Falloutas a franchise has become known not only for its post-apocalyptic setting but for its unique enemies as well. Ghouls, Deathclaws, Yao Guai, and more make up a radiated rogues' gallery unlike any other in gaming. However, withFallout’s list of enemies growing longer and longer with each entry, some of them don’t make the cut when a new game comes out.
To beat a dead horse,Fallout 4was not a perfect game. It made some appreciated gameplay improvements that tend to be overlooked, but the positive additions were harder to notice whenFallout 4was noticeably lacking content from previous games. Players looking for an evil playthrough had fewer options than ever, and the handcrafted quality that had been applied to quests inFallout 3andNew Vegaswas largely replaced with repetitive faction missions. Along with othercut content fromFallout 4, Bethesda also scrapped a unique enemy type that had been present in almost every otherFalloutgame: the Centaur.
The Significance of Centaurs in Fallout
First appearing in the original 1997Fallout, Centaurs are nasty, mutated monsters that were created through experiments with theForced Evolutionary Virus. Out in the wasteland, they’re often kept by Super Mutants as companions.
A Centaur’s face may resemble that of a human, but it’s attached to a slug-like body that crawls around using three sets of human arms. If that imagery isn’t creepy enough, Centaurs attack using two primary methods: they spit toxic sludge to incapacitate enemies and sprout three tongues from their throat to lash at anyone unlucky enough to fight them in close quarters. Super Mutants might not be the toughest of enemies in theFalloutseries, but any encounter with them gains a dash of nightmare fuel the moment a Centaur pops up by their side.
Cutting Centaurs from Fallout 4
Fallout 4was the first mainlineFalloutgame to not feature Centaurs in any capacity. It’s a shame, too, because Bethesda initially considered including them in the game. Centaurs were meant to once again take their place alongside the Super Mutants in the ruins of Boston. Based on concept art, the Centaurs were even going to get a complete redesign that would have made them somehow more disturbing. That said, Bethesda eventually decided tocut Centaurs fromFallout 4and replace them with Mutant Hounds.
Bringing Back Centaurs in Fallout 5
Fallout 5is likely to be quite a ways away despitetheFalloutseries' boom in popularity earlier this year. However, when Bethesda does eventually get around to a fifthFalloutgame, the Centaur enemy type should be included. Besides being an often forgotten legacy monster that deserves its day in the sun — as gross as that would be to look at — Centaurs also bring a unique and palpable energy to the wasteland.
One tonal element thatFallout 4never quite capitalized upon was the horror of the post-apocalypse. While there were tense moments in quests likeThe Devil’s Dueand enough over-the-top gore to give Sam Raimi a run for his money, the game was never truly unsettling.
This is an area where a creature like the Centaur could be of assistance. Whether looking at Bethesda’s original design or the concept art fromFallout 4, the Centaur is a scientific abomination overflowing with body horror. For a game series so focused on the terrifying repercussions that both science and war can wage on a populous if left unchecked, few monsters assist in proving that point as well as the Centaur does.
