Discover the frozen wasteland in Wasteland 3. Inxile’s latest work successfully breaks from its roots to attract all types of players to turn-based role playing
The isometric role refuses to disappear. You just have to take a look at proposals like Wasteland 2, which brought together a multitude of RPGs who yearned for the gameplay of yesteryear. A long pilgrimage into the ruthless post-nuclear world where justice is served through decision-making and turn-based combat. His good work made him the CRPG we have been waiting for years.
Wasteland fans embarked on the adventure of being small investors in 2016. The more than three million revenues on the Fiq platform ensured much of the proposed objectives for Wasteland 3. After the launch, Brian Fargo planned to hang up his dusty boots and thus close his long stage in video games. But something unexpected thwarted his retirement plans: Microsoft acquired Inxile. The giant had no intention of meddling in the design, he only provided an extra cash along with a simple request: “do what you do best.”
Wasteland Remastered lightened the wait by recalling the background of the wasteland. In any case, it is not necessary to have experience in previous deliveries. Wasteland 3 is designed to appeal to all types of players. And right now we will see why.
Strangers in Colorado
Colorado, unexplored and hostile land. An expedition of 50 rangers heads there to fulfill a deal with a respected character in the area, the Patriarch. However, the frozen wasteland prepares an unpleasant welcome for them: a group of lunatics ambush them, drastically reducing their troops. No time for burials or sobs, the Rangers must immediately perform a few favors for the leader if they are to receive resources and support in Arizona. The problem is, those favors involve earning his three rebellious sons, who are part of dangerous factions in Colorado.
Since the “Deluge of Fire” – as the people of Colorada call the falling bombs – the 100 families had rebuilt the state on a fragile thread. Thus they achieved peace in the midst of chaos. After a few years of relative calm, the first disagreements began to emerge over the concentration of power in the figure of the Patriarch. Consequently, tension broke out in the region. The Dorseys disassociated themselves from the coalition and began a vicious escalation of violence. In fact, we must face them in the first hours of play.
The initial section of Wasteland 3 corresponds to the tutorial. We are in the middle of the confusion after the trap of the violent. But before starting the chase through the flames, the game launches us to create our character sheet. We must choose or manufacture a pair of rangers with their respective attributes and abilities, in addition to the appearance. This installment features a higher level of skin customization and some new features related to weapon and armor upgrade skills. Creating and evolving a ranger is always fun, but they still aren’t supported by voice actors in the lines of dialogue. On the other hand, those who do enjoy complete interpretation are the comrades. They have a very strong personality and react to events spontaneously.
Upon reaching the rangers’ base, a first volunteer is offered to join the group. The soldier has a good hand with rifles and persuasive skills (“ass-licking” in this part). Obviously, we gladly accept it and head to Colorado Springs, where the first major mission awaits us. Upon arrival, our new ally makes the first humorous comment to a handful of Dorsey hanging in the square. After a while, in the Marshall building, he surprises us again by engaging in a brief conversation with the leader. This comes very naturally; they both meet and greet each other as they normally would. Later we observe a similar scene with a young woman who joins us to find out a personal matter that worries her. His investigation concludes at the end of the first main mission, at which point he threatens an acquaintance for his misdeeds. He defends himself by stating that, at one point, he thought she was the best. Well, whose side are you on? Here the player faces his first important decision: to shoot him, allow the teenager to carry out her revenge, let him escape or bring him to justice. She presses to fulfill her wish, and perhaps it is a good idea to accept if we want to continue enjoying her services as an ally. The decision rests with the player.
Certain decisions like this have immediate results in the plot; others of more depth are long-term and will lead us to points of no return. At the end of the day, Wasteland 3 is a narrative RPG, through the word – and with the right skill level – you can deal with many unfriendly situations. Every decision will have consequences on one side or the other. For example, I once decided not to annihilate some thugs despite the warnings of a citizen in distress and used the skill “lick” to convince them to leave. They then warned their henchmen and minced some prisoners. Remember, Colorado is a cruel place and forgiveness is expensive sometimes.
One way to see how our journey is going is to look at reputation. There the known factions are pointed out and what consideration they have of us. These levels will affect your dealing with rangers. It is also possible to be lukewarm and achieve neutrality. The purpose of Wasteland 3 with its narrative is for the player to adapt the game at their discretion. Without judging the morality of our actions. In the end, all our actions will culminate in one of the multiple outcomes.
The most sadistic wasteland
The wasteland of Wasteland 3 climbs a few rungs in starkness. The numerous gangs leave a trail of corpses in their wake. And not even the big cities are spared the ferocity for survival and control. There we are moved by the stories of refugees who have left their home due to the violence of the groups that operate in the state. However, we are also witnessing the other side of the coin: citizens for whom the world situation has helped them to scratch their positions and have a comfortable life in disorder.
In cities, the word justice has evolved tit for tat. There are no second chances for those individuals who make mistakes. These great locations are also a meeting point with the strangest types. We do not forget the gossipy neighbor who called the Marshalls for any stupidity (and then we were pissed off). They all show something particular and unique in their personality and, thanks to the great work of the cast of actors and voice actresses, they feel alive and believable.
Moderate visual changes benefit the player’s immersion in the world. The busy interface with steampunk motifs says goodbye with the aim of adopting more elegant lines that allow you to see more percentage of area. The dialogues also ditch the worn out elements and now flow like subtitles for a narrative title. The first person view reinforces this approach to the plot with the use of more complex animations.
Between viscera and freezing temperatures, Inxile’s twisted humor emerges at the most unexpected moments. The dialogues of NPCs that are activated when we pass by him are the sea of entertaining. My rangers almost broke the teeth of more than one gentleman of high birth for their “opinions” on our clothing of road warriors. eye! that we can also take the role of comedians and expand on the dialogues choosing the most hilarious phrases. Really, the headshot will have been worth it (blessed autosave). The humor spills into our trash pile, so keep an eye out for the laughs and the nostalgia.
When we talk about accessibility in Wasteland 3 we are not referring only to the interface or the combat, but to the design basis of the installment. For starters, the inventory is shared and has no weight limits. Then there is the loot of fallen enemies where, looted one, looted all. However, where the separation from its roots is most appreciated is in the abilities of the group. If you remember, in Wasteland 2 we found closed boxes with traps. To open them safely, we had to execute different steps with the rangers indicated for those tasks. That’s over, if you have the group selected, and you click on the object, the ideal ranger will approach and carry it out automatically. Clean and fast, just the way we like it.
Dynamic turn-based combat
Evil has a human and mutant form. When we enter combat, a grid is activated by default that provides information on movement limits and actions, which is designed to avoid wasting valuable action points (AP). One of the novelties around this is that there is no longer an attribute associated with organizing the shifts of our rangers. As long as the members have PA we can manage their actions as we please. Another important point is the implementation of three options to take advantage of the remaining AP: save them for the next turn, prepare an ambush or defend yourself.
During the encounter, the enemies are sheltered in a cover. The player must do the same if they do not want to feel the jolt of the Game Over. The way to proceed from here is either to defend a position, or to go on the offensive and flank the opponent. It is important not to lose sight of the terrain, since there are usually beneficial objects such as fuel tanks and equipment that cause status damage. And what happens if we die? Well, we have little time to raise the character. In order to get our way in the toughest of fights, Rangers have special abilities that require some charging time. When activated, they deliver devastating blows. One of my guys specializing in hand-to-hand combat would jump up and plunge his hammer into the thugs’ skulls, launching a shock wave that hit the individuals around. Authentic indentations can be created by combining weapons, abilities, and stage items. One last thing, if we tame animals, they will attack independently. Each with their innate talents. You see, it will not be for ways to resolve an encounter.
The trips to the different locations on the map are made through an off-road vehicle. In the journey through the icy trails we unlock settlements, new cities and small loot areas. Although our exploration will be interrupted by the already usual random encounters. The positive part is that our armored vehicle acts as an extra unit in combat. Firing missiles is fine, but running over is even better. But watch out, the others won’t be short on your metal monsters.
CONCLUSION
Wasteland 3 is imbued with Inxile’s love for bringing the most classic role to all types of audiences. Much more intuitive and polished in its mechanics, eliminating long procedures that made the player dizzy. Narrative freedom continues to work very well under the premise that every decision will have consequences throughout the adventure. And, certainly, we see on our own feet that even the most trivial option leads to surprising results. The Rangers face a new chapter of survival with much more dynamic combat thanks to the different implementations in the turns. We have plenty of tools so that no fight is the same. Our vacations in Colorado conclude with the recommendation to visit their lands and thus enjoy the best of the narrative role in turns.
THE BEST
- Mechanics updated to the new times
- Addictive plot with multiple decisions
- Replayability
WORST
- Minor bugs
- Dubbing work is missing on the rangers
