Fable fans may be eager to know the highly-anticipated Fable reboot's release date following its first gameplay trailer revealed at the recent Xbox Showcase, but there's still a lot of time between now and then. However, there is another game in the works with connections to the original Fable game that fans may also want to keep tabs on. The upcoming asymmetric co-op game Criminals Within, currently in development in Unreal Engine 5 at independent studio Space Rock Games, has some interesting ties with Fable, plus other classic action RPGs like Path of Exile and more. In Criminals Within, players team up with a friend to play as either Jarel the thief or Helena the royal guard in a quest across a medieval fantasy universe involving dragons, a kidnapped prince, and more.
In a recent interview with The Best War Games, Space Rock Games' Managing Director Zsombor Pirok spoke more about how the studio is leveraging its industry experience with the original Fable game and Path of Exile. Pirok also talked about the company's main inspirations for its upcoming medieval fantasy title.
Criminals Within's Inspirations From Fable To It Takes Two And More
When asked what inspired Criminals Within, Pirok cited Fable: The Lost Chapters and the two-player co-op game It Takes Two as big inspirations, along with other action RPG games like Remnant: From the Ashes, Sea of Thieves, and even classic DreamWorks movies. As Pirok put it,
Fable's fantastical universe was always one of our favorites, and its light-hearted humor was something that defined that game. It Takes Two is groundbreaking in its co-op design, and co-op is a huge part of Criminals Within. Remnant is an awesome combat-focused game where co-op is heavily emphasized, and we really liked how it played.
Additionally, Pirok said Fable: The Lost Chapters influenced Criminals Within's stylized art style, which they wanted to appear "ageless" compared to photorealistic art styles that often age much quicker. Pirok also cited games like Sea of Thieves and Disney's Hercules as an influence for creating this kind of classic art style.
When developing the visual style showcased in the trailer, we explored various influences, both 2D and 3D. On the gaming front, we took inspiration from both the original Fable: The Lost Chapters and Sea of Thieves. Drawing from the world of movies, we examined the art style of Disney's Hercules and envisioned how it would translate into a 3D environment. The end result is a fusion of these different inspirations.
Criminals Within's Experience With Games Like Fable And Path Of Exile
In addition to a wealth of developers drawing experience from studios like Lionhead, SEGA, Supermassive Games, and more, it's worth noting that Space Rock Games has industry experience with games like Path of Exile and Fable to draw upon for Criminals Within's development. Pirok explained how valuable the studio's experience with these games has been, including Fable 1 and 2,
We are thrilled to have some of the original creators of those games among our ranks. Caroline, our amazing technical artist, had actually worked on both Fable 1 and 2, while Josh, our technical lead, had been a programmer at Path of Exile. They bring various experiences that are very helpful when it comes to the design of the game, the humor, and the technical delivery of it.
Pirok said such experience "will help us tremendously in creating awesome cutscenes and delivering Criminals Within to multiple platforms," plus added the team includes many other industry veterans "whose experience will add a lot to how the final game will end up playing".
Although Criminals Within is Space Rock Games' first game as an independent developer, its wealth of industry experience combined with its utilization of the latest Unreal Engine 5 technology puts it in a good place for producing something that looks like it could be very special. As fans eagerly await the release of Fable 4 or look for other co-op games after It Takes Two, Criminals Within looks like one to watch, particularly as it plans to release a friend pass system, making its fantasy offering even more inviting.
Criminals Within is currently in development.