Atomfall Early Access Review

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Atomfall, developed by Rebellion of “Sniper Elite” fame, is a game set in a post-nuclear disaster reimagining of a real place. That is the core premise of the vast majority of nuclear-based apocalypse games – the nucleus, if you will. Atomfall will likely draw many comparisons with a little known game series called Fallout but is the core premise all that binds the two? Will this be an explosive success, or will it be remembered in years to come as “Atom-fail”?

Radio-Action

Atomfall has been marketed as a ‘survival-action’ game set in a post-disaster area of Ameri… England? Cumbria, to be exact, is the location of the game and, unlike its American based contemporary, there is no apocalypse. In true British fashion things have only ‘gone a little awry’ and resulted in a quarantine zone being set up. What went wrong, you ask? That question is exactly what you are trying to find out! Atomfall is not a casual hike through Cumbria’s beautiful scenery although it is still a feature of the setting.

The player awakens in a bunker as an amnesiac anonymous person tasked with crafting a bandage using items nearby for a wounded man in a hazard suit. This serves as a crafting tutorial of sorts, albeit a more abrupt one that you may be used to. Following from that Atomfall lets you potter about a small interior area introducing other mechanics such as crouching and combat.

Atomfall really gets into its own once you leave the starting bunker and venture out into the world… er, County. You have one lead to follow off the bat and can go straight for it or do what I did and explore. Rebellion built the game for exploration so obviously that is where I started and it did not disappoint. Like in Rebellion’s Sniper Elite games, going off the beaten path can be rewarding by finding new leads and/or resources for your character.

Green, Green Grass Of Home

Atomfall is beautiful. I could leave it there but I’d be doing it a huge disservice. The green hills look incredible and even the dank, dark interiors of the caverns and bunkers look amazing. The open areas feel open whereas the darker internal areas feel almost claustrophobic at times. This is a huge testament to Rebellion for creating the atmospheres though level design has always been one of their strengths.

Gameplay is smooth and uncomplicated which I like. Combat seems pretty simple and very Fallout-like though Atomfall does have a bigger focus on melee as opposed to ranged given the setting is a Country where firearms are much harder to come by. The stealth aspect was something I struggled to get to grips with as much as it does have a lot of the intricacies of the Sniper Elite games. Also, enemies don’t seem to stay conveniently facing away from you. The challenge is a welcome one, however, and the takedown does feel rewarding once you manage to pull it off.

Atomfall does have the usual HP bar as most action games do but it also has a heart rate tracker instead of a stamina bar. The higher your heartrate the worse your stealth and more inaccurate your attacks. The heart rate mechanic does take a little adjustment but all in all it’s a nice change of pace. There are ways to slow the increase in your heart rate, such as with a Great British cuppa, and most seem to come with the benefit of healing you by differing amounts also.

What’s ‘appenin’?

NPCs are dotted about the Cumbrian countryside even outside of small villages and are a good source of leads and further information. This is one area where Atomfall really differs is the ‘lead’ system. You’ll notice I have avoided the use of the word ‘quest’ for this as they tend to be linear and have a set goal. Atomfall, however, has leads and you work out your own way of reaching the end goal and the game responds to your choices as you play. Even when you reach the end of the lead, what you do there is then completely up to you. It’s somewhat of a freeing experience and one I hope other games pick up on.

The survival mechanics in Atomfall come from the crafting mainly and the need to scavenge whilst making your way around Cumbria. One way you do that is with a metal detector that you can pick up quite early on. Aside from this, there is a light RPG element in advancing skills but nothing massively in depth. My gameplay was mainly with mouse and keyboard but controller is just as easy to use and is actually recommended.

Rise or (Atom)Fall?

Atomfall, for all its charm, is on the shallow side in terms of gameplay but that doesn’t mean it’s poor. We have been spoiled by intricate systems and high octane games recently. The slower overall pace is welcome and when the dial does go up it more than satisfies. Atomfall is fun and engaging from the first moment.

A beautiful, atmospheric adventure awaits you when you boot up the game and it keeps going along pleasantly with each and every choice you make. The open areas are free and equally the closed areas are oppressive which makes fur a great experience. This certainly scratches a post-nuclear itch, albeit differently to the more well known games.

Rapid Reviews Rating

4.5 out of 5

4.5

Atomfall is available on Xbox One, Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC and other devices via Xbox GamePass Play Anywhere. To purchase the Xbox version please click here.

For our other Xbox Series reviews, please click here.
For our review of Rebellion’s previous game, Sniper Elite: Resistance, please click here.
Looking for some good tech? Our reviews for them are here.