The Wasteland franchise lay dormant for more than 20 years when in 2014 Bryan Fargo decided to finally make a (real) sequel. Wasteland 2 had its quirks but the material (and fanbase) was there to continue on with Wasteland 3. And man, they hit the ball right out of the park with the third installment in the series.
Alpha post-nuclear RPG
It took Bryan Fargo long enough to finally get the chance to make a sequel of Wasteland. Although Bryan Fargo’s company eventually made the most successful post-nuclear RPG to date named Fallout, his personal involvement in Wasteland made him long to continue the series which sparked many fine RPGs to come. After founding InXile Entertainment and sticking a deal with EA, who held the rights, Wasteland 2 saw the light of day in 2014. The leap taken from 1988s Wasteland to Wasteland 2 was huge but came with some growing pains. Wasteland 3 tries to resolve everything and turned into a very fine game in my opinion.
Colorado
Since the events in Wasteland 2 forced the Rangers to abandon their base, they’ve been looking for allies outside of Arizona. When a mysterious figure from Colorado, who calls himself the Patriarch, reaches out to them it seems they can forge a strong alliance. You are sent out to meet with the Patriarch to discuss terms but are greeted with immediate oppression, basically wiping out your entire recon team. With the help of the Patriarch, you eventually reach Colorado Springs to continue the mission albeit with only two surviving rangers.
The Patriarch is still a man of his words and in return for a personal favor, he grants you your new Rangers HQ. You soon find out the Patriarch rules Colorado with an iron fist but has some family issues you’ll have to help to solve. It turns out the Patriarch has 3 children, Valor, Victory, and Liberty who went Rogue. Since the Patriarch gave you a chance to rebuild the Rangers in Colorado, you “happily” agree to resolve these family matters. Although, it won’t be long before you’ll start having second thoughts…
Choices-a-plenty
Wasteland 3 features a very lively world to explore. Around each corner, you’ll find new NPCs with yet another piece of information. With many opposing factions like the Marshalls, the refugees, the gippers, the monster army, and many more… it will be up to you to assess the information to the best of your abilities. This will inevitably put you on the spot to make some game-altering choices. This is where Wasteland 3 really excels in my opinion. Every action has a consequence which is often only noticeable long after you’ve made your choice. Some of these consequences can be minor bonuses or annoyances but some actually alter the way you can go further.
Xcom meets fallout
Wasteland 3 is heavily focused on the storytelling aspect with extensive lines of spoken dialogue to get through. After “roleplaying” your way through these dialogues there will be plenty of time to start fights either. These fights use what was already in Wasteland 2 but with some necessary changes… for the better. Wasteland 3 is played in an isometric-ish way and features tactical battles made famous by the Xcom games. These battles are no joke. They are in fact pretty relentless. A few less than tactical decisions could wipe out the whole squad on the next enemy’s turn.
This time around, your whole squad takes their actions one at a time before or after – depending on who jumped who – the enemy does the same thing. With a team of up to 6 members, you can really get very tactical. As you progress and level up each member of your squad you should end up with members with different skill sets. Using these skills to their full extent can make a huge difference in the outcome of a battle. Mindless shooting and slashing might be fun but there are often multiple ways to get the upper hand by cleverly using the environment. Shooting a gas tank near a group of enemies might have much more impact than picking them off one by one. Or maybe you could use a computer to disable those pesky turrets.
Plenty of work to be done
Wasteland 3 offers a whole lot of branching paths and side-quests to keep you occupied during your playthrough. Not all quests are doable from the start of the game which is cleverly visible in your mission log. Green quests are below your current level and could be done, easily. Grey quests suit your current squad fine and red should be avoided until you leveled up a bit more. Most quests can be resolved in multiple ways based on the abilities of your squad. For instance, if a squad member put enough points in being a “hard-ass”, some fights can be avoided by showing some brutality during conversations. Other quests might have an option to use “barter” to have a different outcome… It’s safe to say, Wasteland 3 has a lot of replayability.
Conclusion
Wasteland 3 is all about the story whilst beefing out your squad. With countless lines of spoken dialogue, you’ll have plenty to discover during your playthrough. Mind you, the humor is dark and gritty and fully intended for mature audiences. With its updated battle system, Wasteland 3 became a whole lot more exciting. Despite some early day (non-game-breaking) bugs, I fully recommend Wasteland 3 for any fan of tactical post-nuclear war RPGs.
