On post-apocalyptic gaming: The End is Nigh

With a whole lot of games releasing in the coming months from this genre, let’s explore the world after the unthinkable has happened

The words ‘I don’t want to set the world on fire’ play out of a radio, as the camera pans out slowly to reveal a world devastated by nuclear war, as the crooning continues with ‘I just want to start a flame in your heart’, into ominous silence. That is how Fallout 3 opened, giving us our first-person glimpse of the apocalypse.

With the release of Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut on the Nintendo Switch right around the corner and Fallout 76, Rage 2, The Last of Us 2 and Dying Light 2 launching in the coming months, we decide to look at what we love so much about the Post-Apocalypse genre, and what are the best games out there. The post-apocalyptic genre may have had its roots in nuclear, but it also explores worlds ravaged by zombies, disease and drought.

Mad Max: The Game

Ever since Mel Gibson’s iconic The Road Warrior emerged back in the 80s, we’ve always been hungry to explore the world of fast and furious vehicular carnage. Hot on the heels of the successful Mad Max: Fury Road, the video game takes another path. Seeing Max lose his iconic V-8 Interceptor, and with the help of a hunchback mechanic, he has to scour the wasteland to take back what is rightfully his. While the game starts off slow, it’s an incredible dieselfuelled ride into an open world that is actually a dried-up ocean. Destroying cars in wicked ways while dodging through massive beached tankers and ships is unparalleled.

Wasteland 2

Releasing soon on the Nintendo Switch, Wasteland 2 Director’s Cut is a traditional CRPG (Computer Role-Playing Game) in the vein of the original Fallout 1 and 2. The first Wasteland game came out in 1988, and was the inspiration behind Fallout. Wasteland 2 is filled with lots of text to read, with a deep storyline and engaging tactical combat that is not for the faint of heart. Though if you want to relive the glory days of CRPGs, this is it and perfect for your Nintendo Switch.

Dying Light 2

Parkour meets zombies in the surprise hit Dying Light. A game that came out of nowhere with excellent melee fighting mechanics and Assassin’s Creed-like first-person free running across the ruins. The zombies too were strong, but at night, that’s when they get frenzied and things get really scary. Now, Dying Light 2 is almost upon us, and it’s got legendary game designer Chris Avellone working on it. Featuring an open world with a decision tree that could mean life or death for the groups of survivors.

Metro 2033 series

A definitive post-apocalyptic game, the Metro series focuses on a horror first-person shooter survival experience, as most of the game takes place in the Metro tunnels under a nuclear-ravaged Moscow. You sometimes break surface to take in the sun, but it’s usually safer down in the tunnels, or so you think. Metro 2033’s success saw the launch of the even better Metro: Last Light, with an incredible graphics engine that rendered very real environments of urban decay. Now Metro Exodus has reared its ugly head.

Fallout 76

The Fallout series is unique for the ‘60s sci-fi envisioned as an advanced retro futuristic world. The latest game, Fallout 76, is set in West Virginia in a prequel, as you play one of the first vault dwellers to emerge out of the safe confines of Vault 76 to brave the world ahead of them.

The Last of Us 2

As a game, The Last of Us was a work of art and storytelling. Painting a world ravaged by a different kind of zombie and the lives of those people who struggle to survive this. While most games paint a fantasylike picture, The Last of Us feels utterly real, as you follow Joel and a little girl named Ellie, as they make their way to safety. Now, Ellie has grown up, and the glimpses we have had of the game require a strong stomach to sit through, as we see some very real dismemberment and gore, to hit home the reality of the situation.

Horizon Zero Dawn

One of the best games of 2017, Horizon Zero Dawn presents a lush open world filled with dinosaurs; except these dinos are large machines that roam the lands. You play an outcast named Aloy, a proven hunter and tracker who, despite her social status, finds herself on a quest to find out the origins of these giant mechanical beasts. While the post-apocalyptic part is most definitely a mini spoiler, it’s a superbly told story, and the excellent pacing and environments are a masterclass in world building. Not to mention it’s got some of the best graphics we’ve seen on the Playstation 4 thus far.

The writer is a tech and gaming enthusiast who hopes to one day finish his sci-fi novel