Fallout 76 takes a brave step forward in a risky multiplayer proposal, but due to its unclear intentions and a poor performance overall it will need time and effort to please its fans.

Fallout 76 fails at many things, but its core gameplay still is fun and engaging. This is enough to keep you going, but it is not what you would expect from an online-based AAA, and even if all the bugs can be fixed, there are many things (combat, mission design, inventory system) that would be much harder to fix.

Fallout 76 is fun to play; the simple loop of scavenging and exploration and crafting and progression works well when you’re in a group. Alone, it gets pretty old pretty fast - especially when dealing with bugs and glitches and performance woes. Ultimately it’s disappointing that the size and scope of the multiplayer doesn’t match the impressive West Virginia you get to explore.

A fascinating world and several good ideas are ruined by lots of technical problems and some design choices that make Fallout 76 almost unplayable. When it works, it can really shine; but this happens very rarely at the moment.

We tried so hard to like Fallout 76, but the game didn’t allow us to do it.

I can’t recommend Fallout 76 to more than a handful of people. A niche few will still be drawn to it, perhaps out of curiosity, a completionist’s need to devour all things Fallout, or, like me, a morbid desire to simulate life after the end of the world. For everyone else, hold onto the hope that Bethesda learns a lesson from this failed experiment.

There are no redeeming features to be found in Fallout 76, and I’m not even sure if it can be saved. Technical issues just make what’s a boring and soulless experience at its core into something that’s simply more of an abomination.