The first Fable proved a hit on the original Xbox. Lionhead Studio's action RPG was one of the first titles to use a choice system where player's decision led to permanent consequences throughout the game. It lead to two sequels and spawned a franchise across both the Xbox and Xbox 360.
Now, Lionhead Studio's has unveiled that it is working on an HD remake to the first Fable. Featuring new features and revamped graphics, the game will be will be available for the Xbox 360 later this year.
Xbox Wire originally broke the news of the HD remake. Lead designer on Fable Anniversary, Ted Timmins, tells the site that fans have been asking for a remake and after a long wait they will finally get it.
"We're really excited to bring Fable to Xbox 360. It's the game that the Fable community has been asking for, so we wanted to make sure Fable Anniversary delivered the definitive Fable experience for both long-time fans and newcomers to the franchise," says Timmins.
To ring in the announcement, Lionshead has released a trailer for the game. Catch the trailer and a rundown of all the news on the new game below.
What is getting remade?
Lionshead will be remaking Fable: The Lost Chapters. The 2005 release was an expanded version of the original Fable. Lost Chapters expanded on the game's story with nine new areas to explore and 16 added quests to play. The title also featured new weapons, armor, spells and items.
The original game took place in the fantasy world of Albion. Players took control of Hero as he traversed the land taking on enemies and making choices that decide the fate of the world.
What is new?
Fable Anniversary will feature a completely revamped graphics engine. The game will come with 1080p HD resolution potential. Lionhead Studio has made new textures, models, lighting and cut scenes to take advantage of the Xbox 360's graphical capabilities.
Lionhead Studio says the remake brings achievements and leaderboards to the original game. Timmins teased that one of the leaderboards will keep track of how many chickens a player kicked throughout the game. Fans of the Fable series known that kicking fowl was a common past time in the mythical world of Albion.
Timmins says developer's hardest decisions were based around what to change and what to leave alone. He reports that the game's developers spent a long time trying to keep the title as close to its roots as possible.
"It's probably the hardest part of the job. We needed to keep Fable the same, but also make it different. It was a case of playing through the game over and over and writing down a list of the things we wanted to address in order to bring Fable to a 360 quality level that people expect," continues Timmins.
When will it release?
Lionhead Studio's has yet to give a specific release date. However, the studio says the game will be launched sometime this holiday season. The game will be released as an Xbox 360 exclusive.
The game will come out as the Xbox One gets ready to launch. Rumors have already pegged Lionhead Studio as working on a Fable sequel for the next gen console. Fable 4 would reportedly launch sometime in 2014.