Trying out Fallout: London – the hyped mod struggles with teething problems

The Fallout series made its debut on the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform this year, winning over a wide audience and all of us. But while the already confirmed second season isn’t too far off, a new game’s still ages away. Fallout 5 won’t be releasing for years. So how can we satisfy our hunger for a fictional, post-apocalyptic USA?

Team Folon delivers where Bethesda failed

The possible hero of the day? Fallout: London. This so-called total conversion mod changes the entire base game Fallout 4 while simultaneously offering a setting outside the USA for the first time. Instead of Nuka-Cola, you sip tea and explore run-down areas of London. Luckily, I already own the necessary Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition for PC.

Fallout: London was released on 25 July 2024, just a few months after the show ended. At first glance, the release date seems almost perfect, but this hides various delays.

After first being announced in 2019, Fallout: London was due to be released in 2023. The mod was then postponed to April 2024, which would’ve suited the show even better. But then the official next-gen update from Bethesda disrupted their plans. This presented Team Folon – the creators behind the mod – with a whole host of problems. Problems that I’m experiencing too. In order to play Fallout: London on Steam, I have to downgrade my version. If you own Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition on GOG, then the installation process is a little easier.

Of evil scientists and slippery fish people

One awkward installation later, I start the game and immediately enjoy its greatest strengths: storyline and atmosphere. Evil scientists want to experiment on me, but a surprise attack stops them. I use the sudden explosion and resulting chaos to escape from the underground laboratory. It’s a scene I’ve experienced before in many horror games such as Dead Space 2 or Resident Evil 4. Wonderful. As soon as I gain my freedom, I find out that Sebastian Gaunt and his faction, the Vagabonds, were responsible for the distraction.

But before I follow this storyline and learn more about one of the mod’s seven factions, I want answers. First off, why was I being held in an underground laboratory in the first place? To find out, I follow my only other trail, which leads me into the River Thames. There, I meet the Thamesfolk, Fallout: London’s best surprise so far.

The Thamesfolk are a fish people that have never been seen before in the Fallout universe. As a fan of Shadows over Innsmouth by H. P. Lovecraft, I’m immediately enraptured by the talking fish people and want to do everything in my power to support them. Turns out the peaceful Thamesfolk are in dire need of my help. I save the Ferryman from mortal peril by fighting off the leeches and rats in his vicinity. As a reward for my efforts, I learn more about the fish people. Their organic introduction to the game is Bethesda-esque.

Even plot aside, Fallout: London feels thoroughly British. The Nuka-Cola that you usually drink in all Fallout games was a phenomenon in the USA before the nuclear holocaust. So I don’t pay with crown caps from Nuka-Cola bottles in Fallout: London, but with tube tickets. You’ll also look in vain for the vast wasteland here. Instead, there are manageable, densely populated areas and a distinct underground to discover.

Team Folon has done a good job of introducing the new area. Fallout: London is the perfect substitute for my cancelled London vacation this year – minus the radioactively contaminated surroundings.

Dampened difficulty and bug issues

During my Thames adventures, I constantly stumble into radioactive water or get nibbled to death by hungry rats. I also regularly get lost because I missed a door or the level design simply confuses me. The loading screen is my constant companion after I die – too often. As a result, the longer I play the mod, the more I dislike it.

Compared to Fallout 4, the British version is altogether too hard for me. In Bethesda’s version, I had fewer problems with the radioactivity or combat. In Fallout: London, the whole environment poisons me, while my pistol hardly does any damage to enemies. Melee combat is supposedly better anyway, but not something I’m used to. Otherwise, the gameplay remains the same as in Fallout 4. Maybe you’re totally into this hardcore experience, but it put me off.

The second problem is more technical. All those long loading times take me back to an era of gaming that I don’t miss. I couldn’t play The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on the PS3 these days. The loading times are noticeable during loading screen, as well as in dialogue or radio messages. For example, the siren in the background of a warning signal is regularly interrupted because the next part of the message is loading.

When I combine the long loading times with the mod’s susceptibility to bugs and crashes, I’m reminded of the release of Cyberpunk 2077 for the PS4. Since I have to stare at the loading screen too often due to the crashes, but also because of the high difficulty level, I’ll wait for a few patches before I continue playing.

Verdict: exciting mod, but I can’t recommend it without reservations

Even if I’m putting Fallout: London away for the time being, I don’t necessarily advise you against playing the mod. If you know the game series well and don’t have to dig around as hard as I did, then the challenge might suit you as it did other fans of the series. But even if you like to familiarise yourself with complex game systems or want to explore an open world without being held by the hand, you could have fun in Fallout: London.

I really liked the exciting and atmospheric game world. Fallout: London brings a breath of fresh air to the series without straying too far from its (atomic) core.

Fallout: London was developed by Team Folon, a group of creators who wanted to craft an unforgettable experience based on their love for the Fallout series. Despite a few stumbling blocks, they managed to do just that. The scope of Fallout: London is enormous. A lot of volunteer work and love have gone into the project, which can be felt in every nook and cranny. Even if I’m still stubbing my toe on these at the moment, it in no way detracts from the remarkable work. For this – and the fact that Fallout: London is available for free – everyone involved deserves huge props.

Header image: Team Folon/YouTube