviews called the player-driven narrative
engrossing, and commented favorably on the incredibly charming
dialogue.

Tom Hoggins at the Telegraph gave the game a perfect score, stating "You see, the best thing about Fable II
is the stories you will have to tell, whether they are of love, money,
murder or sacrifice. And every hero's is different." Gamefocus' Leigh
Bain gave the game a 93, yet stated "While the story isn't very strong,
the experience is full and very rewarding." Gamespot's Tom McShea, who
gave the game an 85, said it most eloquently by saying "The story is
one of the weakest aspects because it focuses on your choices without
creating interesting characters of its own, but it does provide a few
powerful scenes."

Critical reviews tended to focus on the flat, rushed main storyline,
while positive reviews focused on the wonderfully crafted
player-created narrative.





Lessons

• Not every believable or lovable character needs to have dialogue to be memorable; the Dog is a great example of this.
  
• Games
  are all about players making interesting choices, and the most
  memorable moments in games are created by leveraging this fact. Put the
  player in a difficult, but meaningful position, as Fable II
  did when making the player choose between their Dog, money, and their
  family, and players are more likely to remember the story.
  
• Despite having a very linear core storyline, Fable II's player-driven narrative gives the impression of great amounts of non-linearity.
  
• As
  games get more complex, and players demand an increasing number of game
  options and player choices, the way in which narratives are structured
  around these complex choices becomes more important. It's imperative
  for the narrative to support the style of gameplay, or the narrative
  risks becoming disjointed from the rest of the game.
  

Summation



Fable II is a perfect example of the difficulties modern game
writers face when constructing narratives within complex, dynamic game
systems. The more flexible a game's gameplay is with regards to the
choices the player has available, the more variables writers need to
consider when constructing a story, and the more important it is to
strongly intertwine narrative with gameplay. Despite these
difficulties, and despite the player-driven narrative's disconnect from
the main storyline, Fable II's unique player-driven
narrative, charming NPCs, and powerfully characterized Dog companion
provide for a compelling narrative experience.




http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/783/game_narrative_review_fable_.php?page=3