By
Steven Garrard
Published 11 minutes ago
Steven is a seasoned writer specializing in the video game and technological fields, with years of experience creating reviews, features, and industry analysis. Passionate about the gaming world and its evolving culture, Steven always wanted to combine his enjoyment of writing and love for gaming in a way that can provide insightful coverage for players and enthusiasts alike, striving to provide this since he joined Screenrant in 2024.
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The unique world of Fallout offers plenty of different mutated enemies or friends to populate the wasteland, but easily one of the most iconic is the zombie-like ghouls roaming the wasteland. While expanded lifespans, regenerative abilities, and resistance to radiation make ghouls sound like the perfect kind of person to survive Fallout's post-apocalyptic wasteland, they're often discriminated against or take a backseat due to their grotesque appearances.
This isn't to say that all bias against ghouls is unfounded, as each is susceptible to going feral from several imprecise factors, which range from mental instability, overexposure to radiation, or genetic factors. Despite being one of the most creative aspects of the post-apocalyptic franchise, one of the harsh realities of Fallout is just how underutilized they are as a whole, often having surprisingly little story depth and opportunities to play as one.
Thanks To The Show, Ghouls Are More Popular Than Ever
Too ghoul for school
Walton Goggins as The Ghoul nodding with his hat in Fallout season 2Image via Prime Video
Although the pushback against Fallout's lack of spotlight on ghouls as a whole was relatively niche in the past, the explosive popularity of the Fallout TV show and its ghoul protagonist has resulted in a much greater interest in the story concept as a whole.
Reframing the concept of ghouls by thrusting one of the most characteristic representations of them into the spotlight, it's no wonder so many fans are clamoring for an opportunity to play as one for themselves.
Even if it's not as a playable character, simply having a greater spotlight for ghouls as a whole to be more than just supporting roles or for side quests would be an excellent shift in direction for the series, especially if Bethesda introduces some of their more unique designs and personalities from the original isometric Fallout games.
The few instances we have seen of ghouls getting a greater spotlight in more recent Fallout games have also created some of the most standout characters in the series, with both Charon from Fallout 3 and John Hancock from Fallout 4 being some of the best companions their respective wanderers could ask for.
As if the renewed interest in ghouls as a concept wasn't enough, thanks to the new additions to their lore and ghoulification process from the recent Fallout show, Fallout 76 has already proved that the concept has excellent gameplay potential for future installments.
A Playable Ghoul In Fallout 5 Makes Sense
Give the people what they want, Bethesda
Eddie Winter as a ghoul in his bunker in Fallout 4.
One of the best aspects of Fallout 76's experimental nature is that it helped Bethesda explore what a playable ghoul in the Fallout franchise could look like, which only came about through a crossover with the official television seriesduring the Ghoul Within update.
Even bringing Walton Goggins' The Ghoul into Fallout 76 itself, the ghoul mechanics wouldn't need too much alteration to make it work in a fully-fledged Fallout game.
Ghouls also have access to plenty of unique skills in Fallout 76, built around their new strengths and mechanics that could also be carried over or adjusted into a new entry.
Even Fallout fans themselves have already been experimenting with playable ghouls using mods for well over a decade at this point, showing just how much demand and potential there is for the mechanic. Although it would likely take a lot of effort to incorporate the concept of selecting ghoulification as a trait during character creation, the upcoming Fallout 5 could offer the mechanic as a primary selling point of the next-generation experience.
Having played as Vault Dwellers for just about every Fallout game aside from Fallout: New Vegas, playing as a ghoul that has already been through all the worst aspects of the post-apocalypse could provide an incredibly fresh perspective on the series.
Even if Bethesda wants to stick to tradition, it's easy to see a Vault-Tec experiment gone wrong, which would offer even more control over the gameplay experience without breaking series lore.
Despite the long-awaited release of Fallout 5 still being many years away from becoming a reality, it does have the silver lining that Bethesda has even more time to cook up a creative new gameplay offering related to ghoulification, taking full advantage of the unique lore and explosive popularity of the Fallout TV show to deliver an experience that can satisfy both new and old fans alike.
Can Bethesda Cash In On The Ghoul's Popularity?
The signs are definitely there
Hancock sits in an armchair, cup in one hand, saluting with the other, in a screenshot from Fallout 4.
With plenty of fans only just getting into Fallout after having watched the television show or being captivated by The Ghoul's performance, Fallout 5 will have a much wider audience to satisfy. Unfortunately, despite the rejuvenated interest in ghouls as a standout offering of the Fallout series, it's hard to see Bethesda taking such a bold new direction for the iconic series as forcing players into the role of a heavily mutated survivor.
Even if Fallout 5 did the concept justice by building the story around a character like The Ghoul, there are just as many players who would feel betrayed by the removal of Fallout's freedom as an RPG. The best-case scenario for Fallout 5 would likely be incorporating it as an optional mechanic like in Fallout 76, which could take a lot of effort in a single-player only experience.
Even if it takes a paid DLC to let us play as a ghoul in Fallout 5, there's clearly more than enough incentive to incorporate playable ghouls into the next generation, or at the very least, explore ghouls in greater depth moving forward with the Fallout series.
Fallout
Created by
Tim Cain, Leonard Boyarsky
First TV Show
Fallout
First Episode Air Date
April 10, 2024
Cast
Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, Moises Arias, Xelia Mendes-Jones, Walton Goggins
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video
TV Show(s)
Fallout
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Fallout
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PC Games
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