Like most people, my first Fallout game was 3, then New Vegas and 4. And since I wanted to know more about the lore and the game world, I decided to play the original Fallout, which first came out in 1997. That makes this game older than me (I'm 19). So how does this game hold up after 20 years from its original release date?

I have to say surprisingly well. It doesn't feel as dated as I thought it would, because the game mechanics are solid.
Let me explain why I think so, and why every Fallout fan should give this game at least a try.

The Story

You play as a character of your own creation. Your family lived in Vault 13 for generations, but now the Water Chip broke down and it's your goal to find a new one, so your Vault doesn't die of dehydration. The Vault Overseer gives you some basic items and marks a location on your map, where the water chip might be... That's the basic premise. It gets more complicated later on, but I don't want to spoil it.

You have a time limit of 150 days of ingame time to find the Chip, which makes the first half of the game really tense.
150 days is plenty of time, since time in this game advances mostly when you move around the map.

The story itself was surprisingly deep and dark, The Voice acting was superb and the characters, or at least most of them, were likeable.

The Gameplay

Fallout 1 is an Isometric RPG with a turn based combat. This may take some time until you get used to it, especially if you never played any CRPG before. Every action, shot or movement takes AP, or Action Points, so you have to decide what to do during combat. Sometimes it's better to run if you get in a fight you can't win.

The gameplay consists of Exploring, Talking and Combat.
There are only 12 or so locations to Explore, but each of them is vastly different.
Most NPCs don't have voiced dialogue, so you have to read a lot. The dialogue choices are great, and you can really shape your character the way you want him/her to be.
Combat didn't feel clunky to me, the animations were great and there is of course the option to aim at a target's specific body part (even eyes and the groin), that gives you more options in a battle.
Of course if you want to play a diplomatic character, you have an option to do so. Some combat encounters can be avoided entirely by persuading NPCs. Most of the game can be completed without killing anyone.

Graphics and Music

This game of course doesn't look as good as the newer fallout games (it's 20 years old) but the sprites and textures still look good in my opinion. The steam version comes with a High Resolution Patch which allows you to play the game in your native resolution. This makes the HUD and the whole game smaller as a result, so I chose 1280x720 (my native resolution is FullHD) as there is no option to zoom in.
Music in this game is mostly ambient. There is no radio on your pip boy like in the new titles. It creates the right mood and sometimes really gave me chills. Also the intro and the song is amazing, don't skip it.


Fallout 1 is a great game, even after 20 years. I got much more than I expected, playing it for the first time.
It may not be for everyone, but if you give it a chance, you won't be disappointed. It's a great foundation for one of my favorite franchises in any media form. Ever.

9/10

Some tips for new players.

- This game requires patience and attention to enjoy it fully. Listen to NPCs, explore the world.
Take it in.
- Read the manual first. Seriously, it's excellent and explains almost everything about the game. It
comes for free with your Steam copy.
- Take the Gifted trait, if you want to have an easier time (this game is sometimes quite hard) and
put 9 or 10 points in Agility. This will give you more AP. Also put at least 9 points in Intelligence,
so you get more skill points for every level.
- Take notes. Most of the game quests are unmarked, so taking notes is a good idea if you don't
want to look everything up on the internet. This game doesn't hold your hand, like the newer
Fallout games.
- Save often and use more than one save slot.