Fable 2 main story only 12 hours long

By Robert Purchese Published 17 July, 2008

Lionhead staff spill beans.

The main quest in Fable II only takes 12 hours to finish.

That's according to Lionhead staff, who dished the dirt to Joystiq during a presentation of the game at E3.

But, Fable II leans heavily on its side-quests and exploration, something Molyneux has said he invented the dog to guide you towards.

You can also buy nearly every building in the game you see and make families and that sort of thing, so 12 hours can be multiplied many times over if you wish to see all on offer.

What is on offer appears to be taking shape very well. Molyneux unveiled the orb-based jump-in multiplayer during the Microsoft E3 conference, and you can read about it in much more detail in our hands-on with Fable II.

Head over to our Fable II gamepage for the latest E3 videos and screenshots.

Fable II is due out exclusively on Xbox 360 this October.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (77) Latest comment 4 years ago

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  • mkreku #1 4 years ago

    "Fable II is due out exclusively on Xbox 360 this October."

    With an inevitable PC version following six months after.

  • strangeed #2 4 years ago

    As long as the story is well written I suppose 12 hours is quite alright. I just hope there is enough other stuff to do too.

  • asphaltcowboy #3 4 years ago

    Man, the orb-based MP thing blew me away when he presented it in conference - completely unexpected and very awesome!

  • immateriaux #4 4 years ago

    With all that innovating going on, who has time to write stories, correct bugs and finish things?

  • DDevil #5 4 years ago

    Only 12 hours?
    Only?

    Sounds OK to me.

  • Cylinder #6 4 years ago

    Any news on release date of PC version? I always thought it was being released same time as the 360s.

  • ZuluHero #7 4 years ago

    first one was shorter. It still took me ages with everything else to do. This will be no different.

  • php_penguin #8 4 years ago

    The 12 hours (according to Sam, the lionhead community guy) is the fastest possible time that you could complete the main story in, ignoring all side-plots...

    Your weapons would be shit, you would be piss-poor, and your character would be *covered* in scars from dying so often... and you would have completely missed the purpose of the game...

    Also, 12 hours for the main story is more than for Oblivion, and you could easily spend 100 hours playing Oblivion without completing everything...

  • php_penguin #9 4 years ago

    @mkreku and @Cylinder, there is no official word on the PC version, although they will probably do something within 12 months of F2

  • M83J01P97 #10 4 years ago

    12 hours isn't bad compared to some recent AAA games. *cough*halo 3/mass effect/cod4 etc etc*cough*
    Edited by M83J01P97 at 17/07/08 @ 17:39

  • Grunk #11 4 years ago

    Molyneux invented the dog?

  • ronuds #12 4 years ago

    This is one of those games where having a main story is really just a bonus to everything else you can do. Much like Oblivion, Morrowind, etc...those games could've easily survived on side quests and exploration alone.

  • PlugMonkey #13 4 years ago

    Molyneux invented the dog?

    LMAO!

    12 hours sounds sensible. A dev playthrough time gives very little indication of an end user playthrough time. I would say you could comfortably multiply any dev playthrough time by 3 and not be too far off the mark.
    Edited by PlugMonkey at 17/07/08 @ 17:47

  • Rizo #14 4 years ago

    12 hours is way to short for an RPG. Most RPG fans expect a minimum of 20-25 hours to finish the main quest.

    Remember developers always inflate so it wouldn't suprise me if it took around 8 hours to complete the main quest.

    How can people be excited by this remember Fable They told us it was going to be the best RPG ever!!

    SUPER LOL.

  • MrChuckles #15 4 years ago

    Most RPG's are turn based though, Fable is more an action game with RPG pasted on top.

  • Brogan #16 4 years ago

    Have a life so 12 hours is ok with me

  • Monkey_Puncher #17 4 years ago

    Oblivion's main quest line was easily finished in 8 hours. This games has shit loads of side quests and missions that have nothing to do with the main quest, just like Oblivion. Just buying houses in the game opens up new missions and things to do, though if you're a person who likes rush through games you probably won't see 1/2 of the content.

  • strangeed #18 4 years ago

    I might have to create a check list of things to accomplish in the game. Owning every castle, as far as possible, will be one of them I think.

  • PlugMonkey #19 4 years ago

    Remember developers always inflate so it wouldn't suprise me if it took around 8 hours to complete the main quest.

    No, no, very much no, and no.

    Someone playing through a game for their 12th or 13th time will do it much, much, much, much faster than you will playing it your first time. Very much faster. A good three times faster, in my experience.

    Usual quote taken out of context triggering frothing internet 'expert' nonsense.

  • escapedape #20 4 years ago

    I remember similar comments appearing after the brevity of the main quest in the original Fable was announced - but what you short sighted naysayers are ignoring is that if you simply play to complete the main story, you're missing a hell of a lot of the game. The option is there to go finish the game if you like, but the content provided was so captivating that the main quest gets pushed aside!

    I don't see Fable 2 being any different. Can't wait.

  • immateriaux #21 4 years ago

    People seem to have gotten very indulgent of developers lately. 12 hours is okay? I remember when a 20 hour main quest would be scoffed at. As there is no real idea of the quality of side quest stories either, or their length, it's no compensation to say and there are side quests in the game too ...

    Then again a game that presents things like "Tapping in time with the rhythm of the music also enhances attacks" is pretty much a joke as a RPG so they might as well keep the game story time short to stop it getting in the way of the gimics ...

  • Scimarad #22 4 years ago

    So what? 12 hours is plenty long enough unless you sit there and play games all day long...

  • adamamosa #23 4 years ago

    I think 12 hours is about right. I tend to loose interest in single player experiences that last more than 20. Especially in the run up to christmas when there are a lot games to turn your attention to. I would rather play a nice short game such as portal or HL ep2 that leaves you wanting more, than something that becomes a chore to finish.

  • kangarootoo #24 4 years ago

    I have to agree with the general feeling in this thread. 12 hours seem a fine amount for a main story line. Still decent value for money compared to most games out there, with side quests and so on for the gamer looking for a longer experience from an RPG.

  • siro #25 4 years ago

    12 hours is about the longest length I want a game to have, so just perfect. :)

  • Venkman90 #26 4 years ago

    Aye sounds good, considering first playthrough will probably take double, then you can keep playing / do all the other stuff and sandbox it.

  • Brogan #27 4 years ago

    Then again a game that presents things like "Tapping in time with the rhythm of the music also enhances attacks" is pretty much a joke as a RPG so they might as well keep the game story time short to stop it getting in the way of the gimics ...

    that would be as dumb as having to play a musical instrument as a major part of an rpj



  • smelly #28 4 years ago

    Yesterday -> fable 2 = must buy
    Today (after this news) -> fable 2 = must rent

  • mattniche #29 4 years ago

    " Then again a game that presents things like "Tapping in time with the rhythm of the music also enhances attacks" is pretty much a joke as a RPG so they might as well keep the game story time short to stop it getting in the way of the gimics ... "

    I actually quite like the sound of that.

  • seasidebaz #30 4 years ago

    @smelly:

    I reported it yesterday though :(

    The first Fable (Lost Chapters) was quoted at 12 hours to finish the main story. I finished it, and many sidequests, in 12 hours.

    This will probably be the same. Will still be awesome though.

  • mkreku #31 4 years ago

    I reread an old review of the game Elder Scrolls: Battlespire. It said something to the effect of "Battlespire only provides 60 hours of gameplay, compared to the over 100 hours you got from Daggerfall".

    Times have changed :(

  • stevetuck #32 4 years ago

    I love it when i read these articles about how long a games story is, then why i buy the game i complete it in half that

    12hrs for the casual gamer... but what about the more experienced? 6hrs?

  • bonker #33 4 years ago

    Well 12 hours sounds shite but as long as that really is the run-through-it time, it's cool.

    I'm defo an exploration and smell-the-roses kinda guy and if I can get 50+ hours out of it, having smelled every rose in the game, then I'm happy.

  • LetsGo #34 4 years ago

    /facepalm

    LOL welcome to a molyneux game.

  • sneetch #35 4 years ago

    @seasidebaz
    "I reported it yesterday though :(

    The first Fable (Lost Chapters) was quoted at 12 hours to finish the main story. I finished it, and many sidequests, in 12 hours. "

    I bought an XBox to play Fable, partially suckered by the hype but mainly because I wanted an excuse to get another console. I completed it in about the same time, I spent somewhere a quarter and a half of that time just buggering about; arena, picking a wife (the "lovemaking" was hilarious), demon doors and so on and adored every moment of it. Then the game just... ended rather unexpectedly, this new zone had just opened up and I thought, awesome! Then I did one quest there and the game ended. It was disappointing, I played again as a magic user and that was quite fun, but I did feel ripped off to a degree.

    I'm still looking forward to this one, but now, I'll be taking it a whole lot slower and if the side quests double the time to about 24 hours, I'll be quite happy.

  • timberwolf #36 4 years ago

    were people really expecting longer. i'm sorry am i the only one that remembers fable 1. it was hardly final fantasy. not critical, i'm sure the 10 hours is good.

  • T4RG4 #37 4 years ago

    *Remember developers always inflate so it wouldn't suprise me if it took around 8 hours to complete the main quest.*


    This is actually usually true. Devs are usually asked by the publisher how long it'll take to complete, they ask for more, the devs extend it and there you go. Devs will usually quote average times to run through, its not in their interests to promote fastest run through recorded by QA for obvious reasons. Same for practically every game.

    Forgot to add - 12 hours would be fine. I finished many other quality games far quicker and really enjoyed them, I didnt think they were a waste of money. They did tend to have stronger multiplayer components too which helps replay, but I suspect FableII is very much the catch'all RPG lite with a beautiful graphics they had always aimed for in the first place. It looks lovely. I think the dog darts about the place slighly unrealistically though. Maybe my dogs on his way out.
    Edited by T4RG4 at 17/07/08 @ 20:47

  • darc #38 4 years ago

    I'm sure it will be long enough for me. I'd rather have 12 hours that impress consistently throughout than 30 hours of bloat, which is more typical. It's crazy to judge a game in advance based on the number of hours when you have no idea what the quality of experience in those hours will be like. How many long games are long simply because they task you with doing precisely the same thing over and over and over again. If that's what it takes to appease you then I recommend this: play the game twice.

    Anyway I can't count the number of times I've purchased a controversially short game (only 6 hrs OMG!) only to play it for months and wonder what the hell everyone is on about. I wish I had the kind of free time that I could get upset about games not arbitrarily sucking up more of my time. I'd just as soon a game make it's point, I can enjoy completing the thing, and the credits roll. And on to the next one.

    Lastly, there is no reason why a sandbox-style game like this on a networked platform like the 360 (or PC) can't benefit by way of episodic downloadable content, which is a likely eventuality assuming the game doesn't flop.
    Edited by darc at 17/07/08 @ 21:19

  • ronuds #39 4 years ago

    I don't think it's possible to have finished the original Fable in 6 hours...the load times alone between areas would have taken more time than that, all added up. It also means you probably didn't see 1/4 of what there was to see, especially if that was your 1st playthrough.

    Complete rubbish.

  • autogunner #40 4 years ago

    all of bioshock, and the meat of mass effect (on easy) probably took me about 12 hours each, and they were pretty fantastic as far as stories go, games dont need to be jrpg length at all

  • The-Bodybuilder #41 4 years ago

    >"12 hours isn't bad compared to some recent AAA games. *cough*halo 3/mass effect/cod4 etc etc*cough* "

    I finished Mass Effect in 45 hours.

  • The-Bodybuilder #42 4 years ago

    Who are these people that have time for 100 hours? Do you have lives?
    Seriously? I don't mean to insult, but c'mon, 100 hours?

  • Darren #43 4 years ago

    I saw the E3 announcement video for Fable 2 on the Marketplace earlier and I was really impressed with what I saw. I mean you can have a wife and kids plus you get a dog! It's better than real-life because if you tire of those you can just switch the game off!!! Can't wait for this! :)

    Regarding the 12 hour length, it's fine so long as there's other stuff to do, but ironically I watched the Fallout 3 announcement video straight after the Fable 2 one and the developer was telling me that was a 100+ hour game!!! LOL

  • foamy #44 4 years ago

    I will play this for about 3 million hours, thank you.

  • RedSparrows #45 4 years ago

    Oh man, usual whines.

    12 hours! Oh no! I forgot that Fandeterminism dictactes all RPG main quests MUST be of a certain length, otherwise the game is not an RPG at all! or even worthy of consideration!

    jesus wept some of you people are utter idiots.

  • malmer #46 4 years ago

    12 hours is just perfect. Then you can actually finish the game and still have a life on the side. Add in some sidequests and you've got 20 hours of gaming, easily.

  • actionfitz #47 4 years ago

    Grunk
    17-Jul-08 17:40:07

    "Molyneux invented the dog? "


    LOL
    awesome.
    :D

  • BastoJ #48 4 years ago

    Sounds good. The original didn't have a long main quest but it had tons of awesome side quests.

  • gmmonkey #49 4 years ago

    Sounds shit to me. Remember, molyneux likes to hype his games, exagerate and cut features. So it'll more likely be 6 hours long at a push.

  • gmmonkey #50 4 years ago

    This story's old news as far as e3 news is concerned. Eurogamer is realllllllllllllllly slow with e3 news.

  • davisorle #51 4 years ago

    Post deleted at 20:44:35 16-04-2012

  • Windsong #52 4 years ago

    Eh..maybe I'll get it when it comes out for PC. Mouse control > Xflop pad.

    And so is 1920 x 1200!

    As for the dog..remember its hyped by Molyneux the Mad.
    Edited by Windsong at 18/07/08 @ 02:05

  • Svecke #53 4 years ago

    "Who are these people that have time for 100 hours?"


    The great, awesome and well-kept secret to that, is to NOT make it 100 CONSECUTIVE hours.


    I hope that clears it up.

  • Vandrius #54 4 years ago

    I'm really starting to get annoyed by this shift from a longer gameplay experience to this cut-down and stupidified (yes, I made a word) gaming.

    I don't care about a stupid dog, it will be a gimmick, I care about a great story I can really lose myself in.

    Stop trying to come up with the "most" innovations and start producing a solid, quality game.

  • KreyAtiv #55 4 years ago

    The first Fable seemed to end quite quickly. Was a shame that you couldn't continue on after you'd done the main mission.
    Or at least had let you know it was near the end. I'll certainly do all of the side quests and explore quite a bit in the upcoming one to get my moneys worth.

  • Bitkari #56 4 years ago

    Can we stop quantifying gameplay now, please?

  • wired009 #57 4 years ago

    Sounds like Lionhead forgot to give their staff the press relations side quest. Answering a question like that with such a specific answer is very dangerous regardless of the game. I felt Fable 1 main quest was too short, I hope they don't make the same mistake again.

  • andywilkie35 #58 4 years ago

    i remember the original Fable's main story only took me about 10 hours to complete, but that was 10 of the best hours of gaming i've had! also like it says in the article, the side quests add loads of extra hours. can't wait

  • Teddii #59 4 years ago

    Ico took me 6 hours to complete and it's one of my favourite games of all time.

    Quality over content, people.

  • Brogan #60 4 years ago

    I don't care about a stupid dog, it will be a gimmick, I care about a great story I can really lose myself in.

    read a fucking book.

  • The-Bodybuilder #61 4 years ago

    @Svecke

    Maybe the questions is, who are these people who have the time to play a game hours on end? If you play it for just an hour a day, then it would take 100 days to finish it.

  • kangarootoo #62 4 years ago

    "I don't care about a stupid dog, it will be a gimmick, I care about a great story I can really lose myself in.

    read a fucking book."

    Don't mean to be cheeky, but that kind of reads like a dual personality disorder talking to itself ;)

  • kangarootoo #63 4 years ago

    I put over 100 hours into Oblivion, but that was over months and months. I started playing it again about a week ago, well over 100 days after I bought it. 200 days later maybe.

  • seasidebaz #64 4 years ago

    The main problem with Fable Lost Chapters was the sudden ending. Kill the dragon, credits roll. It was such a damn pleasure to play that the end was a bit of a letdown. 12 hours IMO is a good length of time for a game, but as someone who doesn't often replay games, might be a weekend's worth of playing.

    All depends on what the achievements are, I suppose.

  • kangarootoo #65 4 years ago

    That Fable ending was utter bollox.

    I have a massive emotional decision to make (apparently). I decide whether to kill my sister and get a really posh sword, or let her live and let the sword go. And then when I have made my decision, the game immediately ends leaving me with no actual result for my actions. You never get to use the sword! madness Pete, sheer madness.

    If those spoiler tags don't work, I am in real trouble :)

  • kangarootoo #66 4 years ago

    Phew.

  • bitesize #67 4 years ago

    yep, 12 hrs is great for me as well, as someone who doesn't get nearly as much gaming time as they used to... will actually be able to play all the way to the end of the main quest, and have plenty of time for sidequests, and still get the game all done + dusted in time for the next one. sweet.

    oh yes, and "Quality over content, people. " - exactly right - since when has how long a game is got anything to do with how good it is?
    Edited by bitesize at 18/07/08 @ 10:19

  • Tomo #68 4 years ago

    12 inches = perfect length

  • Svecke #69 4 years ago

    @The Bodybuilder

    And this is bad in some way? o_0

  • Pac #70 4 years ago

    @kangarootoo

    I agree.

    Fable is the only game where I got to the end and actually thought I had missed something somewhere as the ending was so crap.

    It was almost like the developers were forced to cut the game short.

    Hope this does not happen in the sequel.

  • Snidesworth #71 4 years ago

    12 hours sounds fine to me, especially for a game which boasts an open world laden with content.

  • miiiguel #72 4 years ago

    GTA 4 can be completed in 18... and it's supposed to be *all that and shit*.

  • AJUK #73 4 years ago

    'Only' 12hrs? Sounds plenty long enough to me! I'd rather have a fantastic 12hrs than a long winded and dull 20hrs or more. If a game is too long I don't have enough spare time to really get into it. Mass Effect is still on the games shelf for that very reason :(

  • miiiguel #74 4 years ago

    yeah..., nowdays, and to use a very good expression by some EG content editor dude, I prefer wider games to longer ones.

  • Quint2020 #75 4 years ago

    12 hours for the main quest alone sounds fine to me, that's longer than a lot of games out there and they're not even including all the side quests and stuff.

  • BigJonno #76 4 years ago

    Hang on, there are people who still don't realise that you can keep playing Fable after the end of the story? Oh dear. Just leave the credits rolling, guys.

  • muscleblade #77 4 years ago

    Perfect. I might buy it now. I probably will.