Atomfall Review

 Atomfall is a survival RPG set in Northern Britain within a fictional quarantine zone, developed by Rebellion. I was surprised to see that this was made by the Sniper Elite devs. I am still surprised that it's a franchise to begin with and is still going to this day. Admittedly, I decided to review the game to fill the Fallout-shaped hole in my heart after attempting and failing to get into Fallout 4 multiple times. So, is this just a Fallout game set in England (but not Fallout London) or is something lying underneath that offers more?

No it is not.

The story is set five years after a real-life nuclear incident in Windscale, North England; The place has been put into lockdown, trapping everyone inside for half a decade. You wake up in a bunker with someone bleeding from their side, begging for help. You have no idea how you ended up there, but you very much want to leave as soon as possible. Now, you must explore the British countryside in order to find a way out of the quarantine, dealing with the various factions and other odd characters as you chase leads all around Windscale. However, don’t think for a second that it’ll be a smooth ride: there’s something big happening, and you might be the key to it.

I found myself intrigued with what was going on; there’s a mystery that needs solving that you’ll need to figure out on your own with only some basic directions. The intro is nice and sweet, where you’re only given the basics before you’re sent out on your own, unlike other games that take their time setting up everything you should know. You’re just as lost as your player character until you put the pieces together. I liked it, even if the execution can be a little shaky sometimes with some underwhelming parts. It’s also very, very British: everyone has an accent and uses terms that some American players might not get without looking it up. You’re gonna see words like “boffin” and “nowt” a lot in the subtitles. 

Welcome to Windscale.

As for the lands you’ll explore, they’re very pretty. Windscale is beautiful yet scary at the same time. The countryside is lush and green, with intimidating structures and dark, maze-like bunkers to break up all that wonderful, oftentimes deadly, nature. I barely even noticed that there wasn’t fast travel, because there were plenty of shortcuts and connecting areas that will get you to your destination fast. It’s actually kind of cool. However, it is pretty static. There isn’t a day and night cycle, so it’s always sunny in Windscale no matter how much time passes. It’s strange and kinda weirds me out. The only thing that actually changes, at least for a while, is what you loot and the bodies you leave behind.

Don’t be fooled by the beauty of the lands: it’s full of dangers that will not hesitate to take your life. There are bandits to watch out for, hostile soldiers who’ll riddle you with bullets, cultists who will snipe with arrows, and mutated creatures that would like you to give into the voices. It’s safe to say that survival is a serious challenge.

Mind your distance.

Combat is tough, at least on the recommended difficulty of Survival. With resources like healing items and ammo low and enemies dealing horrific amounts of damage, an encounter with more than one or two enemies can turn into a game over very fast. The game outright tells you that direct combat should be a last resort and stealth and pragmatic strategies will be your main method of taking out whoever is in your way. I recommend headshots, as no matter how rusty your gun is, a bullet through the brain is still a bullet through the brain.

Stealth is a little overpowered, though. As long as I had a bow and arrow and hid in tall grass (which does blend into the environment), I could kill someone in the middle of a heavily guarded town, and no one would know. I actually did just that and aside from some suspicion (which is resolved by running away), I walked out of there with some ammo, food, and a better weapon.

Well, that's... unique.

You can increase your chances of survival through the various skills you can unlock, but not all of them are available from the start. Some skills are locked behind manuals that can be found throughout the world. You also don't level up at all, as you'll need to find Training Stimulants in order to learn those skills. I actually like that there weren’t too many skills, as not only can you feel the difference with every one unlocked, it prevents you from becoming a total powerhouse, so combat is still a big decision to make.

And you will be making many decisions on your journey. The path to escape (or whatever other goal you choose for yourself) isn't clear. There are multiple ways to get what you want. You can chase your leads through diplomacy or force, by working with others or doing it alone, or by being morally upright or morally bankrupt. There is nothing stopping you from just ending a storyline if you want nothing to do with it. I just wish there were non-lethal methods of taking someone out because even if you use your fists, it's considered a kill. Um, I can no longer go into a bakery ever again because of this. Don’t ask why; her husband is just sleeping comfortably.

Every space counts.

Now, onto performance. Shockingly, I didn't encounter any real bugs. Enemies can be very, very dumb, but there hasn't been anything I considered bad. With generally Medium graphics settings on my Nvidia RTX 2070 Super, I had an uncapped framerate of 200+ FPS. Didn’t have too many hiccups either and the loading times weren’t bad. The only issue is that sometimes, when going down stuff, you tend to go into a slide animation. It makes drops a little less scary, however it happens even on inch-high ledges when you’re off the beaten path. Also, making the “turn on/off torch” and “snap neck from behind” the same input is a choice. You can do this to anyone so, um, make sure you aren't behind anyone when you have your torch out.

Classic British Humour.

Atomfall reminded me why I fell in love with these types of games in the first place. It feels like you can do anything you want, and the game will accommodate your choices and let you deal with the consequences thereof, while also providing some really engaging scenarios that will put your mind to the test as much as your ability to aim. Atomfall is only 25 hours long, which is short for a game like this, but it kept me engaged all throughout its playtime, and hey, there’s always additional playthroughs to test how much you can get away with. Besides, it’s more like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and a little bit of Sniper Elite than Fallout. Recommended with high honours.