Summary
TheFalloutandThe Elder Scrollsfranchises are considered as the two defining IPs to come from Bethesda, with both series sharing a lot of core gameplay similarities despite the glaring differences in their respective settings. Both franchises thrive thanks to the freedom they afford the player, with their RPG frameworks allowing fans to choose from a variety of playstyles and branching storylines.
Despite this, there is one aspect ofFalloutthat significantly lags behind the longstanding experience ofThe Elder Scrolls, and that concerns the customization of a given game’s playable character. Of course, with its deeply complex fantasy setting,The Elder Scrollshas the benefit of featuring a wide range of fantastical races that the player can choose to play as, each having different traits and backgrounds that can tailor a specific playthrough. WhileFalloutdoes not have the same level of racial variety, there are enough factions and unique groups in the franchise to justify playable characters outside typical humans in any future titles.
Future Fallout Games Should Adopt The Elder Scrolls' Player Character Variety
EachThe Elder Scrollsracehails from its province within Tamriel, giving a huge pool of cultures for players to choose from, which has always been a way of showcasing the rich lore of the franchise. This has been a staple of manyElder Scrollsreleases, withSkyrimhaving the following races for fans to explore:
EachTeSrelease usually explores a different province, bringing about a focus on specific races within Tamriel, and this usually offers unique perspectives and ensures that each release feels fresh.Falloutis not afforded the richer world-building of a fantasy setting, meaning that all of its major protagonists have simply been human characters, but there is room for this to change in the future.
Of course, theFalloutfranchise is set within the nuclear wastelandsof a post-apocalyptic USA, meaning it largely features human survivors and the mutated creatures that radiation has created over the years. There is still some variety within the inhabitants of the wasteland, however, with Ghouls being a long-time favorite of many fans of the IP.
Ghouls and Synths Could Be the Future of Fallout Player Characters
Ghouls are still human, but they have been significantly marred by long-term radiation exposure, with Ghouls facing significant amounts of hardship and stigma due to their appearance. Some Ghoul characters are considered among the most memorable inFallout’s history, with the likes ofJohn Hancock and Raul Trejadatelling great tales of the plight and resilience of the group. Despite still being human, Ghoul’s could alter aFalloutplaythrough via enhanced resistance to radiation at the cost of reduced social stats, offering a subtle but fascinating change to the franchise’s usual gameplay.
Other than Ghouls,Fallout’s Synths could be perfect candidates for a nuanced player character choice in the future.Synths were a huge focus of 2015’sFallout 4, being synthetic sentient AIs engineered by the Institute, being indistinguishable from biological humans in many cases. It would be fantastic to see a Synth protagonist option in a futureFalloutgame, as taking the role of an AI could lead to a number of unique game mechanics in the way of enhanced technical skills, giving players a wider range of playthrough avenues. Combining this choice with Ghouls and the usual option of humans,Falloutcould crucially breathe more variety into its core gameplay in the same wayThe Elder Scrollsdoes in the future.
Fallout
Fallout is a franchise built around a series of RPGs set in a post-nuclear world, in which great vaults have been built to shelter parts of humankind. There are six main games, various spin-offs, tabletop games, and a TV series from Amazon Studios.
