Fallout has made a name for itself as one of the essential post-apocalyptic franchises in gaming. Through the years, new stories of the post-Great War wastelands have been explored, and with these stories come the horrifying consequences of radiation. The Fallout franchise and its focus on civilization fighting to continue after tragedy is full of possibilities when it comes to world-building.
It’s been a big year for Fallout. The success of the live-action Amazon series reignited interest in the franchise, causing a lot of speculation about what the next game holds. Another game that has been a massive success this year is the action-adventure title Black Myth Wukong. These two games have very little in common, but one specific enemy name is featured in both. In Fallout, there is an enemy known as the Yao Guai, while Black Myth Wukong refers to its enemies by the singular word, “Yaoguai“. This is a small similarity, but Black Myth Wukong opens the door for Fallout to expand the definition of what the game’s Yao Guai could be.
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The Origins of Fallout’s Yao Guai Have Loose Ties to Black Myth Wukong
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The term “yaoguai” refers to creatures in Chinese mythology that are known to be strange and can often be depicted as beastly animals. For those who have played Black Myth Wukong, it’s clear why the enemies are referred to as yaoguai. The Yaoguai Chiefs and Kings are incredibly difficult to fight, and many of them take the form of animals, like tigers and rhinos. The Yao Guai in Fallout happens to be a radiated version of the American black bear, and it has a fascinating and shocking history of how it got its name.
Descendants of those held in Chinese internment camps during the Great War eventually gave the mutated black bears the name of Yao Guai, which makes a lot of sense. Since “yaoguai” is the mythological name for a strange monster, these radiated black bears perfectly fit that description. Fallout‘s Yao Guai is already a compelling concept, but Black Myth Wukong shows that much more can be done with this enemy type.
Yao Guai in
Fallout
are known for having razor-sharp claws and an aggressive temperament, making them one of the franchise’s most dangerous creatures.
Fallout Expanding the Definition Of What a Yao Guai Can Be
Lions, Tigers, and Bears
Black Myth Wukong features plenty of animalistic beasts to square up against. Whether it’s facing the Tiger Vanguard or Scorpionlord, each enemy presents a harrowing challenge, but it also offers incredibly crafted animal-like antagonists to appreciate. With Fallout focusing on the American landscape and ecosystem, there are plenty of other animals that could be given the Yao Guai treatment. Lions and tigers that have become mutated in zoos to more terrifying mutations in wolves could bring nuclear body horror to new heights.
The games in the Fallout franchise are large, not just in size, but in ambition. As the franchise aims to get bigger, so should the established monsters in the wasteland. A mangled, monstrous wolf that has been ravaged by the horrors of radiation would be a natural progression, as the poison in these environments would transform these animals into something that barely resembles what they once were.
Animals That Could Make Compelling Yao Guai Variations in Fallout
- Deer
- Wolves
- Horses
- Lions
- Tigers
- Snakes
Fallout has explored some fascinating ideas about how radiation could affect nature and its inhabitants, but the franchise could also benefit from turning up the dial on the body horror factor. It seems as though Fallout has merely scratched the surface of how terrifying mutated animals can look. The future of Fallout is currently a mystery, but experimenting with how radiation can turn living creatures into monsters could be a fascinating next step for the series.
