The dangers posed by breakthrough scientific advancement have seldom been heeded. Case in point, the Windscale nuclear accident occurred in 1957. The worst in the history of the United Kingdom, it was safely contained due to the tenacity of a handful of scientists. But what if it wasn’t? Atomfall presents this enticing premise with a commitment to authenticity rarely seen in video games of its type.
Developed by Rebellion, best known for their work in the Sniper Elite series, Atomfall is an unabashedly British post-apocalyptic setting dealing with the fallout of a nuclear disaster. Waking up in a bunker without recollection of how the protagonist got there, you must make alliances, discover classified government reports, and explore every corner of the land to try to make sense of what actually happened in the Quarantine Zone.
The World Is Your Oyster
Instantly noticeable is the player freedom instilled in the gameplay design of Atomfall. As you get your bearings at the bunker, a bleeding hazmat-suited man catches you up with the precarious situation you are both in, currently and at large. The choices to help him, kill him, or let him die are all available from the moment you gain control. All the items to craft a bandage to aid the unfortunate man are there, but perhaps you believe it is best you keep it for yourself. Who knows what is out there?
Regardless of your moral compass, you will likely admire the impressive, damaged landscape as soon as you leave the bunker. With free will to go wherever you please, there is no wrong choice as to what to do. Very much an immersive sim, Atomfall gives you “Leads” to pursue a way out or simply uncover the many secrets scattered across the Quarantine Zone. Many of them are found in the form of conversations with NPCs and documents tucked in hidden cellars.
Stranger Danger
Atomfall is decidedly a hardcore experience best enjoyed strategically. As with most games, the first decision when you start a new journey is to choose which difficulty setting you are most comfortable with. Although the sheer amount of accessibility options for players of all kinds is commendable, the game recommends going with the Survivor mode, and it soon reveals why.
When taking the first few steps out into the world, you will eventually find cutthroat outlaws ready to cut your playthrough short. All combat encounters feel rather punishing and leave no room for error. Considering the hand-to-hand combat does not feel particularly great, crouching to stealthily approach and take out each enemy is always a better choice. Even later in the game with weapons and grenades, you never get the impression of being a one-man army as the life bar drains easily.
Surviving each battle by the skin of your teeth, it is no mistake that Atomfall captures a tense atmosphere where everything is out to get you. A surprising element in the Quarantine Zone is that you are not the only one out there facing these dangers. Shootouts can be heard in the far distance when your enemies clash to defend each other’s territories. In these unexpected moments, using your cunning and stealth can make you slip through an important area without anyone noticing.
The Truth Is Out There
This hostile land does not only contain various factions vying for control. NPCs are few and far between, but it is a relief to see them whenever you find one. You can kill them all if you are roleplaying a psychopath, but beyond bartering to slightly improve your chances of success, talking about their lives is intriguing. Each has something to say about the current state of the area and how they got there.
The cadence of arriving at new landmarks is well-placed. Every so often a decaying manor, random greenhouse, and enemy outpost chock full of secrets will be on the horizon. And Atomfall rewards curious players with items and materials. As scavenging is fundamental to survive, instructions for new bomb recipes or skill points will be at the very end of the arduous exploration in each area.
Where Atomfall thrives is in the playground it offers. The world’s reactivity is surprising in more ways than one. If you clear an area, new enemies will move in. If you choose to align with two NPCs who dislike each other, the next time you go back to see them, one might be murdered. There are several means to leave the Quarantine Zone and reach the credits, but it is not all roses and sunshine for this survival adventure.
Rocky Mountains
For a video game that prides itself in realistic enemy behavior, I found positioning myself in a certain spot would break their actions and find them just standing there. More importantly, it sometimes gives the impression of having too many enemies for the amount of resources it gives you. Armed with at least five enemies per squad, they can drain your hard-earned bullets quickly, and their erratic movements blow your cover more often than not.
Other minor issues, like enemies repeating their lines and combat music triggering itself at times after the encounter is over, are worth mentioning. A saving grace is that you can have several save files, unlike other modern games in which your save is locked to one single archive. That allows some wiggle room to tackle some of these interactions differently and hope for a better outcome.
Embrace The Tension
An authentically hardcore FPS where every win feels earned, Atomfall will be heavily enjoyed by fans of the genre despite a few shortcomings. Its British historical roots are respected and depicted like a real-life documentary, and finding new leads behind waterfalls or in the innermost part of a bunker never fails to excite. As a new sci-fi IP in a field governed by dinosaurs, it is a breath of fresh air that reaffirms narrative first-person shooters are here to stay.
Sincere thanks to our PR Partners and Rebellion Developments for providing a review code for Atomfall. You can find our review policy here.
