Vaspaan Dastoor is an editor for TheGamer. Previously worked at IGN India and constantly tries to get people to make time for LOTR marathons. He can be found giving hot takes to cold responses on @DastorVaspaan
If we get a Fallout 3 remaster, we'll be reminded of how gray and gloomy the game was. Bethesda made sure the post-apocalyptic vibes hit hard in the third game before adding a bit more color to the next entry. However, there seems to be a special reason for this.
2006's Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion depicted Cyrodiil in all its colorful and fantastical glory. Even the dark caves felt alive at times. So, to make sure people know that 2008's Fallout 3 is a different property, Bethesda took out all the colors to give it a gloomy atmosphere.
Here's why Fallout 3 looks so gray
In a chat with PC Gamer (via GamesRadar ), Fallout artist Istvan Pelli explained, “We probably — I wouldn't say 'overcorrected' — but we definitely wanted to make it clear that this would be a very different game stylistically and tonally than before.” While the games were launched two years apart, Bethesda was concerned that some people might confuse the two, perhaps based on marketing material.
He added that creating a gray and desolate version of Washington DC was actually a lot of fun. “It tickled some part of the brain where blowing things up is just kind of fun,” he said. It was also a stark contrast to Fallout 4, which featured very little color despite its post-apocalyptic setting. The retro-futuristic aspect only added to it.
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Pelley explained that “Oblivion was a very colorful and classic fantasy,” and that it was a “bright, happy, positive kind of game”, while the world of Fallout 3 was filled with sadness and despair. “We just took the color out of the world, we grind every asset to make the place feel as desolate and dark as possible.”
Maybe that's why Bethesda went back another way and made sure that Fallout 4 was more colorful than its predecessor.
- issued
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October 28, 2008
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and gore, intense violence, sexual themes, strong language, drug use
- developer(s)
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Bethesda Game Studio
- Publisher(s)
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Bethesda Softworks
- Engine
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Gamebrio
