To quote a reader who consistently reads and comments on my work (thank you for that), “Your obsession with Fallout 4 has gone beyond healthy”. Frankly speaking, it’s true. I’ve got multiple work stations here at home, 2 of which have Fallout desktop wallpapers, I have sketchbooks packed with doodles from the games and as you’re no doubt aware, I write about the game at every given opportunity.
So with that being made clear, let’s write about it some more. What if it was in China? A Chinese setting for the game has been a point of discussion recently on Fallout related Reddit threads recently and it’s one of the more unfavourable settings for the game in the eyes of long time players.
China is heavily involved in Fallouts literal pre-fallout lore, in fact there are even references to this in-game with Chinese Stealth Armour and the “Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual” skill book. So while China is often referenced and been established as having been present, the setting itself wouldn’t really work.
Fallout is a decidedly American game. By that, I don’t mean western developed, I literally mean American. The themes, the music, the art style and design and most notably the two most recent locales in the franchise, are all synonymous with Americans and their lifestyle. In fact those who do their reading on the Brotherhood of Steel and The Enclave may discover some interesting facts about their roots.
But with those facts being made clear, having the game take place in China would be extreme culture shock. The world you know as the world of Fallout would be changed and fundamentally different in too many ways to list. But I will say this; a change in theme isn’t bad for a game series, this was made evident with The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask, but your changes shouldn’t twist what the game started out as or aims to be. It’s best to build upon steady foundations.