Back on October 7th Peter Molyneux dropped a none too subtle hint that some DLC was coming for Fable 2. He implied that said DLC would be more than just a pack of new items and weapons to use as you romp around Albion. Here we are three months later, just two days after Knothole Island appeared on the Xbox Live Marketplace, and Mr Molyneux delivered on that implication… but only just barely.

Knothole island is accessible by catching a ride with the submariner in the Bowerstone harbor. Once you get there, you find the entire place covered in snow and ice. The Chieftan promptly asks you to help correct their weather woes. There are three dungeons to conquer before you can tame the island’s wild weather. The first two are extremely short, and contain puzzles that feel as though they were created with the sole purpose of artificially elongating the dungeon. I only nailed one of the puzzles on the first try - not because I didn’t know what was expected of me, but because what’s expected of me took several tries to execute in the allocated time. In other words, the puzzles didn’t require me to think, they just required me to press the right button at the right time. The third dungeon was satisfying. It wasn’t too short, and it had a couple of big fights at the end. After about two hours, the dungeons were defeated, and Knothole Island’s weather was under my control.

The whole package feels like a vessel to deliver new items and clothing to the player. The dog stops every five feet to point out a new dig spot, and after the second quest, the Chieftan reminds you to check out all the new stores that are now open. There are a wide variety of new weapons and items to find, including Hal’s Rifle, which is essentially the assault rifle from Halo 3. Don’t misunderstand me, the new items are an excellent addition to the game. Some of the new weapons are excellent, and the augment remover is infinitely useful, however, I would have liked a larger area to explore in search of these new items.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

If you’ve beaten the game, you know that you’re faced with three choices after defeating the final boss. Two of those choices leave you missing your furry four legged companion who went down saving your life. There’s a shrine on Knothole Island that allows you to resurrect your dog in order  to aid you in your quest for climate control.  This is a pretty significant change to the game, considering I made the choice I did at the end of the game solely to get my puppy back. I find myself compelled to start a new character and make a different choice at the end of the game, and in that respect, Knothole Island has succeeded in adding replayability to Fable 2.

**END SPOILERS**

Knothole Island does have one rather large glitch. The Chieftan vanishes into thin air after each quest, requiring you to leave Knothole Island, and come back in order for him to reappear, and issue the next quest. I don’t know if this flaw is effecting everyone, but it certainly effected me, along with a handful of posters on the Lionhead forums.

Knothole Island provides three new quests, and a wide variety of new items, yet somehow it manages to feel unfinished. Two of the dungeons feel extremely short, and I’ve heard of a few other bugs in addition to the one mentioned above. I wouldn’t say the DLC is BAD, just severely lacking in polish, which is surprising since it was pushed back almost a month from it’s originally scheduled release on December 22nd. In the end, whether or not you should purchase Knothole Island directly depends on how hard you love Fable 2. If you plan on playing it through a few times, you should definitely buy this DLC, as it adds a few interesting elements to the game, even though it only contains roughly two hours worth of quests. If you were only luke warm about Fable 2 in the first place, or if you’re simply not inclined to play the entire game through more than once,  you should take the ten bucks you would have spent on Knothole Island, rent The Dark Knight, and buy a sandwich at the local deli.

-Mike Kurz

Tags: DLC, Fable 2, Peter Molyneux, review, Xbox 360

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