Fallout 4: Nuka-World Review

Nuka-musement!

Like an Ice-Cold bottle of Nuka-Cola, Nuka-World—the sixth and final expansion for Fallout 4—is a refreshing swill. As a parody of Walt Disney World and a celebration of all things Nuka-Cola, Nuka-World is set in the eponymous amusement park that (seriously) doesn't take itself too seriously. It's a place where mirelurks are Nuka-lurks, robotic sentinels blast you with neon-blue Nuka-Cola shots, and some raiders are dressed like extras from Joker's gang. This expansion can get flat over time, but it goes down sweet and is delightfully fizzy.

Actually getting to Nuka-World, though, is easier said than done. After repairing and boarding the Nuka-Express monorail, located southwest of Sanctuary and slightly off the world map, you'll step off at the Nuka-World train station, only to be vaulted right into a series of trials. I won't spoil too much about what happens, but let's just say that the trials seem built by a devilish modder who had way too much time with the game's workshop editor. But eventually, with some aid, you'll become the overboss of a ragtag group of raiders who control Nuka-Town, the central hub of the Nuka-World theme park.

From there, the main objective is to conquer the remaining parks—Galactic Zone, Dry Rock Gulch, Kiddie Kingdom, and Safari Adventure—in the name of the raiders… or not. You're free to wipe out the raiders if you don't particularly care for the drama between the three raider groups or for their enslavement and entrapment of innocent traders. That said, doing so weakens the connective thread of Nuka-World's story as there is no way of conquering or allying with the other inhabitants in the other parks on behalf of, say, the traders. Resolving some of the plot threads in the other parks lead to dialogue options that assume you're with the raiders without considering whether you actually are or not.

Otherwise, the only quests that hold the expansion together are based on collectibles, chiefly gathering park medallions and finding hidden Cappy tags around the theme park. By using special glasses given by character who you may recognize from Fallout 3, you can uncover all the letters of a password that unlocks a door that reveals the backstory of Nuka-Cola's founder. Anyone who wishes to learn more about one of the most important pieces of Fallout's lore will certainly appreciate this quest, though the pivotal decision you need to make at the end of it is rather forced.

The other collectible quest is based on gathering Star Core computer panels, which are mainly used to deactivate the robot army patrolling the Galactic Zone. But you can opt to collect all 35 Star Cores spread throughout the park to obtain a special Power Armor suit, tantalizingly locked behind a display case. However, the only clues you're given are where they are in a general area and the clue for five of them pretty much boils down to “Well, they can be anywhere in Nuka-World!” Thanks, game, that helps a lot…

But on the bright side, each area of the theme park has a unique questline that riffs on classic pop culture. My favorites of the lot center around a Tarzan-like character in Safari Adventure and a magician in Kiddie Kingdom that reminds of The Riddler. And Galactic Zone itself has several interesting exhibits that are surprisingly dense and even include a ride-able roller coaster in Nuka-Galaxy once the power to the entire area is restored. Outside of the park, one storyline spoofs scientology to ridiculously comical effect.

Better yet, Nuka-Town itself features a Nuka-Cade that contains Fallout-themed variations of classic games like skeeball, hoops, a shooting range, and whack-a-mole. Performing well in these mini-games will give you a wealth of tickets, which also can be found laying about the theme park in rolls, that can be redeemed for prizes. There's nothing stopping you from cheating, though, by simply dropping the ball in the 70-point corner pocket in skeeball or whacking the moles with a combat knife instead of the intended hammer.

Beyond that, Nuka-World adds several new parts that you can find in the workshop editor. The best of the bunch is the Nuka-Mixer machine that you find peppered around the park and allows you to combine all of the varieties of Nuka flavor—Grape, Orange, Cherry, Quartz, Quantum, Wild, Dark, Victory—into other more interesting, more powerful brews. Nuka-Cide in particular is one of the best cure-all buffs that you can create in general (and the Nuka-Cola vending machines continually restock in Nuka-World). In the workshop editor, you'll have access to all of the Nuka-Cade machines too, though you unfortunately won't have any rollercoaster parts.

Nuka-World may not have a storyline that is as significant and connective as Far Harbor's, but it still ranks as one of the better expansions for Fallout 4. Instead of ending the game with a heavy, emotional finale, Nuka-World is a humorous excursion that's feels like a well-deserved, fun-filled Nuka-vacation. (A Nuka-cation?!) As a world of refreshment, it certainly does the trick.