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When the dust settles in the wake of global nuclear war, America is a blasted wasteland populated by pockets of human civilization, a mix of friendly and hostile robots, rampaging super mutants and all manner of strange animals. Between the radiation, the bandits, and the monsters there are a whole lot of ways to die – but also a lot of different ways to try and survive.
This vision of the future will return next month in Fallout 4, the much-hyped follow-up to the last entry in the video game series, Fallout New Vegas. Fallout 4 sees the return of developer Bethesdas Game Studios, which previously created the first 3D entry in the series, Fallout 3, and is also responsible for the wildly popular Elder Scrolls fantasy RPG series. Now Bethesda Softworks has teased the imminent arrival of Fallout 4 with a new live-action trailer featuring the sole survivor of Vault 111 emerging into a post-apocalyptic world.
Actually, most of what appears in the trailer can’t strictly be described as “live-action” (radroaches are notoriously difficult to train), but it’s still a cool trailer set to some great music – “The Wanderer” by Dion. This is in keeping with the musical landscape of the Fallout games, which is mainly comprised of hits from the 1930s and 40s by singers like Billie Holiday, Bob Crosby and The Andrews Sisters. The Ink Spots in particular have become the voice of the series; Fallout 3‘s intro was set to the tune of “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire,” while Fallout 4‘s first trailer was scored with “It’s All Over But the Crying.”
Although the protagonist featured in this trailer is a generic white guy, Fallout 4 will allow players to customize their own character’s gender and race at the start of the game. The opening sequence shows a husband and wife and their son (a nuclear family, so to speak) living a happy life in a suburban community, before the nuclear blast hits them and the player character is forced to run for the nearby fallout shelter. Years later the sole survivor emerges into what’s left of the world, with only a friendly dog for company.
The gas station banner at the end of the trailer that proclaims “Welcome Home” feels very apropos, given all of the familiar landmarks that are featured. There’s healthy beverage Nuka-Cola, classic robot models like Mister Handy and the Protectron, and the ever-useful power armor that the wanderer steps into to upgrade his resilience.
Fallout 4 will, however, take place in a new setting: Boston, the home town of lead designer Emil Pagliarulo. While the city’s landscape will obviously be changed, there will be some famous landmarks (like the Bunker Hill monument) for players to seek out, along with newly founded communities, other vaults, and (of course) plenty of loot. Bethesda has said that there will also be plenty of DLC to look forward to.
Fallout 4 will be available to purchase from participating retailers on November 10th, 2015 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC.
