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With the release of Amazon’s Falloutshow, it appears it’s not just the video game fans that are having a blast (pun intended). The critical reception is glowing, bright green with radiation. Everyone is raving like feral ghouls in approval. And we’re also infected with that kind of excitement. In case you’re still on the fence, I’m gonna list out 10 good reasons why everyone would want to bring this binge-able Fallout show to their nuclear bunker.
It Captured the Philosophy of the Games
As cheeky and comedic as they are, the Fallout games have always toyed around with the notion of what makes a society tick. It pits together totalitarianism, democracy, cynicism, altruism, and the like in a dusty arena and arms them with nuclear weapons along with humanity’s capability for violence.
Amazon’s Fallout explores all these ideas through its different protagonists all of whom are from varying upbringings. The show thus perfectly encapsulated this clash of ideals, similar to how Fallout: New Vegas gave players dilemmas and distinct avenues with approaches that test their morals.
All three show characters represent different playstyles and players in that regard.
Plenty of Fallout’s Trademark Jaw-Dropping Wasteland Weirdness
Of course, all that bleakness and preachiness about human nature is balanced out by the nihilistic and absurdist irreverence of the wasteland. This setting doesn’t care about the quirks of the human brain, the necessities of the stomach, or the integrity of limbs.
Mutated fish monsters with fingers for their taste buds will swallow the kindest and most idealistic human being around and leave their digested innards for the giant cockroaches to digest further. It’s wacky, wanton, and weird in its own distinct sci-fi vision.
No Overindulgence with the Source Material
The showrunners surely played the game and they liked what they saw; otherwise, they wouldn’t have utilized the game’s already existing and dynamic factions for the plot. The Enclave, the Brotherhood of Steel, Vault-Tec, and even the New California Republic are there, all portrayed with faithfulness.
They all had a good part in the story. The writers knew the potential of the existing material and put a new, fresh spin on it rather than inventing something that might have felt out of place in the canon. In that regard, the show is like a love letter to Fallout game fans.
Clever, Nostalgic Soundtrack Usage
One of the best Fallout moments that could happen in-game is when the retro post-war soundtrack overlaps with whatever you’re doing. Sometimes the jazz kicks in while you’re blowing off limbs or vaporizing crackheads. Other times, your great-grandmother’s breakup songs will play while you’re walking into the irradiated sunset.
It’s an unparalleled feeling that’s unique to Fallout. Needless to say, Amazon’s Fallout show recreated those magical moments. The soundtrack was carefully chosen to mock, contrast, or complement some of its own emotional sequences.
Incredible Production Value
The Vault sequences in the Fallout games were made to feel claustrophobic to give players an idea of what its denizens are missing. Amazon’s Fallout show got the message. It rightfully paired the comfort and safety of the Vaults with the veiled oppressiveness of its metallic and brutalist interiors.
Meanwhile, it’s hard not to notice just how authentic the Pip-Boys feel, down to its hums and ticks. This Fallout adaptation didn’t spare any expense in bringing the game’s props to life. Even the Brotherhood of Steel’s Vertibirds and Power Armor looked more than believable.
Plenty of Surprises Even for Longtime Fans
The showrunners could have easily plucked a good storyline from New Vegas or committed to Fallout 3‘s plot (which they slightly borrowed). They chose to do their own thing instead. That meant new stories for fans of the franchise.
It was thus unpredictable and gave way to more novel premises. One of the main characters being a ghoul or a Brotherhood of Steel member is a welcome change. It’s not just your standard naive-Vault-dweller-turns-into-survivalist story. There’s an abundance of twists and mysteries along the way.
It Expands on the Fallout Lore & Setting
One thing that was missing from the Fallout games was the more minute and “realistic” aspects of wasteland life. You don’t exactly see people begging for water or death in the games, clunky as they are. The Fallout show gave more colors to its setting’s canvas and the wasteland’s brutality.
A lot of what you can find out about the Vaults in-game is buried beneath mountains of text. The show was able to put some of those into visual recreations. If anything, the Fallout show avoided the games’ stiff and awkward presentation. This resulted in a setting that felt more alive and respectable.
Excellent Exposition, No Need to be a Fallout Fan
One of the reasons why the show also works for non-fans is that it went with the practice of “show, don’t tell” for its lore. There was little to no forced exposition about backstories, and narration was minimized. I daresay it even did a better job at the lore and setting buildups compared to the games since the latter still compelled you to read hidden texts.
The viewers are presented with puzzles, and it’s up to them to piece things together. Character dialog also feels natural and there were no uneasy lore dump conversations. As a result, it doesn’t treat its non-fan viewers like they need to catch up or Google something first.
Impeccable Timing
War never changes, and neither does Fallout’s relevance, it seems. Amid current news and world events where billionaires are apparently buying fortified bunkers and isolated fortresses, Fallout can feel like a witty reflection of the current reality. Not to mention, 2020 started with a World War 3 scare.
One of Fallout’s overarching themes is about rich people hiding in their rich holes, leaving poor people to die on the surface. It hits a little too close to home these days. Even Fallout‘s pilot episode handled the “complexities” of human behavior during a crisis with a strong message.
It’s a GOOD Video Game Adaptation
The thing is, if Fallout had come out with a few more problems than the masterpiece it is right now, everyone would likely still praise it. It’s a good video game adaptation for visual media and you don’t get that too often. It’s still hard to adapt video games to movies or shows, especially RPGs, since the joy you experience and control while playing is absent in movies.
Fallout sort of circumvented this by executing its adaptation through the lens of three video game player stereotypes represented by its three main characters (the idealist, the zealot, and the cynic). But even without that, we still probably would enjoy it based on its production value and faithfulness alone.
Like a hot, rising mushroom cloud, Amazon’s Fallout show had to go above and beyond expectations.
