So somebody on the TDC Community Project thread linked to some really neat articles recently on Gamasutra. The articles explain some neat tips and tricks for action adventure game building:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4326/action_adventure_level_design_.php
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4413/action_adventure_level_design_.php
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/5441/action_adventure_level_design_.php
Basically, it talks about some things you can do to align your player's motivation with the main character's so that the player actively wants the protagonist to finish their quest. It also goes on to describe how to brainstorm and analyze the flow of your game through different kinds of charts and diagrams.
I took their advice and tried my hand at developing a table of FableQuest's gameplay flow. It's in the attached screenshot.
Basically, this table is a chronological timeline that analyzes every piece of the game where the main quest is updated. It goes from the start of the game to the point where Ikkin first reaches the White Weewoo, the main base of operations for the pirate NPCs.
Of particular interest to me is the New Features category. My aim is to provide a constant stream of new skills, abilities, and gameplay mechanics to keep players involved and interested in what will happen next. If all goes well, there should never be too wide of a gap between new features, and if there is, I should balance it out through other means. (Oh, and the white boxes in that row indicate optional new features, while the green ones are mandatory for the player to continue.)
Another side note: The "Tone" of the game is not how I expect the player to feel, but how seriously the game takes itself during a certain point. I'm inclined to believe that the story has taken itself pretty seriously so far, which is all the more reason to go for a more lighthearted tone between the introduction of the Pirates and the fourth dungeon. After the terrifying experience of the Solar Temple, I think that it would be a nice gesture to provide the player with a bit of comic relief before their next dramatic dungeon crawl. 
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