Wasteland 3: Old school fallout full of decisions

Brian Fargo is certainly no stranger to classic role-playing games. In addition to The Bard’s Tale, Fargo also had his fingers in the first fallout part. In 2014 he returned to the post-apocalyptic world with his studio inXile. Wasteland 2, the sequel to the Apple II classic, was a respectable success, both in the trade press and from a financial perspective. Can the third part build on this? Kuro recently spent the first few hours in snowy Colorado and made some humble decisions very quickly.

Anyone who has played Wasteland 2 knows that the Desert Rangers end up with pretty empty hands. A fresh start is needed. The patriarch is just right: He asks the Rangers for help because his children are sawing his throne in Colorado. So that he can continue to switch and act in the snowy post-apocalypse, you should take care of his offspring. For this he wants to provide important resources so that the Desert Rangers in Arizona can rebuild. But can you really trust the patriarch?

The Rangers are ambushed on the way to Colorado. Basically a fairly modest situation, but thanks to the tutorial you will be familiarized with the game mechanics. Before that, however, you tinker two protagonists, equipping them with a background story, attributes and equipment. If that's too much work for you, you can also choose from pre-made duos.

Tighter through the apocalypse

While the Dorsey gang wants to target you in the first minutes after the game starts, you will learn the basic mechanics of the combat system. The disputes are still being held in rounds. There is no priority in the initiative. For example, you can move around with a battered character, use another one to heal your colleague, and then take another action with the recovered protagonist. It is important that you keep an eye on your action points.

The various actions can be carried out at a rapid pace to ensure that the fights take place in rounds. The final actions are particularly helpful. If you activate Ambush, the respective character attacks when an opponent moves. With Defend you increase your defense for a round and you choose Prepare, you transfer two unused action points to the next round. It's a shame that you can't activate the round phase before a fight to target an ambush. Sometimes when NPCs are in danger, you have to act hastily.

Wasteland 3 cuts a fine figure. For example, the nested inventory of the predecessor is a thing of the past. Instead, the entire party shares the inventory, which is much more catchy, but personally robs me of the immersion. I prefer to equip my characters with the appropriate items according to the roles. That falls completely flat here.

Who is in charge here?

What makes Wasteland 3's virtual Colorado so appealing are the many choices lurking in pretty much every corner. For example, if you explore your new base at the beginning, which the Patriarch makes available to you, you will find refugees, for example, who are hiding in one of the rear wings. What are you doing? Do you send them away despite supplication? Finally, Marshall Kwon advises you to help and advise the patriarch. However, your reputation with the relevant faction will then drop. In any case, Wasteland 3 has a handful of different groups that you can vie for.

The Hundred Families, for example. An amalgamation of various influential families who have settled in the Garden of the Gods. It's just a shame that the Dorsey gang, which had already hit the rangers in the beginning, also took on the Hundred Families. That's why I help Lucia Wesson, who managed to escape and is now looking for help. When we arrive at the scene, we meet Isaac Reed after a few skirmishes.

It turns out that he joined forces with the Dorsey gang to wipe out one of the patriarchs. Nelius Dorsey was after Lucia's family. Of course, she is not enthusiastic about this news. I give her the freedom to take care of Isaac. Should she have her revenge quietly. Satisfied with my decision, I wanted to pat myself on the shoulder when the Hundred Families' youngsters around Isaac panicked and opened fire on my group. They assume that we want to do them too.

Wasteland 3 – X019 Release Date Trailer

InXile used the stage of the X019 in London to confirm the date of Wasteland 3 on May 19, 2020.

Of course I didn't intend to do that, but there is not enough time to explain myself. The bottom line was that my intro session ended in a gruesome bloodbath and the recommendation from the Ranger HQ not to talk too loudly about my actions will definitely be followed. I could have accused Isaac of eating the marshalls, which would be more diplomatic. Lucia might not have liked it, but it would have spared many innocent souls. In any case, the decisions should have an impact on the course of the story. It remains to be seen how serious these will be.