‘Fallout 4’ Looks to Go Out With a Bang in ‘Nuka-World’

It’s been a pretty good run, folks. However you felt about Fallout 4 in the grand scheme of Titles Churned Out While Bethesda Has Had Their Hands on the Series, the romp through the Commonwealth’s been about as memorable as they come. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. With the Nuka-World DLC coming out on August 31, there won’t be any further additions to the world of Fallout 4. It’s the last one, so, enjoy it while it lasts.

But what do we actually know about the DLC?

New Toys to Play With

For the last go-round, players are given a brand new map, a bunch of new junk, and a whole world of new problems. It’s off to Nuka-World, enemy to diabetics everywhere!

Just like the previously released Far Harbor, the last DLC will give players an entirely new area to visit: The bombed-out remains of Nuka-World, an amusement park based on the video game series’ ever-present brand of soda pop. In the aftermath of nuclear war, the park has become a haven for monstrous creatures, asshole raiders, and a whole assortment other nasty stuff.

It’s Bigger than Far Harbor

Prior to the announcement of Nuka-World, Far Harbor was the biggest landmass that Bethesda had ever added to any previous game. All that goodness was contained in 2.7GB. While we don’t know the specifics on Nuka-World’s dimensions, we do know that it’s file size, 3.66 GB, is (obviously) bigger than ‘Far Harbor’.

Whether that equates to more space or more content remains to be seen, but we do know that Nuka-World is divided into six distinct zones: Safari Adventure, the World of Refreshment, Dry Rock Gulch, Kiddie Kingdom, Galactic Zone, and Nuka-Town, which sounds like a lot. Even if it’s not the same amount of territory as Far Harbor, it sounds densely packed.

It’ll Inject Some Silliness Into the Game

If you thought the Commonwealth was a little too stark, and none of the game’s mods have the right look for you, then you might be pleased with whats on offer in Nuka-World. In addition to the rubber ball on a string-inspired weaponry above, it looks like the new DLC will include new weapon skins that add a psychotically bright splash of color to the proceedings.

Rides and Games

It’s something you didn’t realize you wanted until they gave it to you, like building in the main game or even cards in New Vegas (or maybe that was just me) — with Nuka-World, players will get the opportunity to jump onto a roller coaster or a Ferris wheel and then top things off with a few rip-off carnival games. The mini games promise to keep the action varied as you move from region to region in the park, and who even knows what goodies will be on offer at the ticket booth.

There Probably Won’t Be Zetans

Okay, you saw some aliens in the trailer, but there’s a good chance that actual Zetans wont show up in Nuka-World. First of all, Bethesda already did aliens with the Mothership Zeta DLC from Fallout 3. Second, if you look closely, these Zetans look awfully mechanical. Most likely you’re looking at some weaponized ride of some sort … it’s a murderous world, after all.

Build Your Own Amusement City

The July release of the *Vault-Tec Workshop DLC proved that Fallout 4 was capable of delivering a building experience on a massive level by giving players an expansive vault to toy around with.

The Nuka-World trailer overtly promises the opportunity to rebuild parts of the park, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that we’ll get a whole mess of territory with which to fiddle around on.

The Human Element

Last but not least, you might have noticed that the trailer didn’t seem to feature many synths, the humanoid robots that Fallout 4 uses as its principle means of evoking ethical dilemmas (Are you a synth?. The majority of enemies that are featured in the trailer are good old-fashioned raiders, only with spiffy new armor and a whole mess load of new weapons. Even in the Galactic Zone, the primary threat featured was some doofus walking around in a blue-tinted set of Power Armor.

The absence of synths doesn’t necessarily mean that Nuka-World will forego heavy drama, it simply means that we will likely be getting a dose of real human drama mixed in with the Blade Runner-inspired shenanigans we’ve witnessed to date.

Something Old, Something New

The real distinction to be made from Bethesda’s string of DLC on Fallout 4 is the unique feel imbued in every set — even the settlement-building ones. Some are meatier than others, but variety’s the spice of life, right? There’s a whole bunch of that to be had.

And Nuka-World looks to add to that in a big way as a finale.