Commentary: The ‘Fallout’ Television Series Mimics The Gameplay Perfectly
by Frank Martin
Video games have been notorious for terrible adaptations on the screen. There are a multitude of reasons for this, but in the end, it’s because the adaptations failed to accurately translate the video game experience into real moments with the characters. Some adaptations try to take this literally, such as in the case of the feature film Doom, which had a first-person sequence, and Battleship, which tried to make a version of the game with aliens at sea. However, Fallout takes a more nuanced approach. It doesn’t try to mimic the gameplay exactly, but rather gives off the feel of what it’s like playing the game. It works on multiple levels and shows why it is, perhaps, the best video game adaptation thus far.
The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic future as Lucy (Ella Purnell) leaves her society inside a giant fallout shelter to pursue her father across a wasteland. Along the way, she encounters Maximus (Aaron Moten), a knight in a suit of power armor, and Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins), a centuries old gunslinging ghoul. As the trio progresses along their own journeys, they encounter bandits, monsters, and an assortment of battling factions that have no problem killing on a whim.
Because there have been so many Fallout titles, gameplay itself can vary wildly. But the TV show follows a lot of characters, which offers many opportunities to emulate the games. Surprisingly, it’s still successful. There is a moment where Lucy and the Ghoul have a shootout in an enemy base that feels exactly like the open-world shootouts of the games. Also, there are scenes where Maximus, in his power armor, fights against robots in close quarters. This gives off the same vibe as being able to enter buildings for close combat within the Fallout universe. There are even scenes when Lucy has to debate stealing from a shop when no one is around, a choice players have to make for themselves that would affect the game’s morality meter. All of these scenes contain sensations gamers go through when playing Fallout, which undoubtedly contributes to its success.
Fallout is now streaming on Prime Video.