Fallout: The Post Nuclear Roleplaying Game is as you might expect an RPG set in the ruins of America following a global nuclear war. It's an alternate history setting as well, a 'what if?' nuclear power had triggered all kinds of technological advancements from advanced robotics to fusion power and even energy weapons. It wasn't the first post-nuclear apocalypse set game as I believe that accolade belongs to the original wasteland but Fallout became far better known.
Fallout 1 & 2 were the games that switched me from a console gamer to a PC gamer long ago. So, it likely wouldn't surprise anyone who knows me that I'd opt to do a review of them. I will also be doing reviews of most of the other Fallout titles, except for perhaps Fallout 76 though I'll see when I get to that point.
I'll preface this by saying this is an ancient game now, given at the time of writing this it was released over 20 years ago. So, if you've never played it before it can make it a challenge to get into but we'll get into the details later!
Character Creation & Customisation
As in many RPGs, you start creating your character (or choosing one of three pre-generated characters.) You tweak your stats, traits and skills using a fairly in-depth system as well. There are honestly quite a lot of ways to build your character however you want. Do you want to be a smooth-talking sniper? A hyper-intelligent wielder of energy weapons? Or a brainless brute hulk-smashing your way across the wasteland? You can do any of those and a whole lot more... Naturally, some work out better than others.
There's a lot of nuance to it especially when it comes to actual roleplaying in my opinion. The most obvious is if you make an incredibly intelligent character or a very low-intelligence one. The latter essentially leads to you grunting your way through the game which is something modern RPGs very rarely consider.
Once you are playing you continue to tailor your character as you level up, improving your skills, weapons, armour and the like. The perks system allows for further specialisation from simple perks like awareness for getting detailed info on your enemies to sniper, which increases your critical hit chance with ranged weapons. Even if not all the perks are useful. Given the level cap of 21 and typically gaining a perk every 3 levels, you must be careful which you choose.
Gameplay
The gameplay itself is split up into a few different parts which I'll cover now.
The world map is the simplest aspect of the gameplay, you travel around using the Pipboy's map screen, clearing the fog of war to find places while having a chance of running into random encounters along the way. You can also discover new locations on the world map by being told about them if you are playing something more diplomatically inclined. The game doesn't wall off anything but heading toward trickier locations at level 1 will more often than not end badly.
Real-time exploration of locations is where you talk to people, find quests, gather information or just barter your ill-gotten gains for a shiny piece of gear or a fistful of bottlecaps (yes, that's the currency.) Even if the trading system itself suffers from frustrating clunkiness (I'll get into that later.) Though anything can turn into a fight if you aren't careful... Or if you are decidedly evil and roll into any town guns blazing.
The conversations use a dialogue tree and can have all kinds of stat and skill checks for additional flavour or usefulness. Some more notable characters are even voiced with an animated render.
The combat is turn-based using an initiative and action points-based system and was honestly the thing that piqued my interest when I first played the demo aeons ago. Moving, shooting, reloading and using your inventory all typically cost action points. It was the way you could target specific parts of enemies with your attacks and the satisfying feedback that finally hooked me in. That and a decent enemy variety help ensure you will likely always have something new to fight for a good while.
You can also get a few companions along the way if you choose though you have no direct control over them beyond some basic commands in the dialogue menu. Typically things like staying close, using their best weapon and the like. You have to use the trading system to give them weapons and ammo though, so it often feels clunky. Also, if they are killed you'll have to reload or simply accept the wasteland claiming another victim. This was from an era before autosaves so make sure you save relatively often and use different slots if you want to experiment.
Your skills can open up new options for completing certain quests or just making it easier for you. Science, repair and speech especially come to mind when I think about it even if the game is straightforward it does still have some quirks that can leave you wondering where you are meant to go next.
Story & World
I like the story of Fallout 1, it is easy to follow and generally keeps you invested in wanting to see what happens next. I mean is it the greatest story in a game ever? No, but it's compelling enough to keep you pushing forward and sometimes that is all you need. There is one thing I don't like and that is the initial time limit.
As the game starts, you are sent off into the wasteland to find a replacement water chip for your vault. They have water reserves but the sticky note on your Pipboy is a constant reminder you only have a set amount of time to find it and return it. Made trickier by how many days it can take sometimes to travel between locations on the world map. If you know what you are doing it's a minor nuisance though for that first play-through, save often and in multiple slots to be on the safe side!
Now, the world itself is interesting to explore and it's always interesting to stumble into a new location or even random encounter. It being alternate history gave them plenty of freedom to craft their take on a world that got nuked into near oblivion. Then again I love exploring, so I am a tiny bit biased.
Sound
The music... There are very few games which poke me right in the nostalgia like Fallout's music does. It's usually pretty dark and haunting, which you'd expect when you are picking through the remains of what was for bottlecaps and stimpacks. The cathedral soundtrack is likely my favourite one, though they are all pretty memorable to me.
The bit of voice acting there is in the game is honestly good too, only major characters are voice acted and animated with a 'talking head' screen similar to the pre-rendered cut-scenes. Sure, it'd be nice if there was more of it yet I don't mind the reading either making it a nice bonus to get any voice acting.
The sounds themselves, especially for weapons and combat feel good as it helps make the fights feel more impactful. Combat feedback is solid too for an RPG especially when added to the kill animations you can get. The crack of a hunting rifle sends a raider toppling to the ground or a laser rifle whizzing by and sizzling as it misses and slams into a wall. Honestly, it helps the combat feedback feel pretty darn good to me.
Graphics
There's no real getting around the fact this game looks old and it has to make use of a mod for modern resolutions. It doesn't look bad though even if it can be a little tricky telling what is going on at times. Having said that they still work well and the animations for combat only add to the sensation of satisfying feedback in battles. Some of the kill animations are very good at conveying the effects of certain weapons. Like a laser rifle shot slicing a raider in half or a minigun burst tearing a foe to pieces to name a couple, there aren't a huge amount but usually enough to keep combat visually engaging.
The pre-rendered cut-scenes were quite good for the time though naturally now they look a bit primitive, not much that can be done about that, they are still easy enough to follow at least! However, I think the biggest issue is likely the fact the colour palette is largely brown with hints of grey there are a few more colourful areas though they are few and far between, so consider yourself warned if you hate brown!
UI/Controls
The UI is perhaps best described as functional but clunky, with lots of clicks sometimes to get things done that in modern times we may take for granted. Using items in the environment involves either putting them into your hands and then using them from there or holding down the button to pop the menu up and then selecting the item to use. It works it's just clumsy compared to more modern games. Otherwise, it's mostly mouse-driven so once you learn it you should be able to navigate the game with relative ease.
Trading is probably the worst culprit though due to the inventory, it's one long column you have to scroll down with no sorting or filters. So, it can take a while especially when most items cost more than 1000 bottlecaps yet you can only transfer 999 into the trading piles at a time. It works though it is more of a chore than most modern gamers will be used to. Essentially it is very much a product of the time it works, it just leans more toward the clumsy and clunky.
The quest journal is a bit basic too, though back when I first played this I wrote notes so I didn't forget anything (yes, very old school!) Typically if you pay attention you should be fine but it is something to keep in mind if you are used to more modern quest journals.
Overall
The first Fallout game is a genuine classic and in my opinion, if you can navigate the clunky interface you'll enjoy seeing where such an iconic series began. It's quirky by today's standards and has a fair few difficulty spikes, so save often and in different slots to avoid any old-school frustrations.
Tip: If you use the high-res mod and are noticing it's a bit sluggish, switch it from DirectX to Direct Draw.
Do I recommend the game? Absolutely though there are a few caveats to that, if clunky UIs, difficulty spikes and sometimes a lack of clarity for where to go put you off then you may not enjoy the first Fallout. If you can cope with those issues it's an enjoyable game especially if you want to see where it all began!
So, thanks for reading! All constructive feedback is welcome and any support on Patreon or Ko-fi is greatly appreciated!
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