To whoever wrote the story of Fallout 4,

I've been a fan of Bethesda RPG's since before I had ever heard of you guys. When I first played Morrowind for just a few hours I was hooked. Years later I picked up Oblivion and I was doomed so to say. I've played Fallout 3, New Vegas (not your work I know, but hey it's a Fallout title) and I've put more hours into Skyrim than any other game ever. You see, when Fallout 4 was a week away I was excited, but 35 hours into the game I have to admit I kind of saw it coming. It hurts me to say it, but Fallout 4 is not the game I'd hope it would be.

Writing has never been the strong suit of Bethesda RPG's. At least, not in the games I've listed above. However I've never been bothered by it because you sort of made your own adventure. I could be my character because the character had very little, well character. It is of course possible to make us feel at one with a fully characterized protagonist. The Mass effect games for instance have a fully voiced protagonist who, although he has a two way (hero/[censored]) switch, is well rounded enough to draw you in. The protagonist in Fallout 4 however was never my protagonist. Furthermore the story made me feel like if I had been the main character, I would just turn around and walk away from the Commonwealth, and here's why.

My first reaction after having survived the game's first few hours was mixed. The game looked and played just fine, but the writing made me disconnect from the game instead of drawing me in. In just a few minutes we're expected to sympathize with the main character and his family; Something that is impossible to do when you've know those characters for mere minutes. Furthermore the way how the apocalypse began three minutes after the Vault Tech representative stopped by, made me go “Boy, plot convenience!”.

When a loved one dies it hurts like hell. Something gets torn from your being. I realize this is how the main character must have felt when he witnessed the death of his wife and the kidnapping of his son. So why didn't I feel his pain? Because I had no clue who this guy was and I had no clue about the relationship he had with his wife. They were simply two faces I would have instantly forgotten had the game ended here. Killing off a character before that character could have had any characterization makes his or her death meaningless. The only times I would remember the main character's wife was when I saw those rings in my inventory and I would go like “Oh yeah, this guy was married.” Just before forgetting it again and continuing chasing after Piper.

While we're on the subject, let's talk about Piper. She's great! In those little scripted set pieces that is. I don't know the woman is who did the VO but she deserves a raise. Piper is a great character in cut scenes and moment like the one when you first meet her. You can tell what kind of person she is because of the witty dialogue and the expert delivery. Outside of those moments however she's a bit of, well a Synth I guess would be the word. She comes across like a robot that occasionally springs to life. When I would speak to her I suddenly saw the option to discuss the topic of a relationship. Instead of beginning some kind of courtship the protagonist simply spurts out some question about the state of affairs whereupon Piper, depending on how many locks you're picked (no seriously, I know there's other stuff you can do to win her over but pick enough locks and she's yours) she'll say something like we're fine/could be better/everything is great followed by: but we must help people. It truly made me feel like I was a million miles away from my character pushing buttons. There was no true interaction between these two, their romance was just a dialogue option and nothing more.

So there I was, staring into the vast wasteland and trying to figure out what to do. Our hero's first incentive of course would be to find his son, however as I've explained I cared very little about the man's son and thus didn't feel any urgency to go find him. So what then? The first friendly people we meet are the Minutemen. Their leader, after having done some quests for them blatantly asks you to kinda become his personal Jesus, the man who will make everything right again. In and of itself not a bad idea of course as in many a game you are the man destined to make everything right again. However, you dear person who wrote the script, you've gotten ahead of yourself again. When the minuteman leader (I've forgotten his name) asked me to lead his cause, his cause was still just that, his cause. I knew nothing of the wasteland this man was trying to save, I did not know it's people and other than having to survive post apocalyptic Boston including a metric [censored] ton of raiders I knew nothing of their struggles. Therefore when I was asked to lead the minutemen I kindly declined and went in search of my son, cuz hey, you gotta do something right?

Off to Diamond City, because some crazy old lady had told me that there I would find my son. This led me into a wild goose chase during which I kind of began to feel invested. There's something primal in a father's search for his lost son. Therefore I soldiered on. I met interesting people but generally I just spent most of my time blasting raiders. Eventually I met up with the Brotherhood of Steel, people with their hearts in the right place but with minds as narrow as the drain pipe on a kitchen sink. I never felt like I would fit in amongst these people, I felt as if I would be cast out if I walked out of step but for an instant. (not bad writing per say, far from it in fact, but it ended up a part of the reason why I grew increasingly weary of the Commonwealth.)

Next I met the Railroad, people much like those I found at the Brotherhood. Good folk, but on a one-way track and they stuck to their guns. The Brotherhood had accepted me without question, they said some tough [censored] about how they wouldn’t go soft on me but moments later they handed me my own suit of power armour and bestowed upon me a rank far out of the reach of most wastelanders and told me to go sort [censored] out. Unlike Elder Maxon however, Desdemona doubted my character. She asked me a very direct question: “Would you lay your own life down for a Synth?” I had met Nick Valentine of course, but I had seen nothing else that had suggested to me that Synths were people. Furthermore, most people in the wasteland came across like madmen, so if I wouldn't lay my life down for anyone in the Commonwealth except for maybe Piper, Dogmeat or my yet to be found son I naturally answered that no, I would not. Desdemona, not unkindly showed me the door. Of course some reason was found for me to become a part of the Railroad, because the plot depended on it, but amongst the Railroad I had not found the family I desperately needed and so I returned to the wasteland, feeling lonely.

So I would not fight for the Minutemen, I would not fight for the Brotherhood and I would not fight for the Railroad. I just did what I had to do to find my way into the Institute to find my son. And find him I did. With the help of Virgil, who I kinda liked and the hard liners of the Railroad I at last managed to breach the Institute. I was ready for a fight, My power armour had been buffed to a shine and my guns were loaded, but I did not need them. The institute, as turns out, had seen my work and would very much like to work with me. I had taken out their most useful top side asset, a man named Kellogg who quite unexpectedly turned out to be the most interesting mass murderer in the commonwealth wasteland and the Institute needed a replacement. Here I found the last straw that made me want to pack up my things and leave. The son I had come to free turned out to have become a 60 year old mad man with a cult of personality to rival history's most renowned monstrosities. I actually liked the way the institute was set up, I remember thinking that I would really hate to blow this all up. My legs felt heavy and I slowed my character down to a walk in reflection of my own weariness. Even though in and of itself it was an effective moment it had robbed my character of the last thing that tied him to Boston, his son. I did not want this man to be my son, and he only seemed interested in using me to further his own selfish goals.

So there I stood, on the brink of a climactic battle between the factions that vied over the city of Boston finding myself grow weary of it all. I couldn't care less about who won and who lost. A feeling epitomized during the event called the Battle of Bunker Hill. I shot down the courser as soon as I saw him as the Brotherhood had told me to. Then I joined the battle that was raging around the age old obelisk. Strangely enough no-one seemed to notice me. I shot down some Synths but they didn't care. The Soldiers of the Brotherhood just aimed their sights at the next target, the agents of the Railroad, and the battle raged on. I entered the hideout where the runaway synths were holed up but they didn't seem to care either. “Thank you” they said. “We'll leave as soon as you've gone!” they continued like one says to a nuisance they want to get rid of. No one wanted me here, and I didn't want to be here either. This battle wasn't mine and therefore I left, feeling disappointed.

Where will our hero go to now? When asked he would have replied “I don't know.” The resignation clearly showing in his eyes. “I have nothing to live for in this world.” Shortly after Piper would kick him in the shins. She would [censored] her head with arms folded looks him in the eyes with equal parts anger and pity. Dogmeat would bark and gaze at him with an innocence only seen in animals. “Alright!” He'd say. “Let's just get out of here.” “But what about the people, are you just going to leave them behind?” Piper would ask. “Afraid so.” The wanderer replies. “I don't feel at home here, I tried to help. Really I did! You saw me. But the people here don't want my help. They want someone to do their dirty work. And I didn't survive ages of cryo-sleep just to be some stranger's [censored].” “So where are we going?” “Somewhere where the people are worth helping, Piper.” “Alright then. Let’s go!” She says, smiling.

And off they would go. Into the sunset. “Hopefully we'll find some place (DLC) that's well written and makes us want to stay there, even though the world around us has gone to [censored]. Because the people who live there are worth caring about!”