Fable 5.2 Built a 12-Level Beat 'Em Up Overnight

A nephew’s birthday request for a custom beat ‘em up game initially produced a disappointing result using Claude Code and Fable 5 in June 2026. The original design called for five family-based selectable heroes, including the family dog, twelve bosses, and unlockable Mum and Dad characters alongside rescuing the family’s puppy. When the nephew continued requesting improvements, the author obtained early access to Fable 5.2 and provided comprehensive instructions emphasizing Ninja Turtles-style gameplay, ChatGPT Images 2.5 graphics, ElevenLabs audio, and four-player controller support.

Fable 5.2 substantially rebuilt the game, generating approximately 175 images and 140 audio clips while rewriting most of the codebase. It created an automated playtesting bot that ran through all twelve levels in a headless browser and validated functionality through screenshot inspection. When tested by the nephews, the younger one confirmed the game matched his original vision.

The family subsequently refined the game based on gameplay feedback, adding mechanical improvements and expanding the character roster from five to eighteen total characters through additional family members and pet turtles. The complete project consumed roughly 340 million tokens and produced a twelve-level, four-player game with original music and voice work.