What happens when you take one of the most expansive role playing games in the past few years and reduce the graphics to something a Nintendo DS would even scoff at? You get Fallout 3, the demake.

Yes, the Bethesda-created post-apocalyptic role playing game got a bit of a makeover in the form of a recreation in the style of an 8-bit game. Not just any 8-bit game, either, but a Japanese one. The game is fully playable, albeit completely in Japanese, emulating that fuzzy feeling you got when you finally got a hold of the latest JRPG straight from the source and struggled to play it while simultaneously looking up translations. The official Bethesda Blog comments on the game:

What would Fallout look like if it had been made in 1987 by a Japanese development studio? Our scientists have answered that question, taking over the Japanese Fallout website with an 8-bit version of the Capital Wasteland.

Just like that import copy of Final Fantasy 5 you nabbed in the 90s, this game is Japanese language-only. Fortunately, it’s still amusing to gaze at the pixelated approximations of super mutants and the like. Here’s a direct link right to the game; no cartridge-cleaning required.

It's a fun little game, provided you can understand Japanese. Bumbling through the game and clicking on random links is equally gratifying though. However, shrinking the entire game down into a 8-bit like game means you can finish Fallout 3 in not even a quarter of the time it would take for you to finish the game proper on the PC or console iterations.

Don't let the smart little adaptation put you off from playing the real thing, though. Fallout 3 is definitely a worth while play, as is the follow-up, New Vegas (our review). They would both be great games to fill in the void while you wait for the latest Elder Scrolls game, Skyrim.

If by some chance you do speak Japanese, give the game a play through and let us know how it is.

Source: RipTen