Thankfully, the controls have been updated to allow for Fable 2/3 mechanics, which are mainly centered around dedicated attack buttons for magic, ranged, and melee attacks. There’s a clear big bad villain, an obvious motivation, and a relatively simple goal to achieve - thus earning the moniker of “fable” quite appropriately. The Fable games later added the ability to play as male or female, but the first title is strictly from a male perspective - which hasn’t changed in Anniversary. However, the original Fable succeeds where others in the series have failed, in its ability to deliver a cohesive, easy-to-follow tale that doesn’t ever get ahead of itself. The story is still the same, which has its ups and downs, as well as its mix of memorable and forgettable characters. Weapons and spell effects in particular are a massive improvement, however, as are the beautiful landscapes which feel completely new due to the Anniversary update. Other goofy characters like random townsfolk and traders look a bit more off, but not in a way that ruins the experience.

On one hand I really like the updated models for serious characters like Maze and the Guildmaster, who were more or less always meant to be more “real” looking.

In essence, I’m a bit torn on the updated sheen. Whereas in the original you’d be able to laugh something like that off, some of the models can feel a bit strange in Anniversary. It was especially weird adapting to the early-game manchild teen hero character design, which looks half real and half cartoon. It’s an odd juxtaposition, as many of the Fable cast members looked right at home with their original freakishly big heads and cartoony designs - so it took some getting used to with the newer, more realistic Anniversary models. Visually the game has received an upgrade inline with the later games in the series.

Fable anniversary