When the original Wasteland was released by Interplay back in 1988, the game was critically and commercially acclaimed. Considered to be the genesis of later post-apocalyptic RPGs like the Fallout series, the first entry of which was developed by Interplay in 1997, the games have been revived in recent years with Wasteland 2 and Wasteland 3 releasing in 2014 and 2020 respectively, though this time by inXile Entertainment.
InXile isn’t the only developer that has revived the isometric RPG format. Obsidian Entertainment created two fantasy RPGs with isometric layouts that gained critical acclaim, Pillars of Eternity and its sequel, Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire. Obsidian, however, has now opted to make the same change seen in the Fallout franchise, dropping the isometric format to make Avowed, a first-person RPG set in the Pillars of Eternity universe. There are some good reasons that the next game after Wasteland 3 should consider the same move.
First-Person Wasteland
The revival of isometric RPGs by developers like inXile and Obsidian Entertainment has been one of the most impressive feats by smaller RPG studios in the last decade, particularly because many of the developers on both teams helped create the format while working at different developers like Black Isle Studios.
However, Obsidian is making the change from isometric RPGs to Avowed’s first-person perspective because, despite the strength of its stories and the game’s setting in the world of Eora, the Pillars of Eternity games always struggled to meet their critical acclaim with matched commercial success.
Both the Pillars of Eternity series and the recent Wasteland games have relied on crowdfunding, and one of the reasons Obsidian Entertainment developers gave for the change in Avowed was simple: isometric RPGs struggle to make money, and cannot be relied upon to keep an RPG studio afloat. Though there are still many fans of the format, sticking with it can risk the developers going under, which means no more RPGs at all from some of the most talented RPG makers in the business, at least under the same roof.
The switch to first-person will be controversial as it has been in the past. Bethesda faced a lot of backlash from Fallout fans for changing the format for Fallout 3, but the game ended up being a hit. One of the simple reasons for this is that the first-person perspective is more accessible and often more immersive to many players than a top-down isometric view.
The Future of RPGs
The early access of Baldur’s Gate 3, another famous isometric RPG franchise which has been revived, has also been met with some criticism. It’s possible the genre simply can’t grip players in the way it used to be able to, and that for developers to survive and tell their stories, a shift in the format is necessary. If Baldur's Gate 3 is successful at launch, however, it could mark a turning point in the industry that would make the shift unnecessary.
There will be many fans of isometric RPGs, however, who will disagree with the idea that Wasteland should be first-person. There is certainly something to be said for avoiding making all RPGs too similar, especially since so many RPGs tried to emulate the success of Skyrim in the wake of its huge sales. Studios like inXile, however, may have to face an unfortunate reality when it comes to their RPG format if they want to meet more mainstream audiences and also become accessible on the next generation of consoles.
Ultimately, gamers will vote with their wallets. inXile is in a good position – the developer can compare the commercial success of Avowed with the success of the first two games in the Pillars of Eternity series, and make its decision then. Which RPG developers will define the genre on the next-gen consoles, however, remains to be seen.
Wasteland 3 is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.