Fallout 4The dystopian landscape is hard to top when it comes to the creepy aspect. Set in a nuclear wasteland, players go through the game as Sole SurvivorA character who witnessed the murder of their spouse and the kidnapping of their child and now must try to find them. However, there’s an Easter egg in the game that hints at even more violence and darkness beneath an already tumultuous surface, and it’s inspired by a great literary work from over 100 years ago.
The reference scene takes place in the Castle, or more specifically, in the tunnels. Once players find General McGann’s remains, they too Discover another body nearby, and it becomes clear that the game has a lot of inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe The cask of Amontillado. The story is a dark and twisted tale about two men and betrayal, with one of the men ending up buried alive. Fallout 4 Draws a lot of inspiration from the story for the visuals found in the game.
A horrific image makes for top-tier world building
Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado
The visual references are spot on, as pointed out in the comments of the Reddit post by the user TwinSong. In the original story, a man named Montresor invites his friend Fortunato down into the catacombs with the promise of Amontillado. instead, He chains Fortunato to a wall, builds another wall around him, and buries him alive. in Fallout 4This is the exact image audiences are left with once they explore the Castle; There is a skeleton, with his hands tied above his head, buried behind another wall.
McGann is likely not directly tied to the body in the wall; His body was also found in the Castle tunnels after he was trapped there. It’s a more subtle nod to the original story, but one that still notes that they’re stuck in this place and can’t get out.. McGann is also tied to wine, as it is his last drink before he eventually loses his life. The links to wine, being trapped and literally buried in the wall illustrate the strength of the story and how macabre it can still be.
The references strengthen the world-building
A great literary work from over 100 years ago
While a lot of people can make the connection to the reference with this scene alone, Fallout 4 is full of hidden quests and other little nods to The cask of Amontillado. One of the junk items in the game is a bottle of Amontillado. Players can find these bottles sprinkled throughout the game, especially in the Castle Tunnels. The bottles also still have evidence of the reference on them, with the signature “P. Edgar.” The reference is clear and shows how much fun the developers had when integrating it into the game.
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The cask of Amontillado Has been referenced countless times, but the still mystery inside Fallout 4 Makes this reference one of the creepier. Players don’t know what the skeleton is or why they’re there, allowing imaginations to run wild with speculation. There’s a pretty creepy element that elevates the atmosphere, making the threats seem even more intimidating because motivations aren’t known. Fallout 4 Clearly uses literary references to create a better atmosphere for the gamer.
Source: TwinSong / Reddit, Mitten Squad/YouTube