“Fallout” is a post apocalyptic role playing game series where you must survive in a radiated and mutated wasteland created by the detonation of nuclear weapons. October 23rd marks a major day in the series, with the date marking the day within the game’s story that the atomic bombs drop upon the United States in the year 2077, making way for the world used in each game.

Through the games, you’ll fight against bandits, rival factions, mutated animals, and many more ungodly creatures that Noah would not have let onto his ark. Beyond all of the disgusting and many times creepy foes you face and the overall dread of the wasteland, there is something deep within the game’s lore that is more horrifying than anything you face within the world.

While you are shielded from the apocalypse by your computer screen containing that world, you, however, are not protected from the possible reality that the game implies could happen to our own world.

To explain this, there’s quite a bit of the game’s background that needs to be discussed to understand this concept. Before the inevitable end of the world, every nation in “Fallout” were at each others’ throats as resources around the globe were near depletion, causing fights over who gets control over the small amount left.

What led to this depletion was the use of atomic energy after the first two nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, which is where the timeline diverges from our reality. In this fight over resources to continue fueling countries, the globe fell into endless war. 

The United Nations collapsed, Canada was annexed by the U.S., and the major corporation “Vault-Tec” over in America was planning for total atomic annihilation, even mulling over the possibility of beginning the war themselves by launching nukes before the government or another country could.

Eventually, the bombs were dropped after the world reached the limits of its own fury against itself, with these events later being known as “The Great War.” No one is sure who made the first strike, however, what was known is that the U.S. had been obliterated, with the remnants of the government unable to keep itself together after some of its members survived the blast and began their attempt to rebuild.

All of this led up to the world you find yourself in during the events of each game in the “Fallout” series. 

What makes this the most horrifying aspect of the series is how realistic the game’s lore is.

It is not a stretch to say that countries are willing to fight over resources, even if they aren’t on the verge of complete depletion. 

Along with this, nukes have been a topic circling since the bombings in Japan by the U.S. It has led to conflicts, most famously the Cold War between America and the USSR where the two were in an arms race to see who could create the most advanced weaponry including nuclear weapons.

With all of the current conflicts around the globe between countries, none of the events leading up to the bombs in “Fallout” seem outside of the realm of reality. This is where the game succeeds greatly in creating horror.

The shining point that combines all of this together is the introduction of “Fallout 4”. Instead of having a “Vault Dweller” who was born after the “Great War”, you play as a discharged soldier from the war who lives in fear for the safety of their family after seeing what other countries are capable of.

Your story starts on the day of annihilation. Halloween decorations are strung around the neighborhood and house, while you and your wife/husband discuss your plans to take your infant son to the park for a walk or other activities.

This sets up a feeling of empathy with the characters in this scenario. This family feels like they enjoy the life they have made for themselves and hope to see the growth that awaits them.

However, fate had other plans that day. After their robot butler alerts them of a sudden emergency alert on the TV, the protagonist’s worst fear has finally become a reality. 

Alarms start blaring across the neighborhood as the family rushes out to Vault 111, where they were promised safety from the bombs due to the protagonist’s service in the military.

As soon as they reach the vault entrance and begin their descent on an elevator, a mushroom cloud sprouts from the horizon. All of the future dwellers watch in horror while their livelihoods are scorched to ashes before being whisked away to safety from the explosion’s impact.

This is what the true horror of the series is. It is the reality of what comes with war and possible annihilation by advanced weaponry.

Of course, the fear of death bears down when contemplating these events, but what about if you survive? What if your family and friends perish while you are able to escape to temporary safety?

You will live with guilt and regret of what was left behind in the wake of destruction. All of the life you had built up over the culmination of decades will be gone in a matter of seconds.

If you are able to survive, you will still have to adapt to a new, harsher way of life in a world of ruins. Your morals will be nonexistent in an environment where it is to kill or be killed.

Hunger, thirst, radiation, and miscellaneous injuries will haunt you as you lack the supplies to fulfill your needs. In the end, you may wish you had just perished in the blasts that flipped your whole world on its head.

There are plenty of journal entries littered throughout each game’s environments and dungeons that echo these same ideas. Each of them are individual accounts of people within the wasteland or people who perished in the bombs, adding more of a sense of connectivity and empathy with the player.

These games are a testament to how deep the lore of a world can go and how much of an impact this lore can have on a game’s tone and on the player. Sometimes, creepy visuals and atmospheres can hide the truest forms of horror, especially in the case of “Fallout.”

Instead of going more into depth about the smaller bits of lore or other examples, I urge you to play the “Fallout” games or even watch the Amazon Prime series. Each of these are stunning works of art that cannot be fully encapsulated within words.

Just always keep in mind that “war… war never changes.”

Categories: Arts & Entertainment