After playing Fallout 4 since launch, I've decided that Sole Survivor is the worst part of the game.

I love RPGs, so it won't be a surprise to anyone that I've put in thousands of hours Fallout 4 Since its release in 2015. I roamed every inch of the Commonwealth to find hidden areas and strange side quests, and made it my mission to engage every companion in every game. I'm amazed Fallout franchise and Fallout 4so it breaks my heart that he has such a brilliant issue with Sole Survivor.

I have played Fallout from the early days of the franchise, in 1997, shortly after the first Fallout game released. Since then, I've consistently worked my way through each installment, finding new things to fall in love with each time I dive into the series' post-apocalyptic universe. And when Fallout 4 came I went straight in to find a strange feeling of frustration, and it took me a while to pinpoint the source.

Lets the sole survivor Fallout 4

Nate and Nora fail to be good RPG heroes

Fallout 4 It was generally well received at release, with many praising the improved graphics and combat system. However, it was not without its fair share of criticism, having a mostly voiced protagonist, limited dialogue options, and repetitive quests. Yet for me, as lore and finesse of character, the problem was Sole Survivor and their lack of true identity. Sole Survivor is a blank slate, which isn't a bad thing in an RPG, but the problem is that Sole Survivor is never allowed to be a blank slate in the game's story.

To me, Nate and Nora are essentially the same character, vessels for the player to fill. Their in-game dialogue is the same no matter which one I play. However, both are strangely given specific backgrounds, and the main plot all hinges on them being Shaun's parents. So they are not blank slates. Still their veteran/lawyer background is completely irrelevant and doesn't even provide any starting skills. So they are blank slates. And this back and forth cycle continues.

My problem with Sole Survivor they try to be both and end up doing neither very well. The main plot links them to a stable background, but it never comes into play outside of this main questline. They are given previous jobs with specific skill sets, but this does not affect any of their starting skills or perks, Nora, despite having a military background, can wield multiple weapons like her husband.

Past Fallout Games Did Things Differently

Even Blank Slates Started with Skills to Start Roleplaying

This is against the past Fallout games controlled their heroes. Early Fallout heroes that came before had starting abilities based on their story or situation Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegasallowed me to select them at the beginning of the game. But Lone Survivor starts with nothingand they don't gain their first perk until they level up Fallout 4.

Players can create custom characters
Fallout
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they could also choose from three pre-made characters: Albert Cole, Max Stone, or Natalia Dubrovhsky.

So on the surface, Lone Survivor works like a blank slate, and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing; just look Skyrim or recently Baldur's Gate 3. But then Fallout 4 immediately binds this blank state to a stable background and plot. They have one child and his wife was killed. It puts a layer on top of any character I might want to play, because now I have to figure out roleplaying ideas that work with Sole Survivor, and suddenly my blank slate character isn't blank at all.

Fallout 3 did something similar with Lone Wander, who was looking for his fatherbut the fact that the Lone Traveler was a child rather than a parent allowed it to play a role. Maybe they weren't close, the Lone Traveler is young and distracted, etc. But the fact that Nate/Nora are parents and the game thinks that Shaun is still a child pushes the player into the main plot and stabilizes. back story. Even though the parent/child dynamic is the same, reversing who is looking out for whom Fallout 4it changes everything.

Fallout 4 Mirrors Fallout 3's Family Dynamics

The transition between child and parent changes everything

Enter James Fallout 3 He is the father of the Lonely Traveler and a fully grown man. He chose to leave Vault 101 and clearly knows how to handle himself. It doesn't seem too weird unless I immediately go after him as a Lone Traveler and go on adventures. I can role play through Lone Wanderer even though they have a backstorybecause the plot is connected to them in a way that allows me to make them into who I want them to be.

Fallout 4 uses the same situation as parent and child, where one seeks the other but turns it. And with that, it completely changes the dynamic. There's a world of difference between a teenager looking for an adult parent and a distraught parent looking for a stolen baby. It doesn't make sense to me for my Sole Survivor to go out and do sidequestsjoin multiple factions or visit the Far Port, as surely their sole purpose will be to find their children.

There is a world of difference between a teenager looking for an adult parent and a distraught parent looking for a stolen baby.

And the main plot Fallout 4 it does a great job of boosting motivation. However, outside of the main questline, this tragic backstory means nothing. With only a few rare exceptions, The fact that the sole survivor is from before the war is irrelevant and not even mentioned. As I've mentioned before, the dialogue doesn't change whether you're playing as Nate or Nora, even if the choice in character creation is purely cosmetic. Fallout 4 He points to show that neither of them have a military background.

Choose between a blank slate or a back story

None of this went well with Fallout 4 Lone Survivor

By trying to leave Sole Survivor empty for the player to fill in, but then their paper-thin backstory is crucial to the main story, Sole Survivor just doesn't work well for me. Having a backstory isn't a bad thing, far from it it can give players something to roleplaywith great examples Mass Effect, Cyberpunk 2077and The Witcher. But Fallout 4 Doesn't connect with Nate/Nora and tries to get the best of both of them, but does neither well.

Dragon Age: Origins provides a great example of a main character with a backstory that is meaningfully tied to the main plot, but also gives players enough freedom to make their mark. My Kusland, Tabris, or Aedukan will be very different from everyone else's, but they will all share the same backstory. This would be a fantastic model for Fallout 4 follow, with Shaun doesn't need to be the sole survivor's son to move the plot forward.

Different backgrounds could have allowed Shaun to connect with Sole Survivor in different but meaningful ways, such as his nephew, his best friend's child, or his sister.

I understand what Bethesda is going for Fallout 4 and that Sole Survivor and the backstory are there to provide motivation to move the plot forward. But by not doing it either way, Slone Survivor falls flat for me. They are not blank slates for players like Courier to build on they are not a character that players can fully empathize withLike V, Shepard or Geralt. Moving forward with the franchise, I can only hope that lessons will be learned Cyberpunk and Baldur's Gate 3hopefully it will bring the next balance Fallout main character.