Fable II 'Knothole Island' DLC explored

3:30 PM on 01.15.2009   |   Brad Nicholson

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In that disheveled grove with caravan parts and slave cages, I chose to spare the brigand. I didn’t want to. My urge to destroy him was restrained by my desire to be the good guy. Fable II’s portrayal of good is about conscientious choice and sacrifice. Resisting vengeance for time lost and virtual lives destroyed, as I demonstrated, is an easy choice. Accepting the fate of something you love for the greater good is a different story.

A few days ago I decided to restart my journey in Fable II. It was in preparation of January 13’s DLC release, "Knothole Island." Instead of creating a stone-faced evil character, I thought I might try the light side for a spin. I found that being virtuous isn’t an easy task.

As much fun as there is to be had on the main quest, I focused my efforts on Knothole Island and its components. Knothole Island is a wonderful little excursion, targeted to the player wishing for something to do after completion of Fable II’s storyline.  The content offers new items, achievements, and quests. It also introduces a few new interesting characters. But does it provide what you want?

Hit the break for all my thoughts.

The journey to Knothole Island starts in Barrowstone’s Dock, where you’ll meet Gordon. He’s a submariner, patiently waiting for a hero to appear. There’s a problem on Knothole Island. It’s snowing when it shouldn’t be. Gordon realizes that impure heroes may require a bit of a down payment, so before you even take up the quest to fix Knothole’s weather woes, you’re given a few brand new items. Upon acceptance, you’ll be whisked away to the small, snowy island.

The new items found on Knothole (including the ones Gordon gives you) are largely useful. Potions that shrink your waist, make you taller or even make you shorter are available in the island’s general store. A host of new -- and actually helpful -- augments are sold midway through the content. The Sexy Scars Augment is by far my favorite -- it makes you scar more quickly in battle, but it also makes the scars more pleasant to ladies’ eyes.

The costumes are quite different from the main game. Throughout the DLC’s quest line, you’ll be collecting pieces of the Knight garment. It’s essentially armor, but acts just like any leather jerkin. It’s bulky, makes your character look fat, and is a bit over the top, even by Fable II’s standards. There are other costumes that can be unlocked by finding items in the main game. These possess the same ridiculous qualities as the Knight garment, but should satisfy the community calls for more leather, wigs and armor.

The store, where you take the main game’s items in exchange for armor, also offers a variety of powerful weapons that fit any character mold -- even the Master Chief one if you bought the Collector’s Edition.

My own eyes almost popped out of my skull when I landed on the island. The weather effects in Knothole are spectacular. Large, rounded snowflakes assault the entirety of the screen. The contrast with the night sky is striking. For whatever reason, my character wasn’t wearing a shirt when I landed. I bundled him up because I felt bad.

If you’re looking for an amazing amount of new content with the DLC, I’m afraid you will come away disappointed. The new items and costumes are unique, but the enemy and environmental assets will seem familiar. The three big quests within the DLC are short, trivial affairs that have you collecting keys and totems to alter the climate on the island. What you do has weight and immediacy, but I never felt satisfied with what I accomplished. Its length also disappointed me. I think I have been spoiled by Bethesda’s efforts on the DLC front. Knothole Island is around three hours long.

If you have your faithful companion, there are plenty of things to discover. If you don’t, you aren’t missing anything that isn’t available in the island’s stores. I believe the Knothole quests are renown-related, and the final quest only becomes available shortly before the game is over. If you’re looking to start out a new character for the DLC, be prepared to have to run through the main story again. This isn’t a crime -- Fable II is as enjoyable as ever. Knothole Island adds to the magic.