‘Fallout 4’ continues series in complex style
Apocalyptic world invites players to get rich in ruins.
“War. War never changes.” This iconic line has been used to introduce games in the “Fallout” series since the first was released in 1997. It and many other core elements of the series have been given a new shiny coat of paint in Bethesda Softworks’ “Fallout 4,” which was released Tuesday for Windows PCs, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The developers have taken the approach of staying true to the roots of the series but have also looked to other sources for opportunities to expand the core gameplay and create a post-apocalyptic wasteland that players can really get invested in.
The basic premise of the entire “Fallout” series is an alternate historical timeline where all of the rocket skates and hover cars envisioned as “farout, future space tech” in 1950s pulp science magazines became real, creating a sci-fi utopia that gets disrupted by a nuclear war. Players are then set loose in the irradiated wasteland to find fame and fortune among the mutated monsters and burnt-out survivors.
The various games set the action in different places around the United States, including Southern California, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas. This time around, the game is set in the ruins of Boston and the surrounding area, known as “The Commonwealth” in the game.
The environment is important to this game because, in essence, players are presented with a giant sandbox and are able to move about without any restriction. The play area is huge and lovingly detailed, with an incredible number of opportunities to engage with various activities. Some of these systems are well executed, deep, and provide hours of entertainment with interesting things to learn and challenges to overcome. Some, however, fall a bit flat.
Story is the primary engine for engagement in the series, and “Fallout 4” has plenty to go around. There is a primary plotline that propels the 100 percent customizable player character out into the game world, but the world is filled with other characters who have their own personalities and agendas. Each interaction is voice acted, and the storytelling in the game is really top notch. While the player character has his or her own agenda, they have to figure out how to navigate the social and political landscape they find themselves in, making allies and enemies with every decision. Everyone in the game wants something, but through dialogue and action the player chooses how to shape the world and progress in their journey. A huge, explorable open world and rich character interaction have been staples of the series since the beginning. What does “Fallout 4” offer players who have played previous entries in the series and are looking for new reasons to come back?
The developers decided to borrow a page from the megahit game “Minecraft” this time around to deepen the player’s investment in the social dynamics of the game, and to give them a chance to create a place of their own within the world.
As players explore the environment, they come across various settlements. Many of these spots are small working farms with several people tending them. The farmers might ask for help on a simple quest, like clearing raiders out of a nearby headquarters or dealing with some mutant rodent menace. After their trust is earned, players gain access to a new “workshop” system, which enables them to build structures, infrastructure, decorations and defenses. They can also plant crops and create resources to attract and maintain livestock. Settlements can grow and attract more people, but as the population grows then so, too, does their need for more resources.
In theory, this whole subset of gameplay should draw in a huge segment of the gaming population that has been buried in the plethora of building and life simulation games that have been dominating sales charts for years.
However, in practice the system doesn’t have the refinement to create the satisfying feeling of executing a beautiful, complex design on a massive scale. The menus are cumbersome to navigate without clear, meaningful distinctions between different objects, and the placement system doesn’t line things up as neatly as, say, blocks in “Minecraft.”
It is not a terrible system, and it will surely attract some very creative players, but the flaws stand out when compared to more refined systems.
Bethesda Softworks has been working on refining their system of creating deep, wide-open worlds with intense, gratifying stories and myriad ways to approach and interact with the world.
They’ve been alternating between the “Fallout” series and their Tolkien-esque fantasy series “The Elder Scrolls” for years, building out the same foundation for both series, then adding and improving new systems with each iteration.