Wasteland 3 Release Date, Gameplay, Trailer, And Co-Op
The original Wasteland was released way back in 1988, and ever since, this top-down, turn-based RPG series (that is responsible for inspiring games like Fallout) has kept and cultivated a loyal fanbase that only continues to grow. Though the original amassed quite the following, it wasn't until 25 years later that a successful Kickstarter campaign led to the production of Wasteland 2. Now Wasteland 3 is in development, and fans of the franchise are feverishly searching for more information about it.
So what can we expect as far as the third game in the series concerned? Here is everything you need to know about the Wasteland 3's release date, gameplay, trailer, and co-op.
When will Wasteland 3 be released?
The developers at inXile gave Wasteland 3 an official release date, and then had to delay it due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fortunately, a launch isn't too far off in the future. Wasteland 3 will be released on Aug. 28, 2020. The game will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC with possible inclusion on other platforms in the future.
As the release date nears, it's likely inXile will give its loyal fan base more information about what they can expect from this upcoming title.
What is the Wasteland 3 gameplay like?
Fans of the franchise can expect the gameplay in Wasteland 3 to be similar to the first two titles in the series, but with a number of enhancements. The top-down turn-based system will still be in effect, giving players an experience much like one you'd find in Diablo. And from the promotional materials that have been released so far, we know that the game will take place in Colorado and contain lot more humor in it than the first two games.
The inclusion of co-op gameplay also means that you'll see not only your influence on the world, but your partner's influence as well. With an environment that can be affected by what you do and an exciting new area to explore, fans will be able to enjoy the gameplay they've come to love from Wasteland with the added benefits of new technology and graphics.
Is there a trailer for Wasteland 3?
The story trailer for Wasteland 3 was released at E3 2019, giving players a more humorous look at what Wasteland 3 has in store for them. This trailer hinted that everything in the game may not be as doom-and-gloom in post-apocalyptic Colorado and gave us an up-close view of some of the characters we'll come into contact with. It also gave off some serious Fallout vibes, making fans that much more excited for the new release.
Another trailer revealed at Gamescom 2019 gave fans a look at a mysterious character simply called, "The Patriarch of Colorado." It appears that, as rangers, players will be working with this man in a joint effort that doesn't sound totally amicable. But despite the mildly threatening tone of this Patriarch, we learn that players will be traversing treacherous landscapes in Colorado, trying to avoid gangs and cults in order to reach their destination.
Will there be co-op for Wasteland 3?
Thanks to the inclusion of a co-op option in Wasteland 3, gamers will be able to lead their own group of rangers with a friend, allowing both parties to split up and cover more ground. But whatever happens in your gameplay will affect your partner's gameplay as well. So if you progress further in your own game, the changed environment will show up for your partner when you both decide to play together again.
The inclusion of the co-op option is meant to allow players to take advantage of the large and sprawling landscape in a way that isn't quite so overwhelming. It will also allow for more strategy.
The game will feature 10 different endings
If you enjoy games that take your decisions into account, Wasteland 3 is definitely the game for you. This installment of the Wasteland series will feature an impressive 10 "major" endings. Throughout your gameplay, an A.I. system will track all of the various choices you make. Some of them may seem insignificant, but each of your decisions will work together to formulate an ending fitting of how you played the game.
During an interview with PCGamesN, Jeremy Kopan, a level designer for Wasteland 3 made this distinction about the multiple endings.
"We've done the back of the envelope maths, and we have at least ten major ending points," Kopan said. "And then there's tons of smaller choices that impact little permutations of the ending that ripple out through various characters. We also are tracking what different factions think of you, so how much The Patriarch's security force (The Marshals) like you affects choices that you can make much later in the game."
Players can expect a lot of replay value from Wasteland 3 if they intend to explore all ten of the major endings. Of course, if you decide you want to see all of the small changes within each of the ten endings, you'll definitely be getting your money's worth in gameplay time. No matter what you decide to do, there's definitely enough content in Wasteland 3 to keep you busy for a while.
How much will Wasteland 3 cost?
Purchasing Wasteland 3 won't break the bank as long as you were expecting a fairly standard price for a newly released game. The base game will cost $59.99 on Steam, though expansions could add to that price. Of course, if you were one of the lucky early supporters who backed the game on Fig, you may have already paid for the special edition that was only offered to those backers. For everyone else, $59.99 will be the standard price for the game across most retailers.
How does the environment affect the story?
When you imagine a game set in a post-apocalyptic world, the most common image to come to mind is a desert. Between Fallout, the previous Wasteland games, and just about every post-apocalyptic movie, a desolate wasteland of dry arid turf is what most have come to expect. This is why it's so refreshing to see that the game developers over at InXile have turned that trope on its head.
Wasteland 3 will be set in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado in what looks like a nuclear winter. The constant snowfall and icy terrain will make it difficult for your party to traverse the land. In addition to this, other factions that you'll find along the way will be far more isolated than they would have been in an open desert scenario. The rocky mountain ridges and precarious snowy ledges create natural distance and isolation between the settlements, making things more difficult for you and your party as you press forward in your journey.
The Rocky Mountains showcased in Wasteland 3 are more than just visually stunning; they offer a new element to the survival aspect of your gameplay. Sure, it's difficult to stay alive in a hot desert with limited water and shade, but that doesn't mean a snowy terrain will be a walk in the park. Fighting against hypothermia and trying to find viable sources of food when everything is frozen over will be a not-so-fun challenge for your group. Just think of it as a team-building exercise.
Which platforms will Wasteland 3 be available on?
There were some questions about what platforms Wasteland 3 would be available on, simply because of the twisty road traveled during development. The game was originally crowdfunded, but after receiving its full funding, Microsoft acquired InXile Entertainment and, by extension, the rights to Wasteland 3. It would make sense for Wasteland 3 to be an Xbox exclusive since Microsoft's name will be on it, but in staying true to the crowdfunded nature of the game, developers wanted to make sure all of their backers would have access to the title they invested in.
Wasteland 3 will be available on almost every current platform. At its release, you'll see the game on Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. There haven't been any official announcements about whether the game will eventually come to Nintendo Switch or not. Likewise, no mention has been made of future plans to port the game over to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, though there is always that possibility. So unless you own a Switch, chances are, you'll be able to play Wasteland 3 at launch on your preferred platform.
Is Wasteland 3 turn-based?
The game developers from InXile have taken elements from Wasteland 2 and revamped them for the third installment. One of the biggest overhauls that fans of the first two games will notice right away is the change to Initiative. Initiative is a combat mechanic that determines how early and how often a character can attack during a battle. While this seems like a great thing to keep in the game, developers noticed that players were manipulating the system to make their stronger characters attack several times in one move. This obviously led to some unevenly weighted battles, defeating the strategy aspect of combat.
In Wasteland 3, Initiative has been overhauled and combat has been balanced once more. The game is now truly turn-based without Initiative giving any one side unfair turns. Now, one faction plans and executes its attack on its turn, as does the opposing faction. This allows players to plan out strategic maneuvers, plan their attacks, and create a game plan that will work to their team's strengths.
Will Wasteland 3 be on Game Pass?
Despite being available on other platforms like PlayStation 4 and Steam, Wasteland 3 will still be coming to Xbox Game Pass at launch. This is likely due to Microsoft's ownership of InXile, and the additional funding the company pushed toward the game's development. And it won't just be Xbox Game Pass subscribers on console who get Wasteland 3, by the way. If you happen to subscribe to the PC variant of Game Pass, or if you pay for Game Pass Ultimate, you'll also gain access to Wasteland 3 on PC.
How much gameplay can we expect from Wasteland 3?
The question of how much gameplay you can expect out of Wasteland 3 is a slightly difficult one to address. The short answer is that developers have promised over 50 hours of gameplay from the main story. Of course, this estimate is for your first playthrough. This also only takes into account a normal playthrough rather than that of a completionist who wants to collect all achievements, collectibles, and secrets.
Developers have stated that Wasteland 3 will have 10 "major" endings with slight changes within each of those ten endings. Those endings will be determined by how you played and which decisions you made. Because of this, many players will want to replay Wasteland 3 to get all of the different endings. When you take this possibility into account, the amount of gameplay hours you'll get from this title drastically increases. So if you were worried that there isn't enough game to justify the money you'll spend on Wasteland 3, you should be pleasantly surprised.
How does the Microsoft takeover affect Wasteland 3?
Wasteland 3 was originally crowdfunded on Fig and Kickstarter, and diehard fans of the first two games were all too happy to contribute to a third title. After contributions started rolling in, though, something unexpected happened. In November 2018, Microsoft acquired InXile Entertainment and, by extension, Wasteland 3. While this could have put a damper on the game development, the opposite ended up being true.
In an interview with GamesRadar, Brian Fargo, the founder of InXile Entertainment, explained how Microsoft helped Wasteland 3 become an even better game.
"We have hundreds of thousands of lines of dialogue in this game," Fargo said. "That's not something... we wouldn't have had the physical resources to be able to voice all of that at all without Microsoft. Microsoft has come in and just made Wasteland 3 better. And that's an easy thing that I can point to, right, but it has been across the board."
Fargo went on to add, "Microsoft has just been saying, 'do what you do, and do it better than before.' They don't want to change this game. They want InXile to be quirky and unique; they want Wasteland 3 to have dark humour, they just want to make it a better game – it's been really exciting to be involved in."
This should make those looking forward to Wasteland 3 very happy.
What has changed from Wasteland 2?
With the release of a new Wasteland game, InXile Entertainment has been given the opportunity to improve on the previous game in the series. This means changes to systems that simply didn't work in Wasteland 2, as well as improvements to aspects weighed down by clunky mechanics. While the overall quirky feel of the Wasteland games will still be alive and well in this new entry, a few mechanical and user-based things have been changed to make the gaming experience more enjoyable and intuitive.
According to InXile's Brian Fargo, the user interface will be much more intuitive. In addition to this, combat will be more turn-based and will be less prone to exploits. The acquisition by Microsoft gave InXile the funds to hire better voice actors, making the environment more natural, and also gave InXile the ability to improve the game's graphics drastically. Inventory systems will now be shared across your entire party so that players won't have to access each character in order to take stock of what they have. This will make formulating a strategy much easier. On top of this, Fargo mentioned that character management has been improved.
Which characters will be in Wasteland 3?
After the events of Wasteland and Wasteland 2, the Desert Rangers are legends for destroying their own base in order to stop a massive threat. Their sacrifice hasn't gone unnoticed, and in Wasteland 3, The Patriarch of Colorado Springs requests assistance from these Desert Rangers so he can bring order to his own land. That being said, don't expect to see a lot of familiar Desert Rangers in the third game.
In this installment of Wasteland, players will control the last surviving member of Team November, the team that was dispatched to Colorado to aid The Patriarch. With your team gone, you'll need to build a new squad. Players can expect to see many new characters (and a few old ones) as they piece together a new team of allies. One familiar face you can recruit to your team is Scotchmo, the jovial drunkard from Wasteland 2. You'll also be able to recruit Lucia Wesson, an elite member of society who had a privileged upbringing. Wesson is a crack shot, although somewhat naive to the ways of the world, thanks to her sheltered childhood.
You'll even encounter The Patriarch of Colorado Springs and some of his children, including Victory Buchanan who, you'll be able to recruit to your team. Of course, given the fact that he's an unhinged sadist, it might be better to steer clear.
Wasteland 3 will add many new characters for players to interact with and recruit. Your biggest job will be sorting through the many different personalities to figure out who you can trust.