TheFalloutseries has had its ups and downs over its long lifespan. Some fans were worried when Bethesda acquired the property and began developing a first-person game in the style ofOblivion, but many were also ultimately happy with the result.New Vegasis considered a classic, butFallout 4andFallout76left much to be desired in the eyes of RPG traditionalists.
If Bethesda is going to revive a more traditional interest inFalloutand make it more thanThe Elder Scrolls’ apocalyptic cousin, it might be worth returning to the series’ roots. Here’s why now could finally be the right time for another isometricFalloutCRPG.
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Fallout’s History And Bethesda’s Future
Despite Bethesda Game Studio’s two most recent open-world RPGs beingFallout 4andFallout 76, the studio seems surprisingly keen to call back to earlier successes. There’s a reason that the marketing forStarfield, Bethesda’s upcoming space-set RPG and first new IP in well over two decades, has focused on comparing the new property toSkyrim. Todd Howard not only described the new game as “Skyrimin space,” butStarfield’s release dateis set for exactly 11 years afterSkyrim’s 11.11.11 launch.
Fallout 4andFallout 76weren’t bad games by any means, although the latter certainly received more of a mixed reception than the studio was hoping. It’s even speculated thatThe Elder Scrolls 6might have been announced as early as it was to diffuse potential criticism ofFallout’s turn towards multiplayer. Whatever the reason,Fallout 76did some damage to the franchise’s image, and its reception does help explain the studio’s eagerness to call back toSkyriminstead ofFallout 4.
Fallout 4sold very well, but although it wasn’t met with the same resistance asFallout 76, it was noted by many as being a better shooter thanFallout 3andNew Vegas, but a worse RPG. The last singleplayerFalloutgame introduced a voice protagonist with a clearly defined background, taking away from a key aspect of Bethesa RPGs that many players enjoy — coming up with their own character to explore the open world with.
While the main story has never really been the true focus ofThe Elder Scrollsgames, theFalloutgames have a tendency towards a slightly more centered main narrative — whether it’s saving the player’s home Vault, finding their father, or rescuing their kidnapped son. Bethesda isn’t a studio known for its strong writing, but for its huge worlds and freeform gameplay.
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Fallout’s Two Sides
Falloutis an IP that unlikeThe Elder Scrollsdemands stronger writing, something Todd Howard himself expressed as one of the main challenges creatingFallout 3, and one of the reasons it remains one of his favorite games. Bethesda makes vast open world games, the originalFalloutgames tell strong stories in a smart, satirical setting.
Fallout 3’s story, for example, has the potential to end truly bizarrely. Standing before a chamber flooding with radiation,the Lone Wandererfinds themself with no choice but self-sacrifice to finish up the game. Even if they have a radiation-immune super mutant companion with them, he’ll politely decline to save the player’s life, railroading them towards the credits.
Fallout: New Vegashas great writing, andObsidian’s unique flare and a return to the western United States makes it feel a lot more likeFallout 1and2than the other first-personFalloutgames. Nonetheless, it also struggles at times to make its open world as interesting to explore as its story. TheNew Vegasmap is relatively small for a Bethesda-produced open-world RPG, and as soon as the Second Battle of Hoover Dam takes place the game is over, and its open world and all the changes the Courier implicitly brought to it become inaccessible.
In contrastThe Elder Scrolls, despite often having weaker writing, has been able to play into the strengths of having an open world. Oncethe last Dragonbornhas defeated Alduin inSkyrimthey’re still able to explore the world, complete any of the major questlines, and do so without returning to a world state saved before Alduin’s death.
The same is true inFallout 4– after siding with one of the major factions inthe Commonwealthand completing the main quest, the player is free to continue exploring the world. In a game where the main plot focuses on intensely personal stakes — saving the player character’s kidnapped child — and where the other questlines are underwhelming compared toSkyrim’s, that exploration just doesn’t have the same payoff or replay value.
The CRPG Revival of Fallout
Falloutis in a bit of a rut, and many fans of the franchise have accepted that it may be many years before they get another game. There have been some rumors about aNew Vegassequel, generating speculation that Bethesda could license the property to a third-party developer.
The revival of CRPGs over the last decade, and the success of RPG series likeWastelandandPillars of Eternity, means there could be a market for anotherFalloutCRPG in the style of the first two games. Plus, there are plenty of studios with experience developing CRPGs that Bethesda could outsource to.
TakingFalloutback to its roots could help the series’ stories flourish again, focusing on more traditional RPG mechanics, strong dialogue, and freeing the series from the scaled-down open worlds ofFallout 3,New Vegas, andFallout 4. A version of theFalloutworld which really does capture the immensity of the USA is sorely missed, something thefirst twoFalloutgamesdo well as the player travels hundreds of miles across its overworld.
If the project was poorly received,Bethesdawould still be able to make new first-personFalloutgames. At a time when the recent first-personFalloutgames have struggled to live up to the franchise’s past, letting a studio bringFalloutback to its roots might be worth the risk.
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