Fallout 1 is a game that was released in 1997. Why does that matter now? Fallout 1 isn’t just the first game in the series; instead, it offers an entirely different view of Fallout and the genre of RPGs as a whole. Some of its features, for better or for worse, offer something new compared to modern RPGs. So I think it’s important to analyze Fallout 1 not just for its acclaimed story and atmosphere, but also its stance in the RPG world and how the game handles itself.
I found the game during the steam summer sale and bought it for around 5 dollars, I had only played 4 at the time so I was interested in the rest of the series. After about two hours of struggling through the archaic gameplay and user interface, I put it down. I would not be surprised if many have had a similar experience. However, after a full playthrough helped me understand the game inside and out, I really have grown to acquire a great appreciation of it because of what is under the surface. My focus won’t just be on its ‘desolate atmosphere’ or ‘great interactivity’ as I feel that those are too surface level for a real understanding of the game. Instead I’ll talk about the quality of its gameplay, writing, atmosphere and player autonomy.
Firstly, the game’s atmosphere is so well known and talked about because of how great it is. Fallout 1 feels unapologetic and honest in its cold opening: you make your character, you watch a cutscene and then you are thrown out into a cave full of rats. It does a great job at making you feel like an outsider as the main character. In other games people can be rude, sure, but everybody in Fallout 1 talks down to you when you meet them. They’re distrustful and even weird. In Fallout 1 it felt like I had to earn people’s trust and when I did something they didn’t like, I genuinely felt it, as the talking heads and grade-A voice actors do a great job at conveying these emotions to you. Not only that, but the environmental and music design do a great job as this as well. The Fallout world really feels bombed out, every shop and home is a renovated ruin rather than newly constructed, and the music does a great job at being desolate while also providing personality to every place the player visits. Overall the atmosphere does a great service in keeping the player engaged, interested and in character.
Another important aspect to this engagement is player autonomy. Player autonomy is very important to the Fallout experience as it encompasses one of the most important things about Fallout. Deciding who should live in society, what kind of way to best run a society and what to leave and take from the past are all important questions the player experiences in Fallout. So it’s obvious that Fallout 1 would have a great bit of player autonomy. Every location, no matter the size, has something that can be influenced within it. The Brotherhood of Steel needs help fighting the mutants, the Followers of the Apocalypse are trying to investigate the Children of the Cathedral and the Hub has so many different caravans to work under. The player is able to help or go against each of these groups. The most extreme way this is shown is through the ability of the player to turn themselves into the antagonist’s army, betraying everyone in your home by telling raiders the location. All of these show just how important player autonomy is as the player can decide who to kill, who to help and who to join.
However it is important to mention the game’s faults, one being the gameplay. Despite the engaging atmosphere and fun experience Fallout 1 offers, it is by no means a timeless game—it’s buggy, at times directionless and can feel slow. Almost every interactive part of this game is either motionless or turn-based; there are very few to no active gameplay sequences. The game also has many sequence breaks. Personally, I had to reload my save almost 6 times during my playthrough. But the worst part, especially for new players, is that the game has no guide or marked quests besides for finding the water chip. While I learned to love it, I can understand how it can be confusing and frustrating to new players. However, despite all of this, combat can still feel satisfying: the sound design and animations really make the characters feel powerful and their actions impactful. Action point management is also a great system as it introduces much more freedom for strategic choice. Overall, the combat still manages to be fun even if some parts of the game are slow.
Finally, the strongest aspect of Fallout 1 is its writing. It’s powerful, funny and concise. It fits a lot of meaning into a small package. Most dialogue options aren’t even more than a sentence, and the information fed to the player isn’t over-explained or overwhelming and instead feels concise enough to give the player quick details but deep enough to give the player something to reflect on or define the game’s characters with. The game also does a lot with a little: the simple idea of finding a lifesaving device is turned into a unique story with many twists and obstacles without overstaying its welcome as the game manages to stay under 10 hours long even with all of its content.
Overall, I’d say Fallout 1 is a must play experience for anyone interested in the franchise of Fallout and a ‘maybe’ for fans of Modern RPGs. While it is at times lacking in the gameplay department, if you love story games and want something a little old, a little crazy and a little dark then this could be a great pick.
