We’ve explored a destroyed Massachusetts. We’ve taken down a rogue robot overlord. We became a vault overseer and experimented on dwellers. We travelled up to Maine to solve mysteries. And now, with Nuka-World, the Fallout 4 train comes to an end but leaves on the highest note the series has ever had.
In Nuka-World, players explore the rundown remains of a theme park dedicated to everyone’s favorite Fallout drink. Things start off a little slowly. Without giving too much away, don’t expect to see any theme park sights until you complete a pretty lengthy mission.
By the time you are actually inside the park, things really start picking up. You’ve become the leader of three different raider gangs, each wanting more slices of the territory-pie than the others. As leader, you are tasked with reclaiming the rest of Nuka-World for the gang, with each part of the park a different area to conquer.
Like Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Nuka-World has numerous areas, like a futuristic-themed park, Wild West park, a zoo, a kids’ area and more. Each area has its own smaller story, and a reason for why the gangs haven’t moved in already. Discovering each park area and exploring the mysteries behind the rides is where Nuka-World really shines. It gives both that feeling of joy you have actually going to a park like Disney World, while also offering that thrill of looking behind the scenes to see how the magic is actually made.
After each area has been cleared of its problems, it’s up to you to assign one of the three gangs to it. This provides some built-in politics as you decide how you want to treat each faction.
Once the whole of Nuka-World has been reclaimed, the gangs start eyeing a bigger prize, the Commonwealth. If you so choose, you can start carving away spots on the main Fallout 4 map, reallocating settlements to be under the Nuka-World raiders’ control. This can actually lead to bigger implications in the main game, with you having to decide if each settlement will belong to the Minutemen or the Raiders. You can even allow other settlements to continue operating, but under the “protection” of your new raider settlements.
Unfortunately, this end mission chain is a bit of a downer, with players having to travel back and forth between the Commonwealth and Nuka-World multiple times. This drags out the last mission so much that I really didn’t even care by the end.
Outside of the main campaign, there are plenty of other distractions as well. Like Far Harbor, there’s another wacky religious cult. This time, however, the group acts as a sideshow, not playing into the overall story of Nuka-World. A few other sidequests and collectibles rounds out the DLC nicely, giving plenty of missions and content to tackle. Don’t forget to play some arcade games as well!
With Fallout 4 ending development now that Nuka-World is out, it’s good to see it going out on a high note. While the ending may drag for a bit, getting to explore all the hidden wonders of Nuka-World is some of the finest gaming Fallout 4 has to offer.
Nuka-World is now available to download for Fallout 4 on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
So what do you think? Are you ready to dive into the carbonated world of Nuka-Cola ? Are you happy with the DLC packs released for Fallout 4 ? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
