Fallout 76 is the game people love to hate right now, and objectively, there’s good reason for that. Bethesda’s AAA offering is riddled with bugs that range from silly to game-breaking, and with an unsatisfying and unreliable roadmap of future updates, it’s unclear when and what will be fixed. And, if that’s not bad enough, Bethesda keeps shooting itself in the foot with rocky patch rollouts and embarrassing PR blunders.
However, as this article seeks to highlight, there are diamonds in the rough. There are things that don’t suck about Fallout 76. It’s just hard to appreciate these things sometimes because they’re mired by an overwhelming amount of dysfunction, unrealized potential, and a hate-train that Bethesda keeps inadvertently fueling.
Things About Fallout 76 That Aren’t Terrible
The New Creatures
While previous entries in the Fallout series also drew upon the local landscape for inspiration, Fallout 76 draws from Americana itself to inform is myriad of new creatures. The addition of fascinating “cryptids” specific to West Virginian lore works perfectly with the Fallout series’ atmosphere of post-war mystery and misinformation.
Whether these new creatures appeared as a side-effect of nuclear radiation or were simply waiting for humans to die out, the Mothman, Flatwoods Monster, and even the mega sloths feel right at home in the wastes of Appalachia.
The roster of creatures in Fallout 76 feels more complete than other Fallout titles, with all different size and difficulty categories seeing new additions. Even new passive enemies have been added that can be used in the survival aspects of the game (mmm… cat steak).
It’s also exciting how the creatures all feel like they’re part of the same world (thanks to the large map size). While technically confined to their zone of the map, the beats of Fallout 76 have the illusion of intermingling in one big Appalachian eco-system.
Things About Fallout 76 That Aren’t Terrible
Those Little Moments
Thankfully, the special game-defining moments of the Fallout series are still alive and well in 76. You can still discover a macabre scene in the basement of a family home, or uncover biting satire in the logs of a megacorporation’s computer.
You’ll have to wade through a deluge of unbalanced mechanics to become unencumbered enough to discover them… but they’re out there!
New gems, specific to the 76, are present as well; like looking out over a vista and seeing your very own CAMP in the distance. However fleetingly, it’s possible to feel more like a post-apocalyptic survivor in Fallout 76 than in other games in the series.
With the new survival mechanics, making a unique base or weapon can feel like a big deal. And often, rewarding moments in Fallout 76 come not from following the semblance of the main questline, but from successfully micromanaging your limited Stash Box.
Things About Fallout 76 That Aren’t Terrible
Few Loading Screens (And They’re Unique!)
It might seem small, especially within a sea of other problems, but the relative lack of loading screens definitely doesn’t suck in Fallout 76. In addition, someone at Bethesda came up with the genius idea of allowing players to alter these screens with the snapshots they take throughout the game.
The image above is from my personal collection, and every time I see it I remember that I need to find out more about this “Sickleman” character and why there were so many skele– oh look the game’s done loading!
However, these loading screens happen to be the biggest and most complete effort to encourage player’s interaction with Appalachia. Unfortunately, many of the other attempts, like a lack of NPCs, aren’t nearly as effective in creating a meaningful connection with the world (so far).
Things About Fallout 76 That Aren’t Terrible
An Attempt at Something New
Fallout 76 delivered exactly what Todd Howard promised in the E3 2018 reveal of the game. We got a Fallout game, that’s a Bethesda open-world adventure, with always-online multiplayer.
Unfortunately, the real product lacked some of the content that the on-paper description implied. In a Bethesda promotional video posted a little over a month before the game’s release, Mr. Howard optimistically describes what amounts to be Fallout 76’s current state:
“One of the things that we really like about Fallout 76 is that we’ve built it so that we can support it on a month-to-month and week-to-week basis … We have the game that we’re launching, but then we also have the game that it’s gonna be a year from now and two years from now. And we’re gonna do that with the community, so that makes it extra great.”
In an ironic, twilight-zone sort of way, Fallout 76 has turned out exactly as Howard promised it. Whether he planned the new content and fixes to roll out in the way we’ve seen is unknown.
Survival games aren’t new, RPGs aren’t new, but this weird amalgam (that doesn’t currently work) is at least breaking new ground in the series’ progression. In Fallout 76 the combat is more visceral and exciting without the ability to pause (but is still very clunky).
Questing with friends, PvP, and group events are all intriguing (yet currently hollow). And the map in Fallout 76 is large enough to explore for hours without encountering another player, but there’s not much to do… yet?
Things About Fallout 76 That Aren’t Terrible
The Game’s Potential
Objectively speaking Fallout 76 was a mess at launch and it still has a lot to fix. There are major issues that were present from day one that are still present today.
Yet, objectively, we can also say that a large amount of change has been made (to both the game and Bethesda’s interaction with the game’s community) since release.
Sure, they’re changes that should’ve been made before the game was deemed “complete”, but it’s definite progress. It remains to be seen whether Bethesda can realize the potential possible with Fallout 76, or whether players will have to turn elsewhere for their Fallout needs.
Appalachia’s geographical location, the sealed vaults, and comparable MMO’s all offer a wealth of juicy new possibilities for further content. Will Fallout 76 become more like Elder Scrolls Online in the future, or maybe more like Destiny?
Right now, we don’t know much about what Bethesda has planned for Fallout 76 in 2019 besides what we learned recently from one of their Inside the Vault news updates:
“starting in early 2019, we plan to release a variety of in-game events that will take place over the course of a week. These events will be different every time, and will often provide a small buff or create an interesting twist on normal gameplay.”
When looking at Bethesda’s launch struggles, it’s hard to not be reminded of the No Man’s Sky debacle over 2 years ago. Developer Hello Games was able to not only right the ship, but transform one of the most disastrous releases in gaming history into one of the best games with ongoing support that you can play right now.
Fallout 76 has its share of diamonds, but right now they only serve to highlight the problems with the game as a whole. It will be interesting to see if Fallout 76 will rise from its irradiated ashes in 2019.
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