The Journey begins like pretty much every Fable game. Our hero, Gabriel, is introduced as a downtrodden youngster who never dreamed of wielding power or saving the world. He’s then quickly swept up into a quest to fulfill his true destiny and keep Albion from ruination. The difference is that this journey is controlled only through Kinect, with you locked into a predetermined path and casting magic from a first-person perspective.
Half of the game is spent on your horse, Seren, steering awkwardly with your hands on the reins. The leisurely ride on Seren affords time to take in some breathtaking vistas. The Journey is set 50 years after the events of Fable III, and your travels — both on horseback and on foot — take you across all of Albion. Lionhead’s fantasy world has never looked so beautiful.
The other half of your adventure is spent in combat. Using your hands, you summon fireballs, magical shards, and whip-like tendrils to lay waste to any Hobbe, Balverine, or Hollow Man that gets in your way. Though The Journey often becomes little more than a series of shooting galleries, the combat can be thrilling. You can fling a Hobbe into the air, then quickly blast him with a fireball. Or you can throw a magical shard forward (making a motion like you’re actually tossing a spear) and then swish your hand left or right to guide your attack.
In its finest moments, The Journey is an exhilarating example of Kinect’s ability to fully immerse gamers in a universe. Unfortunately, it also shows Kinect’s limitations. If you aren’t positioned perfectly — i.e., don’t sit back on your couch, keep your hands low but not too low, don’t lean forward at all — Kinect has difficulty tracking you properly. Suddenly, your fireballs are flying off into the sky or straight into the ground. It doesn’t help that there’s no aiming reticule and no targeting assistance, making it tough to connect on the precision strikes required to complete this journey.
When it works, Fable: The Journey is one of the best Kinect games to date. But far too often, it doesn’t work correctly. We recommend moving your couch aside so you can play sitting in a high-back chair, but that’s hardly an ideal solution. As fun as it is at times, The Journey feels like a trip that’s gone on too long, eventually growing irritating and annoying.
PUBLISHER: Microsoft Studios • DEVELOPER: Lionhead Studios • ESRB: Teen • MULTIPLAYER: None • ACHIEVEMENTS: Easy-peasy • COST: $50 • RELEASE DATE: October 9, 2012
+ Lengthy adventure that stays true to the Fable universe.
+ Fun tossing Hobbes and blasting them with fireballs.
– Great spellcasting dampened by the need to be perfectly positioned for accurate targeting.
? Will the ability to fart on unsuspecting citizens be DLC?
