Atomfall might be going to shock numerous people- it’s a lot better than you assume. Personally, stepping into, I totally anticipated a stable recreation, not solely due to Sniper Elite and Zombie Military developer Rebel’s admirably constant observe report during the last a number of years, however as a result of Atomfall itself has additionally appeared promisingly distinctive and intriguing in all the fitting methods within the lead-up to its launch. The sport shortly surpassed even my expectations, nonetheless. Atomfall is best designed, extra polished, extra splendidly weird, extra narratively engrossing, and extra mechanically compelling than it has any proper to be.
The alternate historical past dystopian title is ready in Nineteen Sixties Northern England. Impressed by the 1957 Windscale fireplace, one of many worst main nuclear disasters in world historical past, Atomfall finds you, an amnesiac and silent protagonist, in the midst of a quarantine zone in rural Cumbria. Set 5 years after the nuclear catastrophe, nonetheless, the zone isn’t precisely the image of a typical post-nuclear surroundings. It’s vibrant, lush, gorgeously vibrant, and splendidly vivid. Thick vegetation, different forestry, gorgeous landscapes and ample fauna outline each inch of the zone, and all of it oozes ambiance. In additional methods than one, Atomfall wears its S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. and Fallout influences on its sleeve, however in its setting, it manages to create one thing that feels extremely distinctive and authentic.
“Atomfall is best designed, extra polished, extra splendidly weird, extra narratively engrossing, and extra mechanically compelling than it has any proper to be.”
That setting additionally performs host to a surprisingly charming story. From the very first second, Atomfall succeeds in convincing style not solely in creating a definite identification for itself and its world, but additionally in constructing an engrossing central thriller surrounding the nuclear catastrophe on the atom plant that lies on the coronary heart of the zone, what it was that precipitated the catastrophe, and what results the incident has had on the quarantine zone within the years since then- and boy have there been results.
No, the zone isn’t precisely a nuclear wasteland, however it’s nonetheless removed from secure, and far from regular. Trapped in isolation for years, the folks inside its partitions have cut up into completely different factions – common survivors, fascistic troopers, bloodthirsty outlaws, zealot druids – every of whom are completely different sorts of nuts. Each character you meet in Atomfall is a persona, to say the very least, with all the things from the writing to the voice performing coming collectively to bleed life and character into each NPC you meet, irrespective of how vital (or unimportant). Past the folks, there are additionally loads of different inexplicable dangers- mutated humanoid monsters, bizarre fungal growths, auditory hallucinations, and extra. Peeling again the layers of Atomfall’s many mysteries and slowly placing the puzzle items collectively makes for an engrossing expertise. That’s thanks largely to the way during which the sport doles out tantalizing bits of the story, cryptically revealing solely morsels at a time and hanging the proper stability between maintaining you hooked and making you’re feeling like there’s one thing simply out of attain.
Simply as spectacular is Atomfall’s knack for making you’re feeling just like the creator of your personal journey, which it does in numerous methods. It sprinkles in parts of participant alternative, with dialogue selections and the flexibility to kill as many (or as few) folks as you need, whether or not that’s a pure pacifist run or one the place you homicide each single character you meet. Rather more vital, nonetheless, is how unguided and hands-off the sport’s overarching construction is. Quests take the type of leads, that are little greater than imprecise hints referring folks or areas to merely nudge you in a course, after which it’s solely as much as you whether or not you need to pull on that thread. You by no means fairly understand how vital any lead might be, since even some quite unassuming ones can prove to tie into the primary story in shocking methods. Atomfall does a superb job at encouraging you to easily comply with your curiosity quite than gamifying something with “quests”, to the extent that the very idea of “facet quests” finally ends up shedding that means.
“Peeling again the layers of Atomfall’s many mysteries and slowly placing the puzzle items collectively makes for an engrossing expertise. That’s thanks largely to the way during which the sport doles out tantalizing bits of the story, cryptically revealing solely morsels at a time and hanging the proper stability between maintaining you hooked and making you’re feeling like there’s one thing simply out of attain.”
It additionally helps that its world is a continuing pleasure to discover. The Cumbria quarantine zone is a totally open world map, however cut up into a number of zones separated by load screens (whereas indoor environments and dungeons are additionally often individually instanced). When it comes to dimension, it’s considerably smaller than the likes of, say, S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. or Fallout, however it does nonetheless really feel sufficiently large- and extra importantly, it makes use of all of its actual property fairly successfully. Atomfall’s map boasts spectacular selection, from jail camps and chateau ruins to charming hamlets (underneath terrifying martial regulation), mysterious cave networks, deserted bunkers and services, and naturally, loads of bright-red cellphone containers.
Exploring all of it can be by no means not fulfilling or rewarding. That is one other space the place Atomfall adopts a hands-off strategy, particularly in the event you play it on default issue (or greater), the place navigation grounds you firmly on the earth and calls for you to truly take note of your environment as you attempt to make your method round. The issues that you simply uncover are additionally nearly all the time value it, to various degrees- eccentric characters, intriguing new areas, bits and items of lore and backstory, or rewarding loot, starting from weapons and ammo to crafting sources, recipes, and extra.
A lot of that may be fairly vital, given how harmful Atomfall’s world may be very often. Just like the video games it’s most closely impressed by, the sport options survival mechanics- however actually to not the diploma of one thing like S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. It’s a must to handle your well being, standing circumstances akin to bleeding, and your coronary heart charge, and in the event you’re not paying consideration or play too recklessly, you’ll doubtless die a fast loss of life (or no less than really feel the antagonistic results clear sufficient to obtain the message). Meaning issues akin to well being gadgets, crafting sources, and weapons and ammo are crucial- to not point out uncommon, which in flip means exploration is all the time inspired, as a result of chances are high you’ll discover one thing helpful.
If there’s one space the place Atomfall feels slightly tough, it’s the fight. A part of me nearly likes how cumbersome and clunky it may possibly really feel at occasions, as a result of that matches fairly nicely with the fixed risks of its dystopian setting and its promise of a survival expertise that gained’t child you. Within the second, nonetheless, fight can typically really feel frustratingly tough, particularly while you’re getting up shut and private with enemies, which you’ll be doing typically, given the final shortage of ammo. Development in Atomfall can be quite restrained and simple, which signifies that fight expertise doesn’t evolve a terrific deal over time. I do, nonetheless, recognize the number of ranged and melee weapons on supply and the way completely different they really feel to make use of from one another.
“Atomfall’s world is vibrant, lush, gorgeously vibrant, and splendidly vivid. Thick vegetation, different forestry, gorgeous landscapes and ample fauna outline each inch of the zone, and all of it oozes ambiance. In additional methods than one, Atomfall wears its S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R. and Fallout influences on its sleeve, however in its setting, it manages to create one thing that feels extremely distinctive and authentic.”
There’s additionally the truth that fight may be very hardly ever (if ever) compelled upon you. Atomfall allows you to be as stealthy or as murderous as you need. Avoiding enemies is all the time a viable choice, particularly given the truth that environments are all the time designed in a method the place there are often a number of methods to get round, which isn’t shocking for a recreation coming from the Sniper Elite group. What is shocking that the stealth – an space the place Rebel often has experience, to say the least – can really feel a tad clunky at occasions. Don’t get me unsuitable, it’s removed from damaged, and at the very best of occasions it may be legitimately enjoyable and tense- however AI is commonly both too forgetful or too keen-eyed, which suggests it’s possible you’ll typically end up cheesing the sport (no less than in the event you play the best way I do). That may be enjoyable in its personal methods, in fact, however it additionally does lend a sense of lack of polish to the moment-to-moment stealth and fight gameplay.
Finally, although, I personally discover Atomfall’s faults fairly straightforward to forgive, as a result of there’s much more to like right here than there’s to seek out difficulty with. In just about all the things that it does, the sport swings for the fences, and with the overwhelming majority of these swings, it knocks the ball out of the park. Boasting an enchanting setting, engrossing story, oodles of attraction and persona, an emphasis on participant company that elevates each a part of the expertise, and unbelievable world design that encourages exploration each step of the best way, Atomfall is a charming expertise, even with just a few points, and possibly one of many largest and most nice surprises in latest reminiscence.
This recreation was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.
