You'd think being stuck in a post-apocalyptic wasteland would be a crappy way to pass the time, but Fallout 4 manages to take the premise and turn it into one of the most breathtakingly intense role-playing games ever made. The chatter that dogged the game before its release was "Will it be able to live up to its predecessors?" The question that dogged the game post-release was "Is this one of the best games ever made, and can I please play this on every gaming platform ever invented?"
With such widespread popularity and critical acclaim, it was only a matter of time before the game's internal mythology became the object of obsessive attention among gamers all over the world. Each level was examined in minute detail to uncover every last piece of equipment, side-quests, and easter eggs that the makers had managed to squeeze into the background. As with every other great game, there's a ton of information hiding beneath the surface waiting to be discovered by gamers who have time enough to spend hours in the wastelands of post-apocalyptic Boston rooting through sewers and endless terminal exits.
Let's take a look at some of the more unsettling pieces of gameplay that various players have uncovered in Fallout 4 over time. Secrets that may have been better left uncovered for you to sleep undisturbed at night. Secrets that will make you want to dive back into the world of Fallout 4 with a new-found appreciation of its intricate inner world and thought-provoking narrative. Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead!
25 The Covenant Is A Very Disturbing Place
Every settlement you visit in Fallout 4 seems to be actively competing for the title of "Most disturbing place to spend an afternoon in." That is why finally getting to The Covenant makes you catch your breath in disbelief. Could it be possible that a settlement that contains happy, optimistic people living together in peace and harmony could exist in such a world? Have you finally found a place you could call home?
Sure, if you like whole-scale obliteration! Turns out the Covenant is a front used to capture synths (human-like androids). Once the synths are caught, they're subjected to a series of horrifying experiments in an effort to figure out their internal workings and determine a method of identifying them by asking a couple of questions. It's unethical experimentation of the worst kind, apart from the idea having been lifted directly from Blade Runner.
24 Meet The Nuka-Cola Founder... Or At Least, A Part Of Him
The Nuka-Cola is the most popular beverage in Fallout 4. The drink reminds you of a simpler time before the great war, quenches thirst, and you can even use its caps as currency. Back in Fallout 3, there was a character called Sierra Pietrova who was more than happy to shell out generous amounts to you for Nuka-Cola Quantum.
Pietrova makes a return appearance in Fallout 4, in the Nuka-World theme park. If you decide to join her on a quest to find all the Cappys in the park, the quest eventually leads you to the preserved head of the Nuka-Cola founder John-Caleb Bradberton. This is a sly (and don't forget, disturbing) reference to real life franchise mogul Walt Disney, who was famously rumored to have had his body preserved cryogenically, awaiting resurrection sometime in the future.
23 A Mine Full Of Otherworldly Horrors
Located near the museum of witchcraft(don't worry, we'll get to that, too) is a large mining site run by the Dunwich Borers. The company pays an army of thugs to guard the mine, while an army of raiders work below ground on some secret work.
Exploring the mine at the upper levels can be predictable work, with your having to fend off the standard ghoul/raider attacks while finding the occasional journal entry warning of the dangers of working in the mine. But wait till you get to a terminal belonging to a raider named Bedlam. Moving further below down from there, sudden hallucinations and discovery of an underground pool of water at the bottom of the mine point towards the existence of a set of otherworldly monsters in the Fallout Universe worshipped by a cult that's straight out of the famed horror novel "The Dunwich Horror."
22 Pickman's Gallery Tells You Ever More About The Otherworldly Horrors
If what you find at the bottom of the mine leaves you with more questions than answers, Pickman Gallery in the downtown area of the Commonwealth might give you further clues. Also the desire to vomit.
The galley hosts such artistic works as blood smeared on the walls, raw human flesh piled up in mounds and several decapitated heads. While the creator of these horrors, Pickman himself, is indicated to be a serial killer, its strongly suggested that he was also influenced by a famous Lovecraftian horror novel. That is what made him call himself "Pickman", and that is why you see that one of his paintings is of a single large red eye being worshipped by a cult. It seems that Pickman's obsession is in some way related to the underground horrors you found in the Dunwich Borers mine...
21 The Gruesome Object Hiding In The Walls
There are a lot of literary references in Fallout 4. One can be found in the Minuteman Settlement, The Castle. In order to find this little easter egg, you need to finish the Minuteman storyline first. After you're done, you will be able to unlock The Castle Armory. Follow the path past the armory to the final room, where you will find the deceased body of a Minutemen general next to a cask of Amontillado wine.
This is clearly a reference to famed horror writer and Boston native Edgar Allan Poe, and one of his most celebrated works, "The Cask of Amontillado." What completes the chilling picture is the hole in the wall next to the general which reveals the body of a skeleton chained to the back. This is similar to how the story ended in Poe's work, only set within the Fallout Universe.
20 The Chilling Discovery Inside A Fridge
One way Fallout 4 immerses you in its world is by giving you subtle clues as to how the Great War that kickstarted the series had an effect on the general population. You may be able to protect yourself against every danger as the protagonist, but you constantly encounter grim reminders of just how badly the fallout went for those who did not have access to the same resources as you.
One such ugly reminder occurs in the side quest "Kid In A Fridge." From inside a ruined house South of University Point, you hear a child calling for help. Upon further investigation, you find that a child ghoul, named Billy, had been trapped in his fridge for 200 years ever since the Great War. It is now up to you to take care of Billy and make sure he returns safely to his family.
19 Deacon Has A Very Disturbing Hobby
Of all the companions you can acquire while playing Fallout 4, no one interacts as much with you as Deacon. The thing is, half the time, you don't even realize that an interaction is in progress. That is because Deacon has a disturbing habit of spying on you from a safe distance.
Visual clues of Deacon's stalking pepper the whole game. Starting with, he's watching you near the vault entrance from a nearby station. He's one of the guards when you first enter Diamond City. He's there when Hancock delivers his big speech during "Good Neighbor." He's one of the pods in the Memory Den, and you can also chat with him when you first enter Bunker Hill.
What do all these glimpses tell you? That Deacon has been interested in you far longer than you realized. What you make of this obsession is up to you...
18 The Museum Of Witchcraft Is Exactly As Creepy As It Sounds
When you straight up call an establishment A Museum of Witchcraft, you're pretty much dialing up the creep factor to 10 from the outset. And sure enough, the inside of the museum lives up to the hype.
The first thing you see is the body of a random mercenary with most of its interesting parts missing. Resisting the urge to turn around and walk back out, you venture deeper into the building. You soon realize a violent predator is stalking your every move. While trying to wrap your head around this fact, you notice a bunch of creepy mannequins nearby all apparently staring sightlessly at the same sight. If you can bear to venture still further inside, you will come face to face with the actual predator stalking you: A fearsome Deathclaw looking to disembowel you and taste your insides...
17 Let The Screams Lead You Deeper Inside The Insane Asylum
The Parsons State Insane Asylum can give you a severe case of the creeps. But to get the full creep effect, first you need to fulfill some missions for the Cabot family. Through the missions, you will learn that the Cabots are a family of immortals, thanks to the blood harvested from their imprisoned, immortal grandfather Lorenzo.
Soon you're caught in the thick of the battle for Lorenzo's blood. You get to explore the asylum in detail during your quest, and that's when you come into contact with the skeletons of the asylum inmates that were trapped inside when the nuclear fallout occurred. It's creepy, sad and hilarious at the same time to come across a skeleton that is stuck in the wall, or one that is in the act of fishing in the toilet bowl.
16 Get A Taste Of The Hunger Games In Vault 75
The world of Fallout is equally harsh for all its characters, regardless of age or gender. No part of the map bears greater testimony to this fact than Vault 75, located under a middle school. While the vault was originally designed to provide protection to families in the event of a nuclear explosion, it serves a very different purpose in present times.
The Vault as it stands in Fallout 4 serves as a harvesting pool made up of children who survived the nuclear fallout. These children were subjected to experiments and torture to create a stronger species of humans. The children were also subjected to systemic brainwashing, to the point where they hated anyone who survived in the wasteland above. In the end, all the children who survived were harvested for their organs, eliminated or tossed on a waste heap to await their end.
15 Become The Author Of Destruction At Hallucigen, Inc.
Located right in the middle of the Commonwealth, a gigantic building houses the office of Hallucigen, Inc., a company that specialized in crafting weapons before the Great War and which continues its deadly work into present times.
Exploring the Hallucigen, Inc. building is a crash course in understanding the depravity that humans sink to during war. The first thing you encounter within is a strange green fog, which causes members of any group that encounter it immediately turn on each other and start tearing each other apart. You also get to see a test area filled with skeletal remains of past test subjects who passed away in captivity while being subjected to horrific experimentation.
To top it all off, you can also personally partake in these experiments by designing your own green smoke bomb, using flamethrowers or electricity-spewing tesla coils on test-subjects etc...
14 The Unnamed And Dreadful Events That Consumed A School
The Suffolk Country Charter School is located in the Southern Central Area of the Commonwealth. Its a place that most players stumble across during one of the Minute Men settlement quests. What sets the place apart is a pink goo found in some parts of the building, as well as the existence of strange ghouls that carry a non-traditional pink coloring.
It's the story behind all the pink that gets distinctly creepy. The pink goo is all that remains of a paste that was at one time the only food being fed to students at the school. No one knows how exactly the paste was made or what it contains. Like a school meal program from your worst nightmares, it resulted in the children's complexion turning pink and eating too much of the paste resulted in addiction in some cases.
13 Never Go To Vault 95 If You Can't Control Yourself
If there's one thing we learn from Fallout, it's that big companies like Vault-Tec love to prey on the weakest members of society. Another grim reminder of this can be found in Vault 95. Ostensibly created to be a bomb shelter, the vault actually acted as a testing lab for deeply disturbing experiments carried out by its creators.
Vault 95 was built specifically for people who developed an addiction to "Chems." A secluded bunker that you can't get out of might seem the best place to be in to kick an addiction. But in this case, an employee was planted in the vault by Vault-Tec whose job was to release a cache of the substance in the middle of the vault. Chaos ensued, and the mangled skeletal remains of the patients you see are all that remain as a reminder of the "Experiment."
12 Beware The Marsh That Wants To Pull You Inside Itself
The Forest Grove Marsh is a location you encounter while on the mission "Jewel of the Commonwealth." This is a tricky area to navigate. Your supplies are running short, and there's precious little loot to gather that might aid you in your quest. And then there are the waters of the marsh itself.
The first thing you have to remember is that the water is radioactive. By Fallout standards, that's actually pretty tame. But what makes it really creepy is that if you are unfortunate enough to fall into the marsh, you will be attacked by an army of feral ghouls looking to drag you further into the deeps. Drowning in regular water can be terrifying by itself. Now imagine feeling the icy grip of an army of ghouls as you struggle to leave the water. Definitely a hair-raising experience.
11 The Mannequins That Tell A Tale Of Nameless Horrors
There are a whole bunch of mannequins in Fallout 4. You find them in several buildings and even in open fields. They can't move or harm you in any way. Then why are they some of the creepiest objects you can encounter in the game?
The in-game function of these mannequins is to mess with your senses. Make you see enemies when really they're just mannequins. But then there are mannequins found in such odd places you're forced to question the reason for their being there. Like the Concord Speakeasy, where a mannequin can be found in bed next to a skeleton. In the bathroom are three naked mannequins armed with weapons surrounding a headless corpse. Then there's the mannequin found standing before a mound of burned corpses. And if you thought all these mannequins were inanimate, harmless objects... Well, you've been warned.
10 Jack O'Lanterns Actively Want To Take Your Life
The larger world of Fallout can often feel like one giant booby-trap driven by malice and hate. But that doesn't mean you can't find smaller traps as well. See, a week before the great war, residents of pre-apocalyptic Earth were getting ready to celebrate Halloween. But then the apocalypse occurred, and for 200 plus years, all that survived was the remnants of Halloween decorations seen littering some parts of the game.
If you see Halloween decorations that appear suspiciously planted, especially Jack O'Lanterns trick or treat pails, have a care! Some enterprising raiders may have been responsible for their placement. These ancient decorations may look innocent, but they could have been rigged by the raiders to actively hurt passersby. If you notice these pails and wish to add their contents to your loot, keep a sharp lookout for raiders nearby.
9 Cheers: Everybody Knows Your Name... But They're All Gone
Needless to say, the opportunities to visit quality hotel establishments in Fallout 4 are scarce. When every restaurant you visit is infested with Mole Rats and Feral Ghouls looking to disembowel you, it becomes difficult to take the time to admire the local upholstery in between shooting down enemies.
However, if you visit the basement bar near Boston Common and Swan's Pond, it's worth your time to check out its interiors. Inside the bar, you will find three skeletons dressed and placed in a manner which makes it clear that they are supposed to belong to the cast of the smash hit TV show 'Cheers'. You'll see Frasier, Norm, and Cliff Calvin still hanging out at their favorite bar in their skeletal state. The character of Lilith seems to have ditched her friends and may possibly have even survived the nuclear fallout!
8 Decide The Worth Of A Life
Fallout 4 poses a lot of moral and ethical questions, in between the obligatory slaughter of mutant creatures. One such ethical dilemma is found in the Wasteland when you happen across a deathmatch between a Commonwealth citizen and his synth doppelganger.
You come across the two with one pointing a shotgun at the other. You'll have to use speech check to figure out which of the combatants is the human and which is the synth. If you're in possession of the awareness perk, you can identify the synth based on damage resistance.
Now comes the decision that tests your morality. You can choose to tell the human to shoot the synth or plead for mercy on its behalf. Even your companions will show varying reactions to whether you condemn or protect the synth. So how much is a Synth's life worth to you?
7 Make The Most Spectacular Fourth Of July Fireworks
Just because you are stuck in a post-apocalyptic wasteland doesn't mean you can't celebrate the Fourth of July! The makers of the game probably didn't intend such a celebration, but you can find firework supplies Northeast of Relay Tower oBB-915, where an unmarked shack above a cliff awaits your attention. Inside this ordinary looking shack you will find a ton of propane tanks and three ramps just waiting to be messed with.
To get the festivities started, place the tanks on the ramps at an angle. Now all you have to do is shoot the tanks, and they'll be blasted off into space. You can get the full effect of the spectacular fireworks if you wait for night to fall. It may not be the most traditional sort of celebration, but is strangely in keeping with the twisted post-apocalyptic theme of the world you inhabit.
6 The Most Dangerous Maze You Ever Encountered
There are a lot of twisted minds that exist in Fallout 4. One of those minds created the Milton General Hospital Parking Garage. Why is the garage so disturbing, you ask? Its design is something right out a scene from the Saw Franchise. Radiation, explosions, and ghouls populate the garage, separated by flimsy plywood walls. Only a set of white markers tell you where to go.
Once inside the maze, you will encounter puzzles that test your mind as well as your strength. Observing the whole action are an army of mannequins with torn off limbs and missing clothes. Navigating successfully past the traps puts two trunks of loot before you. You can only choose one of the trunks to raid. One carries offensive weapons, while the other one carries medicine. Choosing one trunk destroys the other, so you better make a carefully calculated decision.