The release of Fallout 76 has come and gone. Some are enjoying Bethesda’s jump into the multiplayer realm. Others are finding that it doesn’t scratch the same itch as other games in the franchise. Thankfully, Fallout isn’t the only post-apocalypse worth exploring. Gaming features plenty of worlds forged in the aftermath of human annihilation. Some choose to have fun with it and some choose to reflect on humanity’s bad decisions. In either case, there are plenty of options if you’re looking for an express ticket out of West Virginia. Here are six post-apocalyptic worlds worth visiting in the wake of Fallout 76.
6 Post-Apocalyptic Worlds to Visit After Fallout 76 – 60 Seconds!
Typically, protagonists in Fallout are escaping from Vaults, high tech bomb shelters that are a result of the fanciful future the franchise depicts. Of course, they’re also a work of fiction. In the case of an actual emergency, you’d more than likely be living in a shelter more akin to those depicted in 60 Seconds.
This is a game in two parts. Once the alarm goes off, your main character must rush around the house grabbing supplies and family members alike. These supplies will be the starting point for forging out your survival in the weeks to come. As you go on, you’ll get FTL-style events where you must make quick decisions. You’ll also need to send family members into the wastes to forage for supplies. Each run is completely randomized, so it’d be a fine game if you were waiting in a shelter for days on end in real life.
Developer Robot Gentlemen also recently released a sequel called 60 Parsecs. This takes the same basic concept and applies it to the space age. You’re still getting nuked, but you’re trapped on a space station rather than deep underground. Either way, this pair of scenario simulators hit the same goofy tone as some of Fallout‘s most beloved side quests.
6 Post-Apocalyptic Worlds to Visit After Fallout 76 – UnderRail
We’ve now seen a decade of Fallout in Bethesda’s hands. The five games produced in that time are very different from what came before. In the olden days, Fallout was a pure CRPG viewed from an isometric perspective. A lot more was left up to the imagination, and some people liked it that way. For those folks, there are a few modern options to play instead of suffering through the fancy newfangled Fallout 76. One of the most interesting is UnderRail.
Where Bethesda’s AAA releases hold your hand (relatively speaking), UnderRail sets you lose with no guidance. It’s a text-heavy game full of player choice and brutal consequences. The folks who have found the water chip hundreds of times will be pleased to have a new adventure. Those who are more used to first-person shooting might find that some adjustment is in order. Still, it’s definitely worth taking a look at the way things used to be. Only by studying the past can we march toward a better future.
6 Post-Apocalyptic Worlds to Visit After Fallout 76 – Sunset Overdrive
Insomniac’s open-world grinder isn’t the first game you think of when you’re seeking out post-apocalyptic fun. However, it definitely fits the bill. Sunset Overdrive‘s colorful city overflows with factions that rival any Brotherhood of Steel. Your main character isn’t afraid to make fun of them to their faces either, moving the funny stuff out of terminals and into the main quest.
In fact, the entire game is overflowing with humor, almost to its detriment. You have to put up with a lot of cheesy setups to truly enjoy Sunset Overdrive, as well as at least one reference to NeoGAF that hasn’t aged well. However, if you’re still down, the combat against the soda mutant OD forces is still top of its class. If you also want to see where Insomniac learned how to make Spider-Man‘s open world feel so vibrant, look no further.
6 Post-Apocalyptic Worlds to Visit After Fallout 76 – FAR: Lone Sails
Lest you forget, Fallout isn’t all about goofing around with the wacky characters of the wasteland. When played the right way, the series can also produce some deep introspection about humanity’s self-destruction. If you desire an experience like that outside of Bethesda’s open worlds, then FAR: Lone Sails is just the ticket.
This is a game rooted in the tradition of Limbo, but not one that wholly cribs its style. It’s all about the atmosphere and the loneliness that it generates. You’re sailing along on an ocean of sand, interrupted only briefly by its inhabitants. There aren’t ghouls or even an enemy faction in your way, just the trials and tribulations of maintaining a vehicle when you have nothing. Truly, FAR: Lone Sails captures what it means to be a Lone Wanderer.
6 Post-Apocalyptic Worlds to Visit After Fallout 76 – Mad Max
Fallout may be the king of the wasteland in gaming, but Mad Max rules the roost in Hollywood. Released alongside (but separately from) the excellent Fury Road in 2015, Avalanche’s open-world exodus captures the character just as well. This is great, as that character provided a lot of the early influence that would define the first few games in the Fallout series. Mad Max also has something that Fallout lacks: a focus on vehicular warfare.
If you want to explore a huge world, Mad Max delivers. The missions can get samey in the middle, but there’s plenty to do and quite a few surprises hidden under the sand. It’s got decent if not as good Arkham style of combat on foot, but the real fun is in hunting down the roaming caravans. Yanking off pieces of cars as you drive by with your shotgun is always engaging. It’s something you just can experience in any other open world at the moment.
6 Post-Apocalyptic Worlds to Visit After Fallout 76 – Fuel
Fuel nicely supplements Mad Max‘s approach to vehicular mayhem in a wasteland. Developed by Asobo Studio and published by Codemasters, Fuel is an open world driving game which takes place at the end of the world. It features a wasteland that’s probably too vast, although that’s probably realistic if the end times were to come in this way. There are hundreds of events to complete, each with unique courses that weave through the remnants of society.
Of course, since Fuel is almost a decade old, it’s going to be hard to get it up and running. It’s not backwards compatible on Xbox One and the PC version was delisted due to the dreaded Games for Windows Live integration. Still, if you’re willing to break out the old PS3 or Xbox 360, it’s worth warping back in time. We still don’t get many arcade racers nowadays, so seeing one that was ahead of its time is a fun lark.
