What do fans call for when the legendary Fallout from 1997 comes up? Some would like a modern remaster, while others take matters into their own hands. Proof of this is the ambitious fan remake Fallout: Bakersfield, which converts the classic RPG Fallout 1 into a fast-paced action shooter in the style of the original Doom. After years of waiting (the first teaser was released back in 2022), the project has finally resurfaced with a new trailer – and it looks incredibly impressive. Fans of retro games and veterans of the golden age of RPGs immediately took notice.
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Return to Necropolis through your own eyes
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Fallout: Bakersfield aims to faithfully retell a key chapter of the first Fallout – the Vault Dweller's adventure in the city of Necropolis (in the ruins of Bakersfield, California) – but now from a first-person perspective. The trailer shows the protagonist fighting through ghoul-infested ruins of the city with a shotgun or incendiary weapon. Iconic moments from the original game are also present, such as the encounter and confrontation with supermutant Harry, the boss of the Necropolis zone. In the footage you can even see a dialogue with this mutant – just as in Fallout 1, it is possible to exchange a few words with Harry before the final battle. Story-wise this is therefore no side tangent from the canon, but a direct reinterpretation of Fallout 1 events within the Necropolis zone. Fans will get the chance to once again recover the water chip and face the mutant threat, but this time dynamically and up close, in the manner of the old Doom-style games.
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Doom engine as the Pip-Boy
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Footage from Fallout: Bakersfield – battle with mutant Harry in the ruins of Bakersfield. The interface combines elements of Doom (indicators at the bottom) and the Pip-Boy from Fallout, including a green text box with situation descriptions.
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The project runs on a modern version of the Doom 3D engine (GZDoom) and uses sprite-based 2.5D graphics that surprisingly faithfully evoke the atmosphere of the original isometric Fallouts. The creators pay close attention to detail – the gameplay footage impresses with smooth animations in melee combat and gunfire, as well as visceral effects in the form of blood and flying limbs. Even with the use of an old engine, the action feels surprisingly vivid and modern. The user interface also plays a crucial role: the creators have managed to merge the classic Doom HUD with the Pip-Boy aesthetic from Fallout. At the bottom of the screen you can see the iconic health, weapon status and ammo indicators as in Doom, but supplemented by a retro display showing monochrome green text in the style of year-2161 terminals. This text panel displays environment descriptions, hit reports and dry one-liners – exactly as we remember from Fallout. At a glance it's clear that the visual style and overall feel honour the original: a grim colour palette, ruins lit by fire and shadow, and references for the knowledgeable at every turn (one can spot, for example, a destroyed welcome arch inscribed \"Welcome to Bakersfield\", familiar from the original game).
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Who is behind it and when will it be released?
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The main author of the project is Alexander \"Red888guns\" Berezin, an experienced modder from the Fallout community. Berezin previously contributed to extensive fan modifications Fallout: Sonora and Olympus 2207 (both set in the universe of the original Fallouts). Fallout: Bakersfield is, however, his most ambitious project to date. He is working on it almost solo in his spare time – which is why development has taken so long and progresses slowly. He released the first public taste (a short teaser) back in September 2022 to mark the 25th anniversary of the series. The project then went quiet for a long time and many feared it had been shelved. The new full trailer from July 2025 therefore came as a pleasant surprise and proof that development is continuing.
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According to information from the trailer, the mod is currently approximately 60% complete. The creator stated that the environments are 80% done, weapons 50% and enemies 30%. This clearly shows that the most work still ahead involves creating adversaries and their AI. At the very end of the video, a stylised release date briefly flashes in the format ??/??/202? – and before the screen blurs, the last digit of the year can be seen changing to 7, meaning 2027. Berezin thus appears to be aiming for a full release as late as 2027. The wait will therefore be long, but judging by fan reactions it seems that patience will be rewarded. Berezin himself is not sitting idle – he is currently collaborating with the studio New Blood Interactive (Dave Oshry) on an upcoming isometric RPG inspired by Fallout, which was recently announced. He is bringing his experience with post-apocalyptic visual style to that project too. It is reasonable to assume that working on this commercial game has slowed Bakersfield development somewhat, yet Berezin reassures fans that he has not abandoned the mod and intends to finish it. He has even set up a profile on the Boosty platform (a Russian equivalent of Patreon) for community communication and project support.
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Fan enthusiasm and community reactions
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The new trailer triggered a storm of excitement in the Fallout fan community. Social media and YouTube were immediately flooded with glowing comments – more than one fan's jaw dropped at how faithfully the mod captures the atmosphere of the original Fallouts in a boomer shooter package. On YouTube, one commenter writes that \"this might be the most godlike Fallout project I've ever seen\", while another enthusiast adds \"This is what true Fallout should look like\". There are even bold claims that this fan effort surpasses the official modern entries in the series in terms of execution – which is of course highly subjective, but speaks to how deeply the project has resonated with players. Gaming media are also covering it positively: PCGamesN described Fallout: Bakersfield as an \"ambitious mod that transforms Fallout as an FPS on the Doom engine\" and emphasises that fan reactions so far are overwhelmingly positive. Similarly, a Notebookcheck writer describes it as a \"faithful, dark and raw look at an ambitious project\" for fans of the original game. It is thus clear that in the eyes of the community, Bakersfield is on track to become one of the most interesting fan projects in years.
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Of course, the question also arises of how the official IP holder – Bethesda (i.e., Microsoft) – will react to such an endeavour. Fallout: Bakersfield is a non-commercial fan modification and the creators clearly state that it is not affiliated with Bethesda Softworks or id Software in any way. History has seen several instances where major companies shut down fan remakes over trademark issues. In the case of the Fallout series, however, Bethesda has so far been relatively tolerant towards non-commercial mods. Some large-scale projects (e.g., the Skyrim mod Skyblivion) have even been publicly supported by the developers. The community therefore hopes that Bakersfield will be seen as a tribute to the original and won't face any legal obstacles. Indeed, the quality of this mod is so high that a casual observer might believe it to be an official product – and such fan passion should be cause for appreciation rather than anything else.
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A tribute to classic 1990s RPGs
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It is clear from Fallout: Bakersfield that it is being made as a tribute to old RPG classics. Alexander Berezin openly says that his work is \"a love letter to the original games\" – his goal is not a modern treatment in the style of current AAA titles, but to preserve the spirit of the original. The dark atmosphere of a ruined world, dark humour and emphasis on lore evoke Fallout 1–2, as well as other period gems such as Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate II – games that defined the genre through rich storytelling, strong stylisation and creative courage. Bakersfield has adopted this \"old-school\" philosophy and translated it into an action game format. Even though it is a shooter, it strives to retain the RPG elements of the original Fallouts: we noticed the implementation of dialogues, textual environment descriptions, and the author has hinted at the possibility of using proven mechanics such as skill-checks in conversations and an inventory with loot (inspired by Fallout: New Vegas and other entries). All of this wrapped in retro graphics that evoke a pleasant sense of nostalgia in players.
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Fallout: Bakersfield thus indirectly reminds us why games like Fallout, Planescape and Baldur's Gate were so exceptional at the end of the 1990s – they could completely immerse players in their worlds and offer experiences that are never forgotten. Even nearly 30 years after the release of the first Fallout, its community remains active and passionate. While Bethesda keeps the series alive today with the online title Fallout 76, it is fans like Berezin who help preserve the spirit of classic Fallout for future generations. Fallout: Bakersfield is among the most ambitious and visible of these projects – and if it is successfully completed, it could become essential playing for every lover of old RPGs and fast-paced retro shooters. With a touch of hyperbole, one can say that thanks to the enthusiasts behind Bakersfield, the spirit of the Interplay era lives on and War. War never changes…
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Sources: Official Fallout: Bakersfield trailer, PCGamesN, PC Gamer, Notebookcheck, DSOGaming, G2A News.