Fallout 4's Kid In a Fridge Ghoul Declared Lore-Friendly By Fans

 Many players believe that the Fallout 4 quest "Kid in a Fridge" breaks the series' established lore, but one fan has argued against that idea.

The "Kid in a Fridge" quest in Fallout 4 has been criticized for breaking the franchise's lore, but one knowledgeable fan recently argued against that idea. Bethesda Game Studios' 2015 role-playing game serves as the fourth major installment in the post-apocalyptic franchise, which first began in 1997. Details like the Fallout Vault Boy thumbs up add depth to the beloved series, creating a unified and fascinating world to uncover.

Originally developed by Black Isle Studios, the Fallout franchise takes place in a futuristic post-apocalyptic setting. The series' original aesthetic puts a sci-fi twist on 1950's Americana, allowing classic cars and robotic assistants to co-exist in one fictional universe. A global nuclear war once ravaged Earth, adding mass destruction and decay to this already unique combination of concepts. The series' lore and world-building make Fallout both fantastic and believable, immersing players in the American wastelands. Reoccurring characters, factions and concepts help link each entry in the series, despite centuries-long gaps between some installments, and Easter eggs connecting Fallout and The Elder Scrolls also serve to bridge Bethesda's two beloved role-play series.

While many fans feel that one Fallout 4 quest breaks the franchise's lore, Reddit user Benjamin_Starscape provides evidence to the contrary. In the "Kid in a Fridge" quest the player finds a young ghoul, one of the franchise's mutated humans, who has been locked in a freezer for about 200 years. Many fans argue that ghouls still need to eat and drink water to survive, since they are human, but Benjamin_Starscape gives contradicting examples. A Fallout 2 ghoul named Coffin Willie survived after being buried alive for months, while a Fallout: New Vegas location called Little Yangtze contains ghouls who have not eaten for over 200 years.

While Benjamin_Starscape seems to have answered this one popular Fallout 4 inquiry, the title leaves many other questions unanswered. Many loose threads involve The Institute, the post-apocalyptic title's main antagonists, and their influence on the world. Possible questions for Fallout 5 to answer include whether the player character was a synthetic being created by the Institute, and what the group's exact goals even were. The series has also never explored the state of the world outside America, which could be an interesting idea for a future sequel to address.

Fallout's lore can sometimes become convoluted, especially because early installments were developed by Black Isle Studios rather than Bethesda. However, Benjamin_Starscape demonstrates that the "Kid in a Fridge" quest does not contradict the franchise's established ghoul rules. Previous entries, including Black Isle Studios' Fallout 2, support the fact that ghouls do not really need to eat.