Fallout 3

• Lucy (Ella Purnell), a vault dweller leaves the safety of her bunker for the Wasteland to search for her missing father.
• The success of HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation in 2023 set a high bar for game-to-television adaptations.
• However, director Jonathan Nolan has said that he’s coming to this show as a fan, having been hooked on Fallout 3.
• The show expands and develops the Fallout universe and lore, satisfying long-time fans while telling a compelling, standalone story accessible for newcomers.

Character creation and combat

• For example, in the game, Fallout players must create their character, assign values to different attributes and select secondary perks and skills, like faster weapon reloading or radiation resistance.
• Lucy is introduced presenting herself as a candidate for marriage to a partner from a neighbouring vault.
• Fans will appreciate this nod to character creation while the sequence still makes sense for non-gamers.
• Howard’s character also seems to have opted for the “Bloody Mess” character perk judging by the exploding body parts.

You have discovered Vault 4

• Seeking supplies, the duo venture into a ruined medical centre, promptly falling through a trapdoor into Vault 4.
• A particularly memorable encounter for me from Fallout 3 was discovering Vault 108, where I was set upon by vault dwellers, all gleefully and eerily calling out the name “Gary”.
• Watching Lucy and Maximus (mainly Lucy – Maximus is distracted by slippers and popcorn) unpick Vault 4’s story captures that same journey.

Before the bombs fell

• Fallout makes extensive use of discoverable messages on computer terminals in the many ruined buildings across the Wasteland.
• These frequently offer fascinating insight into the lives of people before the bombs fell.
• The time dedicated to these flashbacks is a real series strength, building to a franchise-defining revelation in the finale.

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Peter Howell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.