That pesky Armageddon keeps blowing civilisation to hell, doesn’t it? But this time there’s no ‘people’ to speak out outside of the vault and the multiplayer company you might keep when trying to plough your way through the radiation-slathered world of Appalachia.

And this lack of AI company, to my mind, is a black mark against 76, which is online-only - again, a big cross in the margin of the playability exam. Oh well, it fell over only nine times during my first eight hours of play, and according to online forums, that’s pretty good. Yay me.

Apart from this massive divergence, matters follow pretty similar parameters to that of Fallout 4. Out you pop, grab some stuff, explore the vast, irradiated country and try not to die while piecing together a semblance of story.

You’ve got a portable, custom camp. There’s a whole mess of bits to pick up, scrap and build from. The age-old problem of carrying too much. The irritatingly realistic issue of eating, drinking and protecting oneself from radiation poisoning. Hoards of annoyingly rapid zombies. The drill is very, very familiar.

The graphical style is lifted straight from its predecessor, which is disappointing if you’re looking forward to a breath of fresh Fallout. Futuristic ’50s retro was fun, sure, but I was looking forward to some ’70s brown and orange. You know, 76 and all that? No? Fine then. I know it’s a prequel of sorts, but I’m a little bored of that aesthetic.

Fallout 76 has its issues. Big ones. But that still didn’t stop me logging considerable hours plodding about the landscape trying to follow a pre-destined story, and making one for myself. The online-only aspect is a poor decision, and my early attempts were riddled with server issues. Latterly, these have improved, however, and while Appalachia seems a less fulfilling world than The Commonwealth of Fallout 4 if you don’t mind grinding out the same routines as its predecessor, albeit less interesting if you prefer gaming alone, there’s enough to burn through a significant chunk of your life here.

Me? I covet more variation than this.