Fable Would Be Wise to 'Steal' One of Oblivion Remastered's Most Popular Features

The Fable reboot’s delay was disappointing news for many, but there’s a silver lining in getting more development time. Now with a 2026 release date, Playground Games recently released a pre-alpha gameplay trailer that included glimpses of spellcasting. While the extent of Fable’s magic system is still unclear, it could benefit greatly from adopting one of Oblivion Remastered’s most memorable and strongest features.

Custom spellmaking is one of the highlights in Oblivion Remastered. It enables players to create personalized spells by combining a wide range of effects, and its popularity is evident through the Mages Guild, which is the most popular guild to join in Oblivion according to player data. Players were given near-total control over their magical abilities, with the ability to craft spells that suited a range of strategies, helped along by a dedicated cast key binding, rather than Skyrim‘s more limited mechanic. The versatility of Oblivion‘s magic system makes an argument for it to appear in other, similar RPGs, and Fable would be the perfect candidate.

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Fable’s Magic System Has Room for Improvement

Magic isn’t anything new to Fable. Known as Will, the Hero can utilize it to perform a variety of spells with different uses. Will has appeared in different ways across the Fable series, with some iterations using a mana bar in various ways to limit the amount of Will the player can use, or removing the bar entirely and giving players free rein. The spells used across Fable are all very similar to Oblivion‘s, making it feasible for Fable to introduce an inspired spellcrafting system.

Fable‘s gameplay trailer featured pre-alpha gameplay that was primarily centered around weapon combat, with magic being featured in just a few moments. This may be because magic simply isn’t ready to showcase, or it could mean that magic is going to take a step back in Fable‘s reboot. If it’s going to be based on the original Fable, magic is a part of the world’s lore, and should be present in the Fable reboot in some capacity.

Fable has historically leaned on a more traditional magic system that offers pre-defined spells that upgrade with experience. Its 2026 reboot now has an opportunity to take magic further. In Oblivion, the Mages Guild and its altar of spellmaking have become iconic because they offered flexibility and experimentation. For Fable, a similar mechanic would go a long way in customizing the story of their Hero.

Custom Spellmaking Could Be a Boon for Fable

Allowing players to construct their own spells would go a long way to make Fable‘s magic feel more integrated with gameplay and story. Oblivion‘s spell customization gives players reasons to join the Mage’s Guild, as their mage gameplay would genuinely be improved through Guild membership. Layering customization into a faction or guild questline would provide a compelling in-universe method of unlocking new magical options and would reward exploration and character investment.

Beyond variety, custom spellmaking opens the door for more robust RPG progression and character building in Fable. Players could build utility spells for out-of-combat problem-solving or create builds tailored to specific challenges, or even something as mundane as a personality type. This kind of flexibility encourages replayability and experimentation, with more options and variety available.

While designing such a versatile system poses challenges, particularly around balance, it is far from impossible to implement. Oblivion‘s spellcasting can break the game because of the lack of limits. Tethering more powerful effects to skill thresholds, crafting materials, or quest progression could keep the mechanic from becoming overpowered while still rewarding investment. With some tweaking, Fable has all the tools to make custom spellcrafting work without compromising the game’s difficulty or tone.