Rebellion Developments’ new title might seem like British-flavored Fallout, but the Atomfall review will explain why it’s way more than that. The parallels are there; it’s a post-nuclear detonation world filled with dangerous mutants and humans alike. However, Atomfall is made on a much smaller scale. Unlike modern Fallout games, Atomfall is also not a seamless open world.
That being said, Atomfall succeeds in making you work for progress. The game doesn’t hold your hand and lets you explore the dense world at your own pace. You can go anywhere, do anything, and still complete the game. In a way, Atomfall feels as if Atomic Heart and The Outer Worlds had a baby. While the influences are evident, Atomfall still manages to cook up its unique recipe, which the Atomfall review will explore.
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Atomfall Review – Some Story
Atomfall doesn’t waste time introducing you to its alternate reality England. After the Second World War, the UK discovered a force that could aid it in other wars. Unfortunately, the discovery was deemed too dangerous, and the whole area got quarantined, stranding thousands of people inside. The setup is excellent and immediately hooked me, urging me to explore more of what happened.
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The narrative is fragile, but it’s more than enough to get you through the story. Sure, there’s environmental storytelling with plenty of notes scattered around, but you’ll have to dig for lore yourself. You wake up in a bunker and are thrown immediately into the fry. An injured scientist gives you your first choice. Atomfall lets you do what you want, so naturally, the first encounter can also go several ways. You can help the scientist by crafting a bandage, or simply kill him to get the necessary keycard. Or you can help first and kill later, it’s all up to you.
The overall story is about uncovering the mystery of what happened in the quarantine zone and why you were there. With no memories, you are stuck following Atomfall’s narrative to see the mystery through. The game explores what happens to people when pushed to the extreme. Unfortunately, despite the great setup, the game still lacks any innovation, especially in human factions. There’s a group of outlaws, the military, and hippy druids in the game; they all essentially work the same.
Atomfall Review – Dense Design
Atomfall is not an open-world game like Ghost of Yotei; it has relatively large explorable areas that are interconnected with short loading screens. I didn’t feel the lack of an open world hindered my experience. The loading screens are brief and far between, but they can be a pain when backtracking. Unfortunately, there is a lot of backtracking involved in the game.
The levels are brilliantly designed, dense with points of interest and nooks and crannies to explore. The game includes explorable dungeons, hidden secrets and a few environmental puzzles as well. As a fan of games like Dishonored and Deus Ex, I had a fun time exploring the world created by Atomfall. With plenty of loot to get, people to talk to, and enemies to take down, you won’t have extended downtime in the game. Each area you explore has something to offer, whether it’s mission objectives, character upgrades, or a new weapon. Rebellion Developments strikes a good balance between combat and exploration, making it an enjoyable ride until the end.
The Atomfall review also needs to mention the lack of any quest markers and map indicators. I appreciated the lack of hand-holding here; it let me explore on my terms and organically come across sub-quests and objectives. Does that mean you can miss some? Yes, but if you love exploration, you won’t miss anything. The lack of quest markers is one of the most significant differences between Atomfall and the Fallout series. The markers point you to the general area, and that’s about it. You have to carve your path through the albeit smallish levels in Atomfall.
Atomfall Review – Batter Up
The Atomfall review appreciates the survival elements in the game. The resources are rare, and you’ll need to scavenge everything not bolted down or craft using ingredients. There are traders with limited stocks; you barter using items you have at hand. There are no bottlecaps or currency here; you barter with whatever you can take off the ground (or dead enemies).
Unlike Fallout, where you can pause the game to heal yourself or use VATS to make combat easier, Atomfall doesn’t stop the action. Healing, weapon swapping, and crafting work in real time. So you cannot chomp 10 cheese wheels and get full health like in Elder Scrolls. The combat is straightforward, with stealth and shooting being basic yet effective. From Cricket bats to shivs, there are plenty of melee weapons in the game. The ranged ballistic weapons work well, but not as well as Rebellion’s other franchise, Sniper Elite. There are no slow-motion X-ray headshots here. The guns feel great to fire, though, a critical element in making combat good. Shotguns and rifles, in particular, feel powerful to shoot.
The biggest downside of the combat is the enemy AI. It’s elementary and can break the immersion. Here’s what I usually do when taking down an enemy camp: kill one enemy, and the rest come to find you in a queue. I once cleared a whole camp by crouch-killing each enemy as they came to investigate a gunshot. Combat is unforgiving, though; just a few shots are enough to take you down, especially on the more complex difficulties.
Atomfall Review – Conclusion:
Atomfall is a solid attempt at an exploration-based survival FPS. While the graphics and character animations appear dated, there is certainly room for improvement by Rebellion Developments. The smaller scope of the title means you can finish it fast; this is not a 100-hour title. For the next Atomfall, I would like better AI, an updated engine, and more refined stealth options.
