The adaptation of video games is definitely on the rise. After the thunderous success of The Last of UsPrime Video drops a new bomb (oh oh…) with its original production, fallout. A series inspired by the franchise gaming eponym, depicting with humor – and gore – the setbacks of a post-apocalyptic America, prey to radiation, bloody struggles between factions of “survivors” and the rapacious appetite of mutant creatures.
Spun through six “main” games released between 1997 and 2918, this abundant lore found a new lease of life thanks to the Amazon Original series, obviously eagerly awaited by purists. THE show was he going to respect both the spirit, and the letter, of the flagship saga in turn developed by Black Isle Studio (Fallout 1.2) , Bethesda (Fallout 3), Obsidian Entertainment (Fallout New Vegas) then, again, Bethesda (Fallout 4, 76) ?
After viewing Tim Cain, producer of the original video game opus, gave his verdict in the video below: “Everything looks like Fallout. It feels like we’re in Fallout. It’s hard to do, believe me. It’s easy to write post-apocalyptic things that don’t fit the Fallout mold, and they could have made some missteps. But that was not the case”. Good. The spiritual father of the franchise seems convinced, as for us… See our results, on the “fidelity” of the show vis-à-vis its august origins.
1. An acceptable timeline, although subject to debate
In the series as in the video game universe, everything goes into a tailspin in 2077. A disastrous year during which human civilization falls – literally – into ruin, after the outbreak of a nuclear war from which only a few individuals will emerge (more or less…) unharmed, thanks to anti-atomic shelters (the famous “Vault”). So far, we’re in agreement. But things get complicated with the bone of contention that is the fate of “Shady Sand”.
While the series suggests that the first capital of the New California Republic was blown up by a bomb in 2277, it is presented to us as in “perfect” condition in Fallout New Vegas. Which episode takes place… In 2281. Well, well. This was enough for some to suspect Bethesda, which supported the development of the series, of having wanted to “erase” the lore of this opus, designed by a competing company (Obsidian Entertainment). It’s all a bit technical, clearly. But in the circle of fans this slightly conspiratorial hypothesis has taken on such proportions that Todd Howard, kingpin of the video game franchise and executive producer of the series, reassured: “we are very careful with the timeline (…). In fact the bomb that leveled Shady Sands fell well after the events of New Vegas”. Phew.
2. easter eggs galore – but just enough
Some will say that this is a bit of the “risky” temptation of adaptations in general: so peppering the content with nods to the original content – just to ensure fan service – that we are approaching the saturation point. Concerning fallout, honestly, it goes like a letter in the mail. Numerous armors, decorative elements, music (“I don’t want to set the woooooorl on fire“) and even sound effects from the original game answer the call. Enough to make the initiates coo with pleasure, who will also find in the staging of the show both the punchy wit and the corrosive humor, which were the spice of video game opuses.
Example. Any player will have a Proust madeleine effect when discovering the intro to episode 1. In a vibe slightly absurd, we see Lucy displaying her “skills” in front of a jury, in order to make her marriage proposal successful. An obvious reference to the phase of distribution of “skill” points (strength, charisma, etc.) with which video games began. Emotional sequence, clearly, even if the principle of this inter-shelter alliance is enough to make any follower jump gamer…
3. What is this madness about connected Vaults?
In the world of the video game saga, each “shelter” is isolated, and distributed kilometers (well, difficult to judge, given that we are talking about video games, but you get the idea) from each other. Also: these spaces served above all as a testing ground, for lurid “psychological tests”, orchestrated by the company Vault Tech, responsible for the construction of said shelters.
At the “test” level, we are talking about drug addict populations who are weaned, then given over to drugs again. But also new viruses injected into humans (which will give rise to “super-mutants”), or even an “investigation” into the effects of ultra-intensive radiation (which will give rise to “ghouls”). Nothing like this in the series a priori. Lucy is born, then leads a pepouze life in the peaceful “Vault 33” – of which we will find no mention in the games -, which happens to be… connected to two other shelters unknown to the battalions, the numbers “32” and “31” . Never oh never again we had not heard of a marital system based on “exchanges” between residents. But OK, why notsince this marriage turns into an invasion of raiders which will push Lucy to leave the shelter, through a staging which, for once, is GIGA faithful to the games. Come on, all is forgiven.
4. But where are the Flayers?
Mess. Same question for radscorpions, darillons, or even those infamous mudbugs. Series falloutif it does us the pleasure of including a ghoul badass (Cooper Howard) as well as an iconic companion (CX404 which is, basically, the Dogmeat from Fallout 4), fishing on the bestiary side. It’s simple: most of the elements are missing. In the universe gaming, crossing the “Wasteland” is an obstacle course, where you come across on average every 200 meters a creature over-doped with radiation. Basically, the United States has turned into a safari where you, again and again, are the prey. For the moment, we cannot honestly say that this is the impression given by the series. But let us, perhaps, be careful not to make too hasty judgments. After all, the final episode of the first season gives a glimpse of the skull of what appears to be a mind flayer, the most savage enemy – the most cheated, let’s say the terms – of video games. We’re already looking forward to it.
5. I don’t understand why there are no BUGS
There, we’re messing around a bit. Anyone who has gotten their hands on a game cooked up by Bethesda (whether it’s their franchise Elder Scrolls Or fallout, moreover) knows to what extent the studio’s creations are riddled with bugs of all kinds. These failures are so characteristic of the publisher’s “touch” that, among the fan community, some have taken great pleasure in compiling the most WTF of them. So obviously, these concerns of gameplay are not strictly speaking part of the “lore” of fallout. But as an ex-gamer, I would have appreciated a little something. A comic reinterpretation of the big joke what was, too often, the Assisted Aiming System (AVS) in Fallout 3For example ?
Finally there, we quibble. Clearly, the Fallout series is a masterclass in terms of respect for the original work. See you in the next season, which should reveal to us the contours of New Vegas, just to make a new point, all the same. But for now, it’s great art. So we say: thumbs up, Cooper Howard style, aka “Vault Boy”.
