The story ofFallout 4would be vastly different without the existence of the Sole Survivor’s son, and due to an inexplicable glitch, this hypothetical scenario becomes reality for one player. The main quest inFallout 4revolves around the protagonist’s search for their missing child, and though its sandbox famously encourages players to get sidetracked along the way, coming face-to-face with Shaun opens up the game in a substantial way. For most playthroughs, breaking into the Institute represents the natural halfway point, as it’s also the moment the players get directly introduced to allmajor factions of the Commonwealth inFallout 4.
In many ways, Shaun represents the second protagonist of the story (albeit not a playable one), as his actions not only influence the modern day that the Sole Survivor finds themselves in, but his existence also sets the events of the game in motion. In terms ofFallout 4characters, Shaun remains an eternally divisive topic in the fandom, which has likely been Bethesda’s intent from the get-go.
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However, AdamaSanguine’s playthrough ofFallout 4glitches outfor a moment, and the Sole Survivor’s spouse is seen cradling air instead of a baby as their suburban paradise erupts in a fiery blaze behind them. This bizarrely hilarious bug was shared on the officialFallout 4subreddit, bearing a witty title that implied Shaun was accidentally left home.
Though the story ofFallout 4likely progresses normally in spite of the visual glitch, it managed to spark a discussion on how this alternate timeline would play out. Shaun’s death or disappearance prior to the start ofFallout 4’s tutorial level in Vault 111 would have had a widespread domino effect on the state of the Commonwealth and the Institute. Namely, the Institute would have likely attempted to capture the Sole Survivor’s spouse instead of their child, and with Father not being the director, the Sole Survivor would not have been woken up from cryostasis on purpose. In fact, the more this timeline gets extrapolated, the more it becomes apparent just how inextricably tied Shaun is to the game’s plot.
Players have often argued thatFallout 4’s main storyclashed against its sandbox nature and that the urgency of finding Shaun translated poorly into a game that so strongly celebrated and rewarded exploration. Though it represents an obvious parallel toFallout 3’s protagonist wandering the Capital Wasteland in search of their father, many fans can’t help but wonder ifFallout 4would have been better off without Shaun.
Fallout 4is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
