Fable Heroes

 Xbox 360
Metascore
55

Mixed or average reviews - based on 58 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 58
  3. Negative: 20 out of 58
  1. XboxAddict
    May 21, 2012
    48
    The old Fable games were filled with promises of amazing adventures, and sadly most of them never came to fruition. I guess that's where the final nail in the coffin rests because instead of trying to achieve lofty goals and falling short, Fable Heroes doesn't even try.
  2. Gamer.nl
    May 12, 2012
    45
    Fable Heroes is a beat-'em-up game that doesn't challenge, has clumsy controls, has a handful of average mini games but boasts a decent, though not optimally executed graphical style. The foremost purpose that this game serves is providing in-game gold for the upcoming Fable: The Journey.
  3. NZGamer
    May 7, 2012
    45
    A strange mash up of party game and action RPG title that doesn't do either well. However, thanks to it simply being a Lionhead title, it will be useful to Fable: The Journey owners due to its compatibility with that title. Unfortunately, on its own, Fable Heroes fails to provide a solid singleplayer or multiplayer title.
  5. Gaming Age
    May 10, 2012
    42
    While there are a few examples of modern games handling the old-school beat 'em up genre well, like Castle Crashers for instance, Fable Heroes isn't one of those games. I really did like the art style and look of the game, but couldn't care less about the gameplay attached to it. I found it to be largely boring, uninspired, and little more than a promotional vehicle for the upcoming Fable: The Journey. So unless you're some die-hard Fable fanatic, I'd advise giving this one a pass.
  6. Cheat Code Central
    May 1, 2012
    41
    A game should have compelling enough gameplay that a standoff is tense and enjoyable, not dull and monotonous to the point of drudgery.
  7. Gamer.no
    May 15, 2012
    40
    Fable Heroes looks charming and quirky, but sadly has monotonous, boring gameplay that relies solely on button-mashing. This might be a good investment for fans of the Fable games, mainly because the gold collected in-game can be transferred to the upcoming Fable: The Journey.
  8. Eurogamer Germany
    May 8, 2012
    40
    It´s understandable if your eyes tell you that this looks like a lot of fun. But after three stages at most your worn out thumbs will tell you otherwise. Trust them, they've had their fair share of real heroes.
  9. games(TM)
    May 7, 2012
    40
    It's a trudge of a game, and while it performs its chosen task moderately well, it's about as ambitious and captivating as a drizzle-soaked walk to the local shop.
  10. Game Informer
    May 2, 2012
    40
    Player choice has always been a key feature for the Fable series, shaping a hero based on your decisions and actions. In Fable Heroes, the only choice is a forked path at the end of every level. One path leads to one of the game's repetitive boss battles, and the other takes you to a mind-numbing minigame. Sadly, both choices are wrong. When you find yourself standing at this fork in the road, reach for the power button and turn off your system.
  11. The Escapist
    May 2, 2012
    40
    Fable Heroes is a tolerable, albeit short, game that'll probably only be worthwhile to Fable fans.
  12. Polygon
    May 2, 2012
    40
    An abject failure in how it represents what Fable is about, the epic stories, the self-determination and perils that presents, your character's impact on the world. It's undeserving of the name.
  13. GameTrailers
    May 1, 2012
    40
    While the swift pace and simplified mechanics might seem appealing, the combat is wholly unsatisfying, the environments are shallow and stifling, and the camera is annoying.
  14. Gameblog.fr
    May 1, 2012
    40
    This cute beat'em all spin-off in the world of Albion could have been a fun experience, if only it didn't suffer from a less than dynamic gameplay, a progression system that lets too much up to randomness, and an overall feeling of disconnection to its gameworld. If you fancy a good 4 player beat'em all, go the Castle Crashers route.
  15. Destructoid
    Apr 30, 2012
    35
    Fable Heroes is merely boring beyond belief.
  16. GameCritics
    Jun 4, 2012
    30
    Almost nothing in Fable Heroes seems well-designed or carefully thought out. Its incoherent visual design is wrapped around a poorly-tuned beat 'em up with an obfuscated progression system, spiced with lousy mini-games. The total absence of story or even silly dialogue is likely to put off fans of the flagship Fable games, and without that draw it's difficult to see why anyone would bother. One or two interesting ideas poke through, but Fable Heroes is a failure.
  17. Eurogamer Sweden
    May 17, 2012
    30
    It has been a long time since I was so utterly bored with a game that I have been with Fabel Heroes. It tries to do a little bit of everything but fails to do anything really well. All in all a very uninspired title that I can't really recommend to anyone.
  18. EGM
    May 4, 2012
    30
    Beyond the creative art style's unique take on Fable III's Albion and seeing everyone's favorite characters return in puppet form, the downright boring and uninspired game play keeps this from being worth anyone's time.
  19. Game Revolution
    May 2, 2012
    30
    It's a shame too, because with four-player local and network options, it could have been a blast if the core elements had been strong. But every system in Fable: Heroes is dreadfully executed. There isn't a single element within it that elicits a smile, which is ironic because of how hard it tries to get you to.
  20. Metro GameCentral
    May 1, 2012
    30
    Utterly pointless and almost completely boring, this soulless scrapper has little to do with Fable and even less to do with having a good time.
  21. Joystiq
    May 1, 2012
    30
    It might be a suitable family game, but there are certainly better family games out there – games that won't leave a five-year-old yawning. For Fable fans distraught about Peter Molyneux's departure from Lionhead, I would recommend pretending this title didn't even exist. And for the unlucky few who can't resist and buy it anyway, I'd wager a nickel that you only ever play the game once.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
4.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 33 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 33
  3. Negative: 18 out of 33
  1. Xborn74
    May 3, 2012
    7
    "Fable Heroes" is an XBLA action game, which costs 800ms points and mixes various styles, as Beat Em Up, board games and mini-games. It"Fable Heroes" is an XBLA action game, which costs 800ms points and mixes various styles, as Beat Em Up, board games and mini-games. It presents a cutesy graphic look, with puppets of characters inspired by the world of Fable, and locations of the game, but the features of Fable stops there.

    The graphics are hand drawn with 3D effects, and very colorful and vibrant, despite adopting a more childish impersonation, as in "Fairy Tales". In general, the scenarios have a good building, with many details, and they are more interesting than the action itself. The musical style and sound of the game is well animated and fits the action.

    The basic gameplay is a style of action as in "Castle Crashers" (but without violence, of course), which goes by the stage in a side-scroller way, defeating wave after wave of enemies, and destroying items and enemies to release coins of various sizes (used to buy upgrades), with bosses at the end of some stages.

    The game commands have a simple basis: B to Roll, A to do some actions, quick strikes with the X, slow and strong with Y and specials with RT, basically.

    You play with 3 other characters that can be controlled by AI or by friends, both offline and online, and you face the enemies with them, each character collecting coins for themselves. Each character can be selected at the beginning of each stage, and have distinct visual, weapons and abilities, and with time we get more different characters to select and play.

    Also in the stages there are chest with temporary power-ups, and certain icons for "good or bad", that can bring beneficial or harmful effects to the other characters in your party.

    At the end of each stage, you can enter a mini-game reminiscent of various existing games, such as Vina Pinata and Rio, for example, where you face your friends for a final ranking. After that, it falls on a board game, "Monopoly" style, where you roll the dice and falls in homes that allow, depending on the house, to change the appearance of characters, weapons, or upgrades to your abilities to be used in the central gameplay the game, with the coins that are collected in the stages.

    In short, the game features a mixed style of gameplay, but based centrally on Beat em Up and with sequences of mini-games - like any game where you can play with your friends is fun, but with the repetition and little variation of the action can become boring. The positive features of the game are the happy and funny visuals and the low price (10US$).

    It is a reasonable option for anyone who wants a casual game, to play with friends, and enjoy the style of Beat Em Up, but remind there are better options on the market.    … Full Review »
  2. MrHannigan
    Jun 15, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. After playing Fable 2 and not liking the ending of the game and playing through Fable 3 and again not liking the ending, I wanted to give the people of Lionhead Studios a second chance by playing the X-box Arcade game Fable Heroes. Throughout the game, the player is able to relive memorable places in Albion, such as Bowerstone, Mistpeak etc and not so memorable (The Credits). After completing the game, the player is able to play the same missions but under "Dark Albion" (like the events in Fable 3). This makes the missions harder and difficult enemies to defeat. Positives
    For an arcade game, the graphics were quite nice
    For fans of the series, they may like going through these levels again (as a puppet)
    All the money you have in the game can then be traded on to the next game of the franchise (Fable:The Journey)

    Negatives
    Nobody plays this game so it maybe difficult to get the online achievements
    The levels in the game are very repetitive Having "The Credits" as a level seems a bit cheap as they could not think of any other things to lengthen the game

    The Rating I would have to give Fable: Heroes a 3 out of 10    … Full Review »
  3. Jobadkins
    May 9, 2012
    4
    A real disappointment,what were they thinking?Fable pub games is better than this garbage.Go back and play through Fable 2 or 3 again,thatA real disappointment,what were they thinking?Fable pub games is better than this garbage.Go back and play through Fable 2 or 3 again,that would be more enjoyable then wasting even 5 minutes or 5 cents on this.… Full Review »
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