It isn’t often that a stand-alone game beckons to be played over and over, with so many variations to the game’s ending or gameplay, but Fallout 4 isn’t just any game. It’s a masterpiece among the action/adventure FPSs out there on the market.
Based in the post-apocalyptic franchise of Fallout from Bethesda Games, no matter the character build or storyline tangent you follow, Fallout 4 will leave you wanting for more.
With beautifully crafted story arcs and character interactions that adapt to your previous story choices and the style of character build you’ve gone for, the combinations are endless.
One example is the gigolo, a Charisma-based character build that relies heavily on sweet-talking your way into good standing with NPCs and companions alike. Doubling that up with a heavy influence of Luck makes this character build almost unstoppable when talking their way out of or into any situation.
The downside to this type of build is that it doesn’t leave you with a lot of extra points to spend on other attributes like Strength, Perception, or Agility.
Why is that important, you might ask. Well, that’s simple. It means you’ll need to be creative when combating certain types of enemies. Because let’s face it, if you didn’t opt-in for the big muscles and hide tough enough to stop a Yoa Guai bite, you won’t be able to stand toe to toe with a Deathclaw.
There are easily over fifty main story arcs to play through, between the base vanilla game, DLCs, and side content (dependent on your platform of choice). And depending on which of the in-game factions you side with; the Minutemen (militia fighters who want to protect the Commonwealth), the Brotherhood of Steel (militaristic cultists who collect old world technology and use it to defend the Commonwealth), the Railroad (who seek to liberate all synths), and the Institute (creators of the synths who use science and secrecy to control society), there is no lack of engaging challenges and story emersion.
How members of the other factions and NPCs interact with you is also dependent on your gameplay style. Your faction of choice is another fascinating aspect programmed into the game, leaving you sometimes unsure how an encounter may end.
Then there is the icing on the cake. What’s not to love about the game’s in-depth customization and building option available for all established settlements, which is a quick and easy way of racking up experience points early on in the game.
In the end, Fallout 4 is hands down fun, with thousands of hours of gameplay choices and character interactions on top of great FPS action and settlement customization. No matter your style of gameplay, there’s a little something for everyone in Fallout 4.
William J. Roberts is an award-winning author, editor and publisher for Three Ravens Publishing.
