Fable II: Knothole Island - A Play Journal
Released January 13th, Knothole Island marks the first downloadable content for the much loved and only just recently released Fable 2. As a matter of fact, the quick arrival of this adventure expansion raises an eyebrow or two. Is it really possible this content were cut from the game only to resell it at a later date? Possibly. That said, one would be hard pressed to argue that Fable II were a disappointment with regard to depth of content - there’s a lot of play time in the full retail disc. We’re then left with whether Knothole Island is worth the 800 Microsoft Points. Long story short: It is.
It should go without saying, but your experience in Knothole Island will be directly related to how much you enjoyed Fable II. If you happened to enjoy Fable II, then Knothole Island feels like slipping back into an old, familiar, and very comfortable pair of slippers - a pleasantly friendly experience all around. If you’re at all curious of our take on the full game, you can read our review here.
Knothole Island is stuck in a perpetual winter when you arrive. Not surprisingly, you’re quickly tasked by the town mayor to seek out the relics that will grant the people of Knothole Island the ability to control their weather. What follows is a lengthy-ish main adventure in comparison to other Fable II adventures. It won’t take you long to complete, but it is certainly rewarding in many respects.
Immediately one will notice that Knothole Island is refreshingly distinct from anything else they may have encountered in the rest of Albion. The snowfall effect is quietly, subtly beautiful, and the typically gorgeous sunrises and sunsets find equally captivating vistas to express themselves here. After some play time you will be able to manipulate Knothole Island’s different “states”, so to speak, reinforcing the uniqueness of this adventure in relation to all the others you’ve played.
Level design in particular is the best the game has seen, what with the dynamic elements at play, ones I would rather not give away. There are several states of Knothole Island to explore, several dungeons, different paths and rewards only accessible during certain configurations and so on. Suffice to say I wish there had been more of this in the full retail disc. That said, it does bode well for future content that Lionhead may have up its sleeve.
Besides the main adventure, the acheivement-prone amongst us will be happy to note that three new acheivements for a total of an extra 100 gamer points come with the download. In fact, a few of these achievements are linked to tertiary quests that have rewards of their own, and will certainly extend your playtime. But more to the point, Knothole Island is veritable shopping spree of unique items of just about every category. The brilliant sense of reward and progress in Fable II is only heightened here.
Your faithful canine companion will have plenty to sniff out and fetch for you. As you progress through the Island, you’ll uncover piece-by-piece what is easily the most impressive outfit featured in the game. But this barely scratches the surface of the cornucopia of unique goods on offer. Many augments, clothes, potions, weapons, and other character modifications are only available on Knothole Island, and offer up enough unique effects and looks that Microsoft could have marketed and sold an expansion featuring these items alone.
Knothole Island, while not a very lengthy gameplay experience or large swath of land, keeps improving the further into it’s mysteries you explore. And in classic Fable II fashion, you’ll be faced with a moral choice at the end. It is as captivating as the full game was, but is easily one of the better, if not the best adventure out of all the Fable II quests on offer. By packing in the goodies as densely as possible per every square inch, it is difficult to imagine how the Fable II lovers amongst us wouldn’t find Knothole Island worth their time and money.
peachey @ January 17, 2009