Fable Fortune is a Collectable Card Game developed by Mediatonic, who would be known for their work on Hatoful Boyfriend, alongside developers Flaming Fowl Studios. For those of you who donβt already know, Flaming Fowl Studios was formed after the disbandment of Lionhead Studios, founded mostly by veteran staff. Fortune takes you on a long journey, battling against the villains and monsters of Albion, crafting a deck to face off against them in 1 to 1 or even co-op matches.
Message to haters
Before I start off this preview proper, I felt it was necessary to lay down some information and ground work for those who might feel they need to completely bash this game. Yes, we would love a continuation of the Fable Series or a reboot of sorts, but that does not mean this game is stopping those hopes or even tarnishing the name of the franchise. CCGs are very popular, with incredible lifespans, from Magic the Gathering to Hearthstone, just because youβre not a fan of the genre doesnβt mean that the genre itself or this game are βThe worst thing everβ.
This is a free to play game, you lose nothing but some minutes trying it out, and if it isnβt for you, then you can just uninstall and forget about it. However, if you drag the name of this game in the dirt you drag the entire franchise’s name with it. Gwent came out to an amazing response by The Witcher fans, give this game a chance.
Game Modes
There are currently 3 game modes available in the closed beta, PvP, Co-Op, and tutorial. PvP matches have you facing off against other players, Co-Op has you and an ally face off against a boss, and Tutorial gives you an easier match to learn the basics against an AI. For every mode you will be able to select a Quest in the beginning phase, from summoning low-cost units to casting spells, once these are completed you can choose a Quest Resolution, either Good or Bad, changing your alignment and powers.
The PvP and Co-Op match types are seemingly in a season style, changing their enemies or areas every few days. Co-Op matches can also have their difficulty changed from Easy to Normal to Hard. Right now the matchmaking takes way too long, though that can be down to the amount of active players as this was a closed Beta. Connection during the matches was rather stable and I didnβt encounter any issues, besides people throwing in the towel.
Gameplay
Fortune plays like many other famous CCG games, you have a board with you and your enemy on either side, draw 5 cards at the beginning of the game and draw 1 per turn. You have unit cards that have a damage and health rating, spells that cast instant effects and special player skills. Each card has a gold cost, from 1 to 9, which you regain every turn and increasing by 1 per turn, in the first turn you only have 3 gold to spend. The player skills range from summoning a unit to dealing damage for 2 gold.
If youβve played any type of CCG before this game is very easy to understand as well as feeling familiar. Plenty of spells have similar effects like dealing X damage to units or players, healing units or giving them more attack and health. The unit cards have attack and strength ranging from 1 to 9, with buffs increasing those values. Units cannot attack on the turn they are summoned, can be put into defence mode to block your character and sometimes have death or summon effects. When units attack other units they deal their attack value in health damage to their target and take damage depending on the opponents attack value. Once health reaches 0 the card is destroyed.
The quest system mentioned earlier sometimes never comes into play, as matches can be ended before you complete the tasks. However, when they are finished you are rewarded depending on how many quests you complete. For each one you will gain a card in your hand, normally summoning units or drawing more cards. As well as this bonus card you will gain 1 morality point, either good or bad, when 3 are collected you get a morality ability, to either summon a monster or use an effect. Since they donβt come up too often it is hard to talk about their effectiveness, but they can certainly be some well-needed boons in the longer matches.
Overall thoughts and feelings
The music pays homage to old Fable amazingly, from its soft and gentle tunes to the title screen music of past games. The tracks can become a bit repetitive as there arenβt too many on display as of yet, with most of my game time spent in the Co-Op mode. It would have been nice to hear a few more tracks in the same modes, but these could be implemented later on. The sound effects are straightforward, mostly consisting of bashes, explosions and voice acted lines of the cards’ demise.
All the cards have lovely designs on them in the Fable style, from beggars and villagers to golems and Hobbes. Itβs quirky and cute, yet still bringing across their purpose and strengths. The characters and villains are also well drawn, from undead knights and mages to Jack of Blades himself. It pulls heavily on the lore and designs of Fable and its world of Albion, familiar faces all around.
Like many of CCGs, the price for silver seems a tad high, in comparison to how much you need to buy card packs. Each card pack costs 1000 silver, or you can buy 7 packs for Β£6.99, each containing 5 cards in them. You are rewarded, at least for now, 300 silver every day you log in, with victories giving around 50 silver. It takes quite a lot of time to grind up the required silver to buy packs, which plenty of other CCGs do, bringing plenty of complaints from players.
Overall Fable Fortunes is turning out to be a well-crafted and enjoyable Collectable Card Game. The graphics are gorgeous, bringing back the old Fable style we all know and love. The quest system is refreshing and adds a new objective for every match. The game modes on offer are a bit small right now, but that can be fixed later on with new events and seasons. It currently lacks invite or chat options for multiplayer which can cause a lack of communication and difficulty when trying to play with friends. Fans of Fable and CCGs should give this game a try as it might just surprise them.
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