There are fair critiques to be had about 2015’s Fallout 4, but goodness if it isn’t a wonderful post-apocalyptic gaming canvas that’s rewarding to explore. It has a generously sized map, with plenty of scenic interior and exterior environments in which to play out the fantasy of surviving amidst the wreckage of a long-gone American society. Ghost in the Shell’s director is apparently also a huge fan. He’s been roaming Bethesda’s fallen Massachusetts for nearly a decade now, and has some really entertaining rules governing his adventures.
The filmmaker and genius behind the 1995 sci-fi anime classic has been documenting his eight year journey through Fallout 4’s post-nuclear (h/t Automaton), and it doesn’t involve following the main story which sees the player-made protagonist on a search for their child after they were abducted. Instead, Oshii plays by a self-inforced code of conduct, restricting who he interacts with while also seeing him collect a ton of power armor.
© Screenshot: Bethesda / Mamoru Oshii / Automaton
For Oshii, Dogmeat is his only companion. He allies with no one. He ignores the main story. And the Brotherhood of Steel are in for a really bad time when he comes across them. In his many articles on Automaton documenting his experiences with the game, he said:
Whenever I spot [the Brotherhood’s] reconnaissance units in the ruins, I stalk them from behind and take them out with my trusty .50 caliber rifle. I kill them all and leave no evidence. I’ve decided to strip them naked and leave them lying there in their underwear. They’re invaders, so mercy is unnecessary.
Choosing the Red Rocket truck stop as his home base, Oshii has surrounded his mini-fortress with the power armor suits he’s collected from his perpetual battles against the Brotherhood of Steel. Though they’re not the only folks he’ll kill on sight. “If I find the bald old thug who murdered my wife and kidnapped my son,” he said, “I’ll turn him into a bullet-riddled corpse on the spot.” He also won’t look for said son, but he says “if he shows up as a villain, I’ll kill him on the spot.”
Despite his somewhat avant-garde approach to the game, he’s managed to clear past level 100 with his character. “I can only marvel at my own passion,” he says, “but well, you could also call me an idiot.”
I’m rather fond of this approach as it mirrors several Fallout 4 characters I’ve made over the years. Some quests are hit or miss in this game, but the smorgasbord of places to explore and loot to grab? Just writing about it is triggering an itch that needs to be scratched. Thanks, Oshii, I’m gonna have to download Fallout 4 again.
