Fable II

Fable II

Systems:

• Xbox360
• Releases:
  • Original Release: 2008
  • Game of the Year Release: 2009 (EU), 2010 (NA)

ESRB Rating:

• Mature (M)
• Reasoning:
  • Blood
  • Language
  • Sexual Content
  • Use of Alcohol
  • Violence

Graphic Style:

• Realistic 3D

Gameplay:

• Action RPG
• Real-time combat
• Third Person
• Single-player, co-op

Fable II takes the player into the world of Albion, where they control a mystical Hero, a person of an ancient bloodline which gives them access to levels of martial and magical prowess which are unattainable by a normal human. Rising from a youth of poverty and loneliness after the deaths of their entire family, they work to gather other Heroes in order to stop the selfish Lord Lucien from unleashing a terrible weapon upon the world.

General Comments

This review may not document specific instances of all tags at present, but all tags that apply to the game should be correctly marked.

This review does not cover content which can be produced via online or co-op play.

Alcohol

Alcohol exists and the player can become drunk, which causes decreased dispositions from most people who witness them drinking.

During the tutorial, the Hero encounters a drunkard who has had his alcohol stolen. The Hero has to steal his alcohol back and is presented with a good option or bad option for its return. They can give it to the drunkard for an increase in bad alignment or give it to the woman trying to talk him into quitting for an increase in good alignment.

Animal Abuse

During the tutorial, the Dog is being beaten when the Hero rescues it.

If the Hero is played as evil and becomes unliked by the people of Albion, some villagers may occasionally hit the Dog in anger.

Animal Death

(Endgame Spoilers)

Near the end of the game, the Dog is unavoidably killed. It can be brought back by choosing the “Love” or “Needs of the Few” path at the end of the game, though this choice is not without consequences. If other choices are made at that point, the Dog can be resurrected using a feature contained within the Knothole Island DLC, though sacrificing a villager is required to do so.

Bigoted Language

The term the game uses for the group of itinerant caravaners the Hero grows up with is “gypsies,” which the Romani people consider a slur. The term is, at the very least, not appropriated by white characters, but rather describes a group with a similar racial appearance and culture to the Roma.

Blood

Blood sometimes sprays off of enemies when struck with weapons.

The Hero will encounter rooms filled with blood, bones, and gore. These areas are usually filled with Hobbe enemies, such as the Hobbe Cave which the Hero must pass through as part of the main plot, fairly early in the game.

Bones

Hollow Men enemies are animate skeletons.

The Hero will encounter rooms filled with blood, bones, and gore. These areas are usually filled with Hobbe enemies, such as the Hobbe Cave which the Hero must pass through as part of the main plot, fairly early in the game.

Some statues have the appearance of skeletons, for example in the entrance to the Bower Lake Tomb.

Brainwashing

When the Hero travels to the Tattered Spire, they are fitted with a collar which shocks them whenever they disobey the Commandant. The intent of the collar's use is to brainwash them into obedience, as is done over the course of the episode at the Spire to others who are trapped there with the Hero.

Cannibalism

The Hobbe enemies are corrupted human children who eat, among other things, humans.

Clowns

The See the Future DLC adds a kind of makeup labeled "Psycho Jester Makeup" which is the white face-makeup of a clown.

Darkness

Many locations throughout the game feature darkness which makes it difficult for the player to see what is happening around the Hero. This includes most dungeons and caves, as well as the overworld at night. When in a dark cave, a light appears around the Hero as though they are carrying a lantern, but it doesn't extend very far from their body, so the areas are still quite dark.

Dead Bodies

Killed enemy will occasionally leave some form of remains behind when killed. Most often, these remains vanish after a short time.

Hollow Men enemies are animate skeletons.

Death of Family/Friends

The death of loved-ones, most often family, is a recurring theme throughout the plot of the game. The Hero, Lord Lucien (the villain), and the Hero's companion, Hammer, all experience the loss of family members. Other characters face the loss of family and friends as well.

(Endgame Spoilers) At the end of the game Lord Lucien will kill any family the Hero has created (i.e. their spouse and any children) as well as the Hero’s faithful Dog. This is unavoidable. Both family members and the Dog can be brought back by choosing the “Love” or “Needs of the Few” path at the end of the game, though this choice is not without consequences. If other choices are made at that point, there are no other ways to resurrect family members, though the Dog can be resurrected using a feature contained within the Knothole Island DLC; sacrificing a villager is required to do so.

Dehumanization

Hobbe enemies are corrupted human children who ran away from home and were corrupted into cannibalistic monsters.

Disease

The Hero can contract sexually transmitted diseases through unprotected sex, however these diseases do not change their stats or appearance and seem to merely be a counter

Disruptive Home Life

During the tutorial, the Hero and their sister encounter an older teenage girl and her boyfriend who are being kept apart by her angry mother. They have the option to either pass along a letter from the boyfriend to the girl, encouraging her to run away with him, or they can give the letter to the girl's mother, which leads to unhappiness for everyone involved, more or less.

Electrocution

The Hero can use shock magic.

Existential Despair

(Endgame Spoilers)

The end of the game presents such a scenario, which may put what the Hero or the player themself want at odds with what is morally right. The Hero has three options: Wealth, Love, and Sacrifice. Wealth provides a sum of money for the player at the cost of the lives of the Hero’s family, Dog, and thousands of people. Love resurrects the Hero’s family and Dog at the cost of the lives of thousands of people. Sacrifice resurrects thousands of innocent people, at the cost of the Hero’s family and Dog.

Explosions

The Hero can use fire magic, one variant of which causes an explosion.

Certain Hobbe enemies will come to battle strapped with ticking explosives which will blow up when the Hobbe is struck with a weapon. To avoid taking damage, it is best to shoot these enemies when they are not near the character.

Fire

The Hero can use fire magic.

Ghosts

There are several ghosts throughout the course of the game, some hostile, others friendly.

Gore

The Hero will encounter rooms filled with blood, bones, and gore. These areas are usually filled with Hobbe enemies, such as the Hobbe Cave which the Hero must pass through as part of the main plot, fairly early in the game.

Guns

The Hero can wield several types of guns.

Heights

At the end of the tutorial, the Hero falls through a very high window.

The Hero can also jump or dive off of high cliffs, though they can only do so if they will land safely.

Insects

Large beetles are a common enemy.

Jump Scares

There are several places in the game where enemies will jump out at the player. Usually the camera will zoom out to provide a wider view of the Hero's surroundings as a cue that something is coming, but that is not always the case.

At one point, during the quest “The Snowglobe” (part of the See the Future DLC or packaged with the Platinum Hits edition), several shadow enemies will be hiding in suits of armor and will burst out of them as soon as the Hero is within range. This can be startling as the camera doesn’t shift as usual, and the enemies simply jump out. To learn more about this quest, click here.

Murder

The Hero's sister is murdered at the beginning of the game.

The Hero can murder nearly any villager they choose to, or can sacrifice them at the Temple of Shadows for a unique weapon. These murders, as well as sacrifices at the Temple, are optional.

The Hero can take assassination jobs for the Assassination Society, in which they are assigned a contract to go and kill a villager. These jobs are optional.

Nudity

The Hero can become partially nude if they remove their clothing, which leaves the male Hero with some underwear, and a female Hero with underwear and a bra.

Offensive Language

The Gargoyle statues will shout taunts at the Hero in a heavy Scottish accent when they approach. Such taunts include the phrases “Kiss my stoney arse!” and "I can paint a target on me arse, and you'll still be pointing at ye shoe!”

While not verbal language, the Hero can use an Expression which merely entails holding out their middle fingers tauntingly.

Parental Abandonment

The Hero and their sister are living alone in poverty near the beginning of the game, with no mention of what caused them to be living without parents.

The Hobbe enemies are children who have been separated from their families for a long enough time for them to become corrupted and feral. There are no particular instances of this happening, but

Physical Abuse

While protecting the Dog from abuse during the tutorial, a bully head-butts the Hero's sister in the face.

Psychological Horror

Many of the game’s locations could be considered unsettling. Many caves are dark and silent, often full of undead other unsavory creatures.

Self Harm

During the main quest line, the Dragonborn must draw blood to open a door. To do this, they use a knife to make a cut on their hand.

Sex

The Hero can have sex with their spouse, a prostitute, or any normal NPC with a compatible sexuality and a disposition which makes them likely to be willing to bed you (either the "flirty" or "randy" character descriptors, though the documentation to verify which character descriptors indicate this is scant). There is no depiction of actual sex; when a partner is invited to bed, the screen fades to black and assorted moaning and comments on the Hero's performance are heard before the game resumes.

Sexual Harassment

As there is an attractiveness meter, villagers will frequently comment on the attractiveness of the player, generally in ways which feel much like catcalling.

Sexualization/Objectification

As there is an attractiveness meter, villagers will frequently comment on the attractiveness of the player, generally in ways which feel much like catcalling.

Slavery

NPCs can be abducted and sold into slavery.

One notable example of this happens at the beginning of the game, when the Hero must clear out a bandit camp. There, they encounter several merchants imprisoned in a cage after having been captured and sold as slaves. The Hero has the option to free the slaves or sell them to their buyer.

The “Civilian Displacement” job is a job which provides evil points to the player and involves selecting NPCs to sell into slavery. The job is not mandatory and can be easily avoided. To learn more about this job, click here.

Spiders

The game is spider free, however one NPC's name contains the word "spider" so the tag will be added anyway. The character who provides the “Civilian Displacement” jobs, which involve selecting NPCs to sell into slavery, is run by a man named Mickey the Spider, who says he got the nickname “because of his hairy legs.” He and his dialogue on this matter are easily avoidable, as one can merely avoid Bowerstone Cemetery when the “Civilian Displacement” job is listed in the log of available jobs.

Stalking

If the Hero makes many villagers like them, the villagers will follow them around constantly, if they are in the same area.

Substance Abuse

The Hero can become drunk to the point of vomiting.

The tutorial depicts a drunkard who is so drunk that he cannot see straight enough to determine how many people are talking with him.

Suicide

During the quest “Till Death Do Us Part,” the Hero must help the ghost of a jilted lover deal with Alex, the fiancé(e) who abandoned them at the altar. After the wedding fell through, the lover killed themself and approaches the Hero as a ghost. If the Hero takes the choice to seduce and abandon as equal payback for the ghost, Alex will kill themself as well. The alternative is to marry Alex. For more information on this quest, click here.

Supernatural Evil

The game has various alignment scales, one ranging from good to evil and one from pure to corrupt. As the player slides around on these scales their appearance changes. The high-evil-high-corruption appearance is demonic, with horns and cracked, gray skin.

A small stylized devil will appear whenever the Hero performs negative actions, like killing a civilian or stealing.

Torture

Several locations in the game have stretching racks and other implements of torture.

When the Hero travels to the Tattered Spire, they are fitted with a collar which shocks them whenever they disobey the Commandant. The intent of the collar's use is to brainwash them into obedience, as is done over the course of the episode at the Spire to others who are trapped there with the Hero.

Transphobia

The Hero can crossdress and will often be deemed ugly or gross by villagers if they wear the clothing not traditionally assigned to their sex.

Undead/Zombies

Hollow Men enemies are skeletal zombies.

Unreality

An unreality scenario is set up at the end of the game to trick and confuse the Hero. In it, they are a child again, and their family seems to be together and happy again. They must successfully debunk it to progress.

Violence Against Children

The Hobbe enemies are corrupted, feral humanoids, which the children of Fable’s world mutate into if they run away or are otherwise removed from their families for an extended period.

Vomiting

If the Hero fails the Belch expression, they will gag and vomit.

If the Hero or any NPC gets too drunk, they will vomit. This can be avoided by drinking in moderation.

When exposed to disgusting things, NPCs may vomit. For example, early in the game, the Hero must escort Herman, a man whose son has gone missing, through a Hobbe infested cave. The pair encounter a room with a bloody floor and mutilated corpses, which prompts Herman to vomit.

Weapons

The Hero can use swords, axes, maces, cleavers, crossbows, and various types of guns. Most enemies use these or a variant of them. The Tattered Spire is an ancient construct which the main antagonist, Lord Lucien, is trying to rebuild. While not technically a weapon, the construct gives the tower’s master the power to make a single unlimited wish, and the one time in which it was used, thousands of years before the game takes place, it decimated an entire civilization.

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