A Fallout fan has undertaken a project to turn the classic RPG into a side-scrolling 2D shooter. The Fallout series is perhaps better known for Bethesda's more recent 3D efforts, with Fallout 76 being the most recent entry into the franchise.
Over the years, Fallout fans have undertaken many different projects to convert Interplay's original titles into other genres. One fan even remade Fallout 2 as an FPS, bringing the game in line with its modern counterparts. Both of the original games are well over two decades old at this point, so it's understandable that gamers want to see them in a new light, even if they loved the originals as they were. Even if an official remake is announced, it's likely that fans will continue to undertake projects like this as their own love letters to Interplay's iconic RPGs.
The Fallout 2D project was created by Redditor MaxRocker, who is working their way through individual sections of the 1997 RPG and turning them into side-scrolling shooters in the vein of Metroid. The footage so far looks great, showing off the entrance of a vault a basic combat sequence where the player kills a ghoul. With player choice such an essential element of the Fallout series, it'll be interesting to see how much this element will be preserved, if at all. It's entirely possible that it's removed completely as MaxRocker aims to separate the remake from the original entirely.
One common criticism of the original Fallout when played years later is that many of the mechanics don't hold up well in the modern day. What's perhaps most interesting about this project is that it represents an opportunity to modernize some elements of the game. In its own way, this project is trying to replicate another older genre in 2D side-scrollers, but that doesn't mean it can't utilize some modern technologies to feel better to play. Fans have been begging for an official Fallout remake for years, and at the moment it doesn't seem like anything is in the works, so fan creations like this will have to satisfy the current gap in the market for now.
It's a great time to be a fan of Fallout, even if it seems like a mainline game in the franchise is some time away. Fallout 76 continues to receive frequent updates and add-ons, and the game is finally what it was promised to be pre-release. As well as this, it's rumored that Amazon's Fallout TV series has finally wrapped, representing the franchise's first-ever foray into another medium. After HBO's The Last of Us, audiences are keen to see more video game adaptations hit the small screen, so expectations will continue to grow in the build-up to its release. Unfortunately, with Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 as the priority, it could be years yet until gamers get to hear news of a potential Fallout 5, although the success of Fallout 4 means it's almost certain to make its way into development.
The original Fallout was released in 1997 for PC.