This review contains spoilers
I think Fallout 4 is mostly pretty okay to actively bad and harmful, except for Far Harbor, which is I think the best thing written under the Bethesda Games Studio roof. No other Bethesda story builds out and rapidly hits on singular themes the way Far Harbor does. Every last console entry, dialogue choice and bit of visual storytelling asks you if it's worth it to erase and rewrite this world if it means saving your people.
The story of Far Harbor makes an active effort to explain and justify the actions of The Institute, while also significantly complicating the actions of The Railroad. Replacement isn't really explained in base Fallout 4, but DiMa's plots explain why a technically advanced outsider would want their own people spread across the population. We also come to a deeper understanding of the real horror of what The Railroad does, both through DiMa's critique of them and his own actions - turning a Synth into someone else isn't just asking them to wear a disguise, but rather destroying everything they are.
The relationship between DiMa and Nick Valentine is heartbreaking and incredible, especially as you try to hold DiMa accountable for increasingly duplicitous but well-meaning deceptions. Talking to Nick after DiMa is killed by Far Harbor is absolutely heartbreaking.
I do have a few narrative issues with Far Harbor. The prevalence of unmarked, gated quests is particularly frustrating, as is the games' refusal to accept holding DiMa accountable without destroying The Nucleus as a completion-perk-worthy ending.
I have mixed feelings on Far Harbor's gameplay. First, the positive - all of the monsters in The Fog are fantastic. Slurpers, Anglers, Fog Crawlers all bring their own unique challenges, and can be actively scary at times. The new Radstags and Ghouls are really great, and even the Trappers bring some new difficulty with their harpoon guns.
In terms of gameplay issues, make sure you play Far Harbor around level 30, or get ready to lose every single round of ammo you have to enemies who eat lead. Venomous Anglers can go straight to hell. Also, since I've only ever played it on Survival, I have a weird perspective on the island as a playable space. It's a pretty significant landmass, and a lot of my playtime wound up involving hoofing it (sometimes overencumbered) between the few scattered towns and settlements. It continues an issue that's consistent across all of Fallout 4, which is a general lack of towns to visit and unload, while also having Fog-consumed settlements that require quest completion to unlock.
I like the Minecraft puzzle, despite what others think, btw :)
The story of Far Harbor makes an active effort to explain and justify the actions of The Institute, while also significantly complicating the actions of The Railroad. Replacement isn't really explained in base Fallout 4, but DiMa's plots explain why a technically advanced outsider would want their own people spread across the population. We also come to a deeper understanding of the real horror of what The Railroad does, both through DiMa's critique of them and his own actions - turning a Synth into someone else isn't just asking them to wear a disguise, but rather destroying everything they are.
The relationship between DiMa and Nick Valentine is heartbreaking and incredible, especially as you try to hold DiMa accountable for increasingly duplicitous but well-meaning deceptions. Talking to Nick after DiMa is killed by Far Harbor is absolutely heartbreaking.
I do have a few narrative issues with Far Harbor. The prevalence of unmarked, gated quests is particularly frustrating, as is the games' refusal to accept holding DiMa accountable without destroying The Nucleus as a completion-perk-worthy ending.
I have mixed feelings on Far Harbor's gameplay. First, the positive - all of the monsters in The Fog are fantastic. Slurpers, Anglers, Fog Crawlers all bring their own unique challenges, and can be actively scary at times. The new Radstags and Ghouls are really great, and even the Trappers bring some new difficulty with their harpoon guns.
In terms of gameplay issues, make sure you play Far Harbor around level 30, or get ready to lose every single round of ammo you have to enemies who eat lead. Venomous Anglers can go straight to hell. Also, since I've only ever played it on Survival, I have a weird perspective on the island as a playable space. It's a pretty significant landmass, and a lot of my playtime wound up involving hoofing it (sometimes overencumbered) between the few scattered towns and settlements. It continues an issue that's consistent across all of Fallout 4, which is a general lack of towns to visit and unload, while also having Fog-consumed settlements that require quest completion to unlock.
I like the Minecraft puzzle, despite what others think, btw :)