As a non-Fallout player, I loved the show – is it time I finally took the plunge and entered the games' tortured wastelands?

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Opinion | You don’t need to play the games to watch the show, but could they offer more?

Fallout
(Image credit: Prime Video)

I have a confession. I’ve never made it past the first few moments of the Fallout 4 prologue. Now, that’s nothing to do with the game’s quality, and more down to an annoying bug keeping me stuck staring in the mirror during the opening sequence. And, look, I didn’t have the patience to work out at the time but, in my defense, it seems like I’m not alone.

However, after devouring eight episodes of Prime Video’s Fallout TV show, it feels like I’ve maybe missed a trick. I adored the show, falling deeply in love with its retro-futuristic vibe, which felt so immersive as a viewer, and its trio of leads as they explored the wasteland. Not only that, but I really resonated with the themes that the series tackled, and its perspective on what a world pushed to the brink of nuclear war might do. So, given that I’ve found myself being so attached to this world, is it time to revisit the games?

The end of the world

Ella Purnell as Lucy in Fallout

(Image credit: Prime Video)

Now, the reason for this change of heart isn’t what you might expect: I’m not in need of more context to be able to enjoy Fallout season 1. On the contrary, I don’t think it’s necessary at all to know much about the world of Fallout ahead of diving into this adaptation. 

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Just like Walton Goggins, who told us recently that he’s never picked up any of the Fallout games, I’d argue that the show’s creators have managed to make a world enjoyable to newcomers and fans alike. "I knew that what Jonathan [Nolan and Lisa Joy], Graham [Wagner], and Geneva [Robertson-Dworet], our writers, were asked to do was not to recreate a season or an issue of Fallout the game, but to introduce a new story that would fit seamlessly into the canon that is Fallout," he told us, and that’s exactly what they’ve done. 

Fallout season 1 is not a direct adaptation. It’s a new story, created with three fully-realized leads in The Ghoul (Goggins), Lucy (Ella Purnell), and Maximus (Aaron Moten), and as I watched their journey and stories develop over the course of eight episodes, I never felt lost or confused by this world.

In fact, with its interweaving narratives of flashbacks to the Vault-Tec origins, life in Vault 33, and the journey across the unforgiving wasteland, it felt like a really solid introduction. By being given the freedom to bring original characters into this world, the creators have made FOMO feel almost impossible.

Game on

Fallout

(Image credit: Prime Video)

However, while I don’t mind not catching some of the niche Fallout TV show Easter eggs, and yes probably that finale reveal doesn’t mean as much to me as it does a diehard player, I’m wondering if the vast world of the Fallout games could give me something more. 

I do feel at a loss following the final moments of the show's ending as I wait in hope for a potential Fallout season 2. And as the series looks set to expand beyond simply world-building with the introduction of a major game location, it feels like now might be the moment to up my in-game knowledge.

Perhaps, what I’ll gain is something similar to what I encountered playing The Last of Us after I first watched that show. While both series approach adaptations very differently, I found my experience stepping into Joel and Ellie’s literal shoes made the story all that much more heart-wrenching. Maybe I’ll understand Lucy’s plight better if I explore the wastelands as the naïve vault dweller of Fallout?

With multiple games featuring more than 50+ hours a pop of gameplay – and that’s not even counting the various spin-offs – it is an intimidating prospect to embark into the wasteland unknown. But I’ve got to find something to itch that Fallout fix, and sadly I don’t have any chems at my disposal. Let’s just hope I make it further than staring at my reflection this time…

Fallout season 1 is out on Prime Video now. For more on the show, check out our spoiler-filled guides:

Fay Watson
Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.