Fallout 76 is an online action role-playing game that was released in November if 2018. Although it is a part of the Fallout series, it drastically differs from every other Fallout entry, but is that necessarily a good thing? Let’s find out.

Gameplay

Any series no even Fallout 76 must eventually evolve. Change is usually a good thing. It manages to push some great franchises to explore and expand in many different ways, but change can also be bad. Developers occasionally lose sight of what made their game special in the first place and when they try to chase a bigger audience and/or more money things start to get bad. The new Fallout 76 is the combination of both. It’s a project that is very different and still manages to keep in some form the Fallout DNA deep in its soul. This is an always-online multiplayer-only title set in the Bethesda Universe. While all that sounds epic it has some major drawbacks to it. The game has a sanctuary of course but without NPCs. Every humanlike you’ll see in the game is another player, there are no quests. Perhaps they tried to reinvent the wasteland? However, it feels very lonely without the NPCs and a lot like a giant sandbox for players to walk around and shoot stuff in.

Graphics

When it comes to graphics, Fallout 76 has gone through a major overhaul over the course of the game’s patches. Bethesda has massively improved upon them both in quality and draw distance, stating that they would like the players to use the distant objects in order to better orient themselves in the game’s world. Players are now also able to see distant weather systems which will influence the decision making of players on whether they should head out and gather supplies or quietly wait out the storm while protected inside of their shelters. Overall, they are aesthetically pleasing and fit the dystopian world of Fallout 76 very well.

Combat

Everything feels really tight, Bethesda went out of their way to make a great shooting game. The controls are very competent. but the VAT system to slow down time and aim at certain parts of the body is changed because it’s obviously an always-online game and now the VAT system is used to just lock your aim on the target instead of choosing which limb to shoot. You won’t be using this much. The power suit is a lot of fun to use and building your character all the way to the top is a real thrill.

The Verdict

The point of Fallout 76 is to make your own story and to make your own good times and fun. If you are not able to do that you are wasting your time. This game is about playing with others, no matter what level you are on, most of the time all the players are evened out unless you are going around naked. The number one annoying thing about this game aside from the servers and the game itself crashing is the thing that you have to care about food and drinks for your character which can be really irritating as you are in the middle of the action with several other players and you have to take a break for no reason. In conclusion, the game lacks compared to every other Fallout game in its every aspect.