It’s always concerning when one of your favorite video games gets chosen for an on-screen adaptation. You wonder if they’ll get the world right, if the characters will fit, and if they’ll do the story justice. I am happy to report that the Fallout series, so far, is an excellent adaptation of the game! This review will be based on the first two episodes and will not contain any major story spoilers. Most of what I’ll mention is in the previews!
The World of Fallout
Zach Cherry, Leslie Uggams and Rodrigo Luzzi Courtesy of Prime Video
If there’s one thing that fans of these games love, it’s the world itself. Everything about the Wasteland is intriguing and terrifying. From the creatures to the rotting cities, even the vaults, there is so much to explore and see and players just can’t get enough. The series does a wonderful job of capturing that feeling. There is so much going on in the first episode and we meet a lot of characters, but we also see very different examples of the setting. First, we see the world before the explosion. Though it was a microscopic look, it was still really telling and I can see we’re going to get more.
Next, we’re in Vault 33, home of Lucy. This example of the Vault is very reminiscent of the Vaults that you see while playing Fallout Shelter. It’s a cool feeling and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing what this Vault’s life was like. From there we moved on to Maximus, a member of the Brotherhood of Steel living out in the Wasteland. There was a lot to unpack here, but MY GODS it was incredibly cool to see the Power Armor in action. I was never a huge fan of the Brotherhood, and it seems like the feeling is going to stay during this show. We also meet The Target, a member of the Enclave who is conducting some type of experiments. He’s only in his area for a little, but it looks like it’s very structured and diplomatic (which makes sense for the Enclave).
Impressive Character Building
The show does a great job of introducing a lot of characters, but not overwhelming the viewer. Each person we meet has an incredibly unique personality and backstory, which, only being two episodes in, is very impressive. Lucy, Maximus, Waler, The Ghoul, and the side characters all have extremely different approaches to the world. Lucy is naive and trusting, Maximus is bitter and jaded, and The Ghoul… well, he’s The Ghoul. I am very excited to learn more about these characters as we go along.
So far, I’m invested in all of these characters and their stories. They’ve done a great job at showing how and why would should like, or dislike, everyone we’ve met so far, which is something the games did very well too. I also like how all of the characters are brought together so far. It gives each person value and meaning, instead of throwing them in there to hit a faction of the Wasteland because they have to.
Power Suit and Aaron Moten (Maximus) in “Fallout” Courtesy of Prime Video
Exploring the Wasteland
I touched on the Vault a little bit earlier, but I didn’t mention how amazing the town in episode two is! Without spoiling anything, this town feels so Fallout it’s amazing. The random buses and planes being used and walkways to other areas, the different levels and shops built up in a thrown-together manner. It felt like I was in Megaton! I got giddy the second Lucy stepped through the cockpit! I wish that was a real place I could visit, can someone make a Fallout theme park, please?
One of the funniest things, to me, was how often I was talking to the screen. “LUCY DON’T LEAVE THE BOBBLEHEAD! YOU NEED THAT PERK!” “WAIT, THERE’S A NUKE GRAB IT!” “GO THROUGH THOSE HOUSES LUCY, YOU CAN SELL ALL OF THOSE PLATES!” Can you tell I have an inventory management problem? I loot everything Fallout and seeing all of the stuff she left behind pained me. I will say, that just proves how immersive this show is!
Cause For Concern
The one thing I was curious about was how people who didn’t play the games felt about the show so far. It seemed, to me at least, that there were a lot of assumptions that the audience would know what was going on and I didn’t know if that would be detrimental to the enjoyment of fans who didn’t play the games. A quick litmus test on social media informed me that people who had never played the games still enjoyed it a lot! There were a lot of questions, but they seemed confident that the show would answer their questions as it went on.
Either way, as a long-time Fallout fan, it really made me happy and struck the perfect chord for me. I can’t wait for more.
Walton Goggins (The Ghoul) Courtesy of Prime Video
Final Thoughts on Fallout
All in all, I believe that Fallout is a GO! The partnership between Bethesda and Amazon Prime is a beautiful one indeed! If you’re an avid fan of the games, I genuinely believe you’re going to enjoy this. There’s a lot going and the story is solid, but the amount of pure Fallout moments is amazing. It also seems like people who have never played the games will enjoy the show, though they might have a lot of questions about the world and what things are. If anything, I can see this show encouraging people to pick up the games and play them for themselves; to which I say “DO IT! PLAY FALLOUT 3! IT’S THE BEST GAME!” I am definitely looking forward to watching the series in its entirety and I hope we get even more Fallout stories on the screen.
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