Summary
TheFalloutfranchise has gone a long way since its first game was released in 1997, as it used to be a top-down isometric turn-based RPG for the first two installments. This was changed to a more modern first-person view with real-time combat inFallout 3andFallout 4. The protagonist is also different for every game, as the hero is tasked with retrieving an essential component for a vault’s survival inFallout 1, whereasFallout 4’s Sole Survivor is looking for their long-lost son. Despite having different motivations and living in different periods of the apocalypse, there is one event that ties all these heroes together: The Great War. It’s referenced multiple times in each game, but the only way to truly understand it is to watch it unfold in-game or via a longer cinematic that tackles it. One sci-fi trope can make this possible if the franchise wants to explore The Great War further inFallout 5.
Every game in theFalloutseries deals with the aftermath of the Great War, which caused a nuclear apocalypse across the globe. The mainlineFalloutgames are set in chronological order, from 2161 in the originalFalloutto 2287 inFallout 4. The post-apocalyptic setting of these games seems to be hopeless, as the protagonists deal with cutthroat warring factions, corrupt pseudo-governments, and unsustainable food and water supplies. Radiation exposure is also commonplace, even more than a hundred years after the nukes dropped. It’s no wonder that players want to learn all about the event that caused the disastrous setting ofFallout, and time travel can make that possible.
Fallout 5 Could Use Time Travel to Explore the Events of the Great War
Skyrim Beats Fallout to the Punch When it Comes to Time Travel
Time travel is one of the most common sci-fi tropes, which makes a lot of sense, as science is advanced through the discoveries that people make over time. It’s interesting to compare and contrast the society of old to the present or to see how humans live with the advanced technology of the future. A lot ofgames use time travelto understand history better, too.
The Elder Scrolls-Fallout’s sister franchise - already made use of the concept inSkyrim. The fantasy game incorporated this sci-fi trope to help the Dragonborn learn how their ancestors weakened and banishedAlduin, the game’s big bad. This villain also used time travel to return to the present day inSkyrimto enact his plan to end the world.
How a Failed Fallout 76 Experiment Could Bring Time Travel to Fallout 5
The Elder Scrollsused magic to transport the protagonist to the past, so the challenge inFalloutwould be to come up with a scientific way for the player to return to the events ofThe Great War.Fallout 5could take the protagonist back to the hills of Appalachia to revisit Professor Greebly’s time travel experiment, which was first mentioned inFallout 76. The machine is a monorail located on Pylon V-13. Greebly claimed that he used the train system as a “chariot” that sent him to different dimensions.
If Greebly is telling the truth,Fallout 5could stage a way for the protagonist to repair the rail system and use it to go back in time. The game may even turn the timeline into a map on the players’Pip-Boy, with a series of story missions. This way, it’s not just a glorified cutscene. The protagonist could find themselves transported in the throes of war as a reluctant soldier or somehow sneak into the government to become a first-hand witness to the events that led to The Great War. The game could even insert quests that could alter the player’s timeline, causing them to come back to a different future. The possibilities are near-infinite with time travel, andFalloutis the perfect franchise to explore them.
Fallout 4
WHERE TO PLAY
Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, invite you to the ambitious open world of Fallout 4. Do whatever you want in a massive Commonwealth with hundreds of locations, characters and quests.As the sole survivor of Vault 111, only you may rebuild and determine the fate of the Wasteland. Join multiple factions vying for power or go it alone - the choices are yours.From a Power Armor-toting soldier to the charismatic smooth-talker, be whoever you want with the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. character system and develop your own playstyle from hundreds of Perks.Experience exciting first- or third-person combat with the dynamic Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S., targeting enemies for maximum tactical advantage (and cinematic carnage!) Collect, upgrade and build thousands of items with Fallout 4’s crafting system. Weapons, armor, food and with the right materials, even entire settlements are possible. Welcome home.
