Summary
The expansive open worlds of theFalloutfranchise act as the perfect staging grounds for complex lore and hidden mysteries, and many entries to the IP smartly capitalize on this. With the franchise heavily focusing on sci-fi tropes of the 1950s, mysteries surrounding aliens have long been a core part of its deeper exploration.
Of course, the irradiated world ofFalloutgives way to many mutated creatures, yet the presence of aliens in the IP gives a unique supernatural twist to its titles. While many of the references to aliens throughoutFalloutare subtle, others involve huge dedicated gameplay sequences that pull fans in even more to the mystique of their shady existence. There is a huge wealth of information regarding aliens throughout the series, creating a detailed mystery that has kept fan discussion alive for many years.
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The Alien Mystery of Fallout
Aliens first appeared inFalloutfrom the outset of the franchise, debuting in the IP’s first release in 1997. In the game, the player could come across a crashed UFO, taking the form of the stereotypical spacecraft depictions of the 1950s. The remains of tiny alien lifeforms can be found scattered around the ship, giving fans the first tentative glimpses at what would become a deep mystery within the wider franchise.
Falloutbegan fleshing out the lore behind alien appearances in subsequent releases, with an alien race known as Zetans often featuring.Fallout 3even featured its owndedicated expansion exploring this mystery calledMothership Zeta. In the DLC, the player is abducted by Zetan aliens, having to fight through their mothership orbiting Earth. The player meets other humans who have been abducted throughout the experience, with Zetans clearly having an avid interest in human activity.
Zetans were long thought to be the only alien species within the franchise’s universe, butFallout 76recently blew this assumption out the water. While Zetans can be randomly encountered by players inFallout 76, the game alsointroduced the existence of Flatwood Monsters. These are another species of alien with the same kind of technological advancements as the Zetans, whose origins on Earth are wrapped in mystery.
Flatwood Monsters are incubated in space suits and have glowing purple eyes, with their pointed bodies levitating above the ground. This suggests that multiple alien races have independently discovered Earth and are actively conducting experiments on the planet, with the purpose behind them being unknown. It is likely that aliens are drawn to Earth bythe advanced human technology of theFalloutuniverse, despite possessing impressive technological capabilities themselves.
It is known that Zetans have been monitoring Earth since at least the 1600s, with it being possible that aliens have capitalized on humanity’s destruction to begin physically visiting the planet. As other species of aliens are being introduced to the franchise, fans may see a growing extraterrestrial presence in futureFalloutreleases. While themutants and deranged factions ofFallouthave a logical place within the IP, the sinister and consistent portrayals of aliens are still one of the most mysterious aspects of the games.
The presence of aliens inFallouthas never really impacted its main storylines, which only adds to the unease of their hidden agendas. As aliens become more confident in their understanding of Earth, they could easily become a core antagonistic threat in futureFalloutreleases, perhaps finally solving the mystery behind their interest in the planet. Until then, aliens will continue to act as a looming, hidden threat that can be encountered through wider exploration of Earth’s wastelands.
