Fallout 4 can sometimes be a divisive entry in the series. Yes, it's the most commercially successful game in the franchise, but there are plenty of features in Fallout 4 that longtime fans take issue with. One of the most notable is Bethesda's decision to use a voiced protagonist. I've been a huge Fallout fan for a long time. My first experience with the wastelands was Fallout: New Vegas, which is still my favorite. Fallout 4 is a close second, though. The setting of the Commonwealth, characters like Nick Valentine, and the lore of the four factions at the center of the plot still fascinate me. Also, I really don't mind the voiced protagonist.
Granted, I'm fully aware that Fallout 4's approach to a voiced protagonist is deeply flawed. Games like Mass Effect, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 are great examples of how RPGS with voiced protagonists can work incredibly well. The mechanic has to be handled properly, though. Since this was Bethesda's first crack at a voiced protagonist and new dialogue system, there were bound to be hiccups, and the dialogue choices not matching up with what was picked was just one such error. There's no telling when Fallout 5 will be ready, but there are a few key ways that Bethesda could improve a voiced protagonist if it were to bring the concept back.
First and Foremost, a Voiced Protagonist in Fallout 5 Would Need More Voice Options
Nate and Nora only have a single voice to choose from. That immediately makes the main character feel static and confined to a box. Not only that, but it really hurts replayability, at least for players who value character-driven roleplay. It's incredibly hard to make a blank slate your own when every version of the character sounds the same. The reason games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 can get away with this is because their main characters aren't fully blank slates. They have a general template to build on. Fallout 5 could take this route, but that would potentially be even more controversial than just a voiced protagonist. A main character who has very little backstory is essential to Fallout' s identity.
More Voice Options Means More Immersion
- Masculine and feminine voices need at least three options each (low, mid, and high).
- Voice options shouldn't be exclusive to gender.
Adding more voice options to Fallout 5 definitely wouldn't be easy. This would require more voice actors, but they could also serve as somewhat of a blank slate. Instead of static options, a sliding scale that potentially changes the pitch and inflection of a template voice could bring even more diversity to a main character. Such a system would be complex, but it's not impossible. At the very least, though, six options total that cover low, middle, and high vocal tones would solve the issue of Fallout 4's protagonist feeling like the same person every playthrough.
The Dialogue Wheel is Fallout 4's Ultimate Weak Point When It Comes to the Game's Protagonist
Fallout 4's dialogue options were a big departure from past entries. Instead of having a dialogue menu where players could scroll through and see what they want their character to say, Fallout 4 introduced the dreaded dialogue wheel and its four options. Because of the way it's presented, the dialogue wheel only shows previews or summaries. The big issue with this approach is that it's misleading. For example, the sarcastic options can be way more aggressive than anticipated, which quickly takes a lot of players out of the moment. Picking a dialogue option in Fallout 4 can feel like a gamble at times, and that's clearly not great for a story that's trying to keep players invested.
Returning to the classic Fallout dialogue tree is key. Of course, sometimes Fallout 4's sarcastic options are downright hilarious, but players need to know what they're signing up for before they confirm the dialogue choice. Fallout 76's Wastelanders update brought back the more well-received dialogue system to the multiplayer spin-off, so it only makes sense for Fallout 5 to do the same. The Fallout franchise has maintained a solid identity, and the dialogue wheel was too far removed from what had made the series so great up until that point.
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The Controversy Around Fallout 4's Voiced Protagonist Probably Means It Won't Return in Fallout 5 Anyway
The feedback regarding Fallout 4's voiced protagonist seems like it's been heard loud and clear by Bethesda. Near the end of last year, Todd Howard discussed his legacy with GQ. During the interview, he revealed that over the years he's noticed features that "didn’t resonate with fans" and used Fallout 4's protagonist as the main example. He shared, "We spent forever on the dialogue system in Fallout 4. How do we do an interactive conversation in an interesting way? How do we make that gamey? But it really did not resonate. It was also hard on our designers to write that way." Between the mixed feedback from players and the toll it took on the writers, it would be surprising for Fallout 5's protagonist to be voiced. There's no way to know for sure, but Todd Howard's conversation with GQ makes it seem like Bethesda is going to refrain from giving a voiced protagonist another try.
Fallout 5 Returning to the Franchise's Winning Formula Would Be For the Best
I think there is a lot of potential in a voiced protagonist for Fallout 5, but it also requires complex development and tinkering with a formula that has already been proven a bit divisive with the franchise's community. Utimately, it may just be too risky. If there's any feature that's worth taking a leap with, it's either Fallout 5's story or the design of its wasteland.
Questions about where Fallout 5 will be set, the main character, and general story details probably won't be answered for a few years, at least. After Nate and Nora, the main character could potentially be even more of a blank slate to make up for their divisiveness. Bethesda's history of bare-bones characters has become a cornerstone of both Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, and Fallout 4 is a reminder that certain features are better left untouched.
Fallout 4
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- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 89%
