Fallout 4 (opens in new tab) takes place in a post-apocalyptic future version of Boston, but it still has quite a few identifying marks that tie it to our time. The game has a bevy of historical buildings and artifacts for players to discover, and imgur user two2teps went through dozens of them, comparing each one as directly as possible to images from non-apocalyptic Boston.
The sites are impressively recreated, though they’re all more tightly packed together than in real life. Fallout’s timeline (opens in new tab) splits from ours briefly after World War 2, so it’s entirely possible that the Boston city government decided to relocate the Paul Revere Monument sometime before the bombs fell in 2077. It’s also possible that this is a dang video game and Bethesda didn’t want to cram a big, empty park into one of its most dense areas.
Historical authenticity aside, the compressed map does mean you can see the city much faster than you could in a real-life tour of Boston – allowing some extra time to deal with super mutant patrols and feral ghouls, naturally. Once you’ve seen my favorites in the gallery above, make sure you check out two2tep’s full selection (opens in new tab) for many more comparison shots.
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Reality’s Paul Revere Monument
Fallout 4’s Paul Revere Monument
Reality’s Bunker Hill Monument
Fallout 4’s Bunker Hill Monument
Reality’s Massachusetts State House
Fallout 4’s Massachusetts State House
Also seen in post-apocalyptic disrepair in The Last of Us.