| Wasteland 3 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | inXile Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Deep Silver |
| Director(s) | Tim Campbell |
| Producer(s) | Brian Fargo Kitty Lee |
| Designer(s) | David Rogers George Ziets |
| Artist(s) | Aaron Meyers |
| Writer(s) | Gavin Jurgens-Fihrye Nathan Long |
| Composer(s) | Mark Morgan Mary Ramos |
| Series | Wasteland |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
Wasteland 3 is arole-playing video game developed byinXile Entertainment and published byDeep Silver. It is a sequel toWasteland 2 (2014) and was released forMicrosoft Windows,PlayStation 4 andXbox One on August 28, 2020. ALinux andmacOS port was released on December 17, 2020.[1]
Wasteland 3 is a squad-basedrole-playing video game featuringturn-based combat.[2] Played from anisometric perspective, the game featuressynchronous andasynchronous multiplayer.[3] In the game, players need to make various choices, which have different impacts on the game's world and the story.[4] The game introduces a vehicle that the players can use to traverse the world. The main campaign can be playedcooperatively with another player.[5]
Wasteland 3 is set in the frozen wastelands of apost-apocalypticColorado. The player takes control of two members from Arizona Ranger Team November, who survived after their unit was ambushed while on a mission in Colorado. The two survivors are subsequently forced to work with the local ruler, known as the "Patriarch", in order to earn his support for the Arizona Rangers - after the last game, and the choice between Highpool and Ag Center, the Rangers are struggling to keep order in the face of increasingly severe shortages of food and water.
Once arrived and settled, the rangers are informed by the Patriarch that they are to hunt down and rein in his three heirs, who have gone wild and begun fighting each other to succeed him, as well as fight to preserve his rule over the many settlements and scattered populations that make up Colorado. However, as the story unfolds, the rangers discover the extent of the Patriarch's brutality, and are contacted by Angela Deth (a returning NPC from previousWasteland games) who asks for their help in sparking a rebellion against the Patriarch. Player must then decide whether to uphold the original bargain or work to free Colorado and potentially endanger the future of Arizona.
Wasteland 3 was announced by inXile Entertainment in September 2016.Wasteland 3 was developed using theUnity game engine. The development team is composed of people who worked onTorment: Tides of Numenera (2017).[6] As withWasteland 2, inXile chose tocrowdfund the development of the game. Unlike their previousKickstarter projects, inXile chose to useequity crowdfunding serviceFig.[7] The crowdfunding campaign launched in October 2016, and concluded a month later with over $3 million raised.[8]
The game was scheduled to launch onLinux,PlayStation 4,Windows andXbox One in Q4 2019.[3][9] AfterXbox Game Studios acquired the company, inXile hired more staff for the game's development and delayed its release date to early 2020.[10] The game's budget was three times more thanWasteland 2. The additional budget was mostly spent on implementing conversational scenes and hiring voice actors.[4] It was delayed again due to inXile's remote working conditions from theCOVID-19 pandemic,[11] while the Mac and Linux versions were postponed to an undisclosed date due to developer's "decision to focus Wasteland 3's initial release on Windows 10, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4".[12] The game was eventually ported to Linux and macOS in December 2020.
Two expansions, titledBattle of Steeltown andCult of the Holy Detonation, were released on June 3, 2021, and October 5, 2021.[13][14]
The soundtrack received special attention from inXile'sBrian Fargo when he hired Mary Ramos,[15][non-primary source needed] known for her work asQuentin Tarantino's music supervisor[16] to create music forWasteland 3. Inspired by the idea of future civilizations not having context for the meaning or intent of a piece of music or lyrics they might find,[17] the soundtrack includes post-apocalyptic versions of theWelcome Back (Kotter) andGreen Acres theme songs,Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight", as well as American anthems and bible hymns.[18]Mark Morgan (Wasteland 2,Fallout,Fallout 2) returned to add his unique take on an atmospheric score for the post-apocalypse.
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PC: 85/100[19] PS4: 79/100[20] XONE: 84/100[21] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Eurogamer | Recommended[24] |
| Game Informer | 8.5/10[28] |
| GameRevolution |   [30] |
| GamesRadar+ |   [26] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 9/10[31] |
| IGN | 8/10[22] |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 15/20[32] |
| PlayStation Official Magazine – UK | 8/10 |
| PC Gamer (US) | 84/100[23] |
| PCGamesN | 9/10[25] |
| Push Square | [27] |
| Shacknews | 9/10[29] |
| The Guardian | [33] |
The game received generally positive reviews upon release, getting a score of 85/100 from critics onreview aggregatorMetacritic.[19] By December 2021, the game had attracted more than 2 million players.[34]
It was nominated for the category of Best Role Playing atThe Game Awards 2020,[35] as well as "Role-Playing Game of the Year" at the24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards,[36] but lost both toFinal Fantasy VII Remake.