Atomafall has attracted the attention of fans of the survival genre and post -apocalyptic adventures since the announcement. Rebellion studio, known thanks to series Sniper Elite , this time, she decided to move away from sniper themes and Nazis to immerse player s into the atmosphere of the alternative UK in the 1960s, where the world changed after the disaster at the Windskale nuclear power plant (if anything, that The real accident , which occurred in 1957).
The expectations were considerable: original history, British color and a serious approach to survival in isolation and radiation threat. Atomafall looks like a rebellion avalanche as a Rebellion attempt to go beyond the usual and create something atmospheric, gloomy and unique in its own way. Have you succeeded? Let's deal with.
| Game | AtomFall |
| Genre | Survival-action |
| Platforms | Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S |
| Language | English |
| Developer | Rebellion |
| Publisher | Rebellion |
| Link | AtomFall.com |
The plot and the atmosphere
The events of AtomFall unfolded in an alternative version of the United Kingdom of the early 1960s, where there was an accident at the Windskale's real nuclear power station. In this scenario, the government not only did not cope with the consequences of the accident, but also began to hide the extent of the disaster, isolation of the region and using extraordinary measures that only worsened the situation. All this creates a depressing, almost paranoid background that sets the tone of the whole game.
The player enters the world that resembles something between rural England and the alienation zone - with abandoned villages, strange cults, armed patrols and incomprehensible scientific experiments. The world is breathing in the British color of the middle of the XX century. There are bright red phone booths that, incidentally, play a great role in the direction of the player and the deployment of history. Retro-futuristic elements are sent to the classic seasons "Doctor Who" and other British fiction of the XX century, such as John Windem's works.
The atmosphere of the game is its main trump card. She does not impose herself, but slowly embraces the subconscious: through the torn pages of documents, spooky radio programs, feelings from the opening of new corners of each location and infrequent silent NPC, which is afraid to say unnecessary. And that is why the world of AtomFall wants to explore, despite its dangers.
The plot does not lead the hand le, but is laid out through small quests. Because of this, the adventure itself looks like a detective, because the protagonist woke up without memory in a bunker and had only a card-clicking card to other bins. He needs to solve the causes of the happening catastrophe and find a way out of the quarantine zone.
Yes, there is nothing unusual here. As with most side stories in the game. However, they are presented through research, lead a variety of locations and do not allow them to be bored. It may be to be swayed by some graphomania of the authors in terms of notes and other documents that provide a majority of the plot and tasks. The productions here are a minimum, and even NPC dialogues are made by receiving a "telling head". However, all these said quests are clinging and constantly distracting from the main task. But sometimes they help in its implementation, because they bring to places where you can get new in investigation or new tools and tools for exploring the world.
Only in the late part of the game there is a backing by old locations. This allows you to get into places that were not available at the beginning. However, without the ways to move rapidly, it is better to lay the route to the points of interest and tasks in advance. And this may not be easy, because there are no markers on the map. Only the markings of the places that are information in the notes, or those where the player was already alone. The benefit of the map can be placed your own notes - it greatly simplifies navigation.
Gameplay and mechanics
At the center of the AtomFall gameplay - the study of the world. The game has several locations that can theoretically get back from the beginning of the game, but not everything is so easy. This is first and foremost a game of research and survival, which means the world will actively counteract the player, and the goals of investigations and new locations need to be found and find a way to get inside. The game has several factions of locals who remained closed in the quarantine zone, and most of them are hostile to the hero. In addition to people, the danger is enemy fauna, infected radiation, poison or spores of the area and a bunch of other factors.
Survival is a different AtomFall gameplay pillar, but it is not as hardcore as the more complex representatives of the genre. There is no hunger, cold and the like. However, it is not necessary to neglect food, as it restores health after another fight with hostile creatures. And for each accession to a new unknown area, you should prepare, stocking weapons , cartridges, various medicines and tonics. This is well -helped by the Lutting system , where you need to get everything from the fallen enemies and scratch the corners of rooms and caves. What could not be selected can be scraped. The production of items here is also not too hardcore, but it needs to search and study the appropriate recipes - without them.
For Kraft there is a set of ingredients, from different combinations of which in the presence of a recipe you can get different explosives, medical objects and weapons. Another survival mechanics is the character pumping. Instead of experience, pumping stimulants are used, which are also fades. They are often found in closed bins, as they will happen on the road by accident, or on some quest. They, like recipes, can be a reward for tasks.
In search of valuable things, a metal detector will be useful. It occupies a highlighted slot in inventory and is activated near the hiding place in the ground. It can be reached and walked around the square to find a nasty that can be both simple ingredients and important components or recipes for craft.
The pumping is nonlinear, which means that certain skills can only be obtained after studying the guide that will open the appropriate branch. Due to the fact that the game does not lead the hand and allows you to freely explore the world, the same recipes, manuals and stimulants can be found in different places, not just in the selected. So, even if you miss Molotov's cocktail or potion, there is still a chance to find the same in another location.
Although survival does not turn into infinite insistence through inventory, the balance between the atmosphere and mechanics is well. However, it is not perfect - the inventory is very limited, it cannot be expanded. What to leave and what to throw away, or not to take regular AtomFall dilemma. So the player always feels vulnerable, but not helpless.
Combat system
And here is what AtomFall really causes a feeling of helplessness and frustration, so it is a local combat system. If you remember the wonderful shooting of the Sniper Elite series, forget it, it is not here. Instead of deadly weapons there are powder sticks. Yes, after a while, the rusty single -charged rifle and the shotgun can be replaced first with a double -barrel and a "bolt", and then with more deadly specimens. However, all this experience leaves an unpleasant precipitate.
AtomFall has different types of weapons: guns, shotguns, rifles, bow s and vending machines. Initially, they occur in a bad state and rust, so you should not expect efficiency. But even with improving the quality of the weapon found, it is not more enjoyable to shoot it. It does very little harm. First -person aiming is inconvenient. And the animation of recharging or tension of the bow of the bow is interrupted by any unnecessary movement. And when a crowd of aggressive bandits with bits runs on you, the first thing that comes to mind is to run and hide, because the open battle does not promise anything pleasant.
Enemies often go groups. There are grotesque bandits that patrol their possessions. There is a faction of druids that worship the earth and use only cold weapons and meadows. They often ambush. There are also soldiers who are neutral to the hero, if you do not touch them. It happens that bandits can collide with soldiers and arrange a firefight, or to attack the bandits patrol.
There are still mysterious zombies-like creatures that occurred after the disaster. They attack in hand -to -hand, but they do a lot of harm and absorb a remarkable number of hits.
Gentiles have bits, knives, axes of different sizes and other more unusual tools for hand -to -hand combat. The player can choose them and also use them. But everything is not better here than with a firearm, because everything is very slow and harm to enemies is not done a little. Also, the local endurance system does not allow to walk. Instead of a scale of stams, the heartbeat here, with its growth, the character slows down movements, strokes, aiming and so on. And endurance is spent very quickly and any action-from jumps and running, to tension of the bow of the bow.
The intelligence of opponents is primitive to absurdity. When they see a player, they just run on him and stop in an open space at a distance required for attack. If it is a rifle or onions, then, if the shotgun, then at a medium distance, and if the weapon of the melee, then they run into the focus. Most of them, of course, ride from different types of scales and knives, they will obviously simply run up and a crowd of dubbing the player without repelling.
Of course, this can be avoided. After all, Atomholall has a crash, but it could also be better. The previous problems with the AI enemies are added to their X -ray vision and super hearing. In order for the location to be more shelters for crash, not just a grass, it may not be so scary. However, not this time. Easy melee weapons can be thrown at enemies, but it does not do much harm and more quickly gives out the player's position and destroys crashing. The bow is also trouble. He, of course, is silent and kills two shots of ordinary enemies, but it is simply uncomfortable to use. After excellent realizations of such weapons in the Far Cry series, or the same Skyrim, local systems with stam and animations that are constantly interrupted, do not feel comfortable and open the bow to the full.
However, it is not a shooter or a purebred action to so much to dig into the combat system. However, the impression is that it is underdeveloped here, or is designed not to help e study of the world, but rather restrict the player by driving it into the framework.
Elephant in the room
Let's already notice an elephant in the room: AtomFall many aspects are reminiscent of S.t.a.l.k.E.r. Yes, there are many parallels here, because it is a dive into a strange but familiar world where everything went wrong, and it is unclear - that a real threat here is: nature, the government or the residents themselves who have divided into factions "for interests". However, in AtomFall, everything is impregnated with British restraint, phlegmatic and stylistics of post -war Europe, which gives the project of its own face. And the more empty world sometimes causes a meditative mood. A peculiar atmosphere is facilitated by the visual and sound part of the game.
And if you turn on the imagination a little, you can feel the Fallout swing with an unknown wasteland. Especially there is even a mod Fallout London , which immerses the players in the nuclear post -apocalypse in British color.
Audiovisual
Here the games are increasingly in order. Technically, a simple but well -stylized picture emphasizes the atmosphere very well and conveys the spirit of place and era. Green-gray landscapes of North England serve as a great background for contrasting telephone booths, weird appearance of painted bandits or strict and brutal industrial structures. And the dark lead sky hangs as if it were about to explode.
The sound occupies a separate place in immersion in the atmosphere. There is no background music that will be remembered or left in the playlist. But the embient on the background and the sounds of the "zone" well complement the picture and orient in space.
The technical side of AtomFall at height. The game works great on a medium power computer with RTX 3070 on high settings and at the same time outputs a picture of 90 FPS in a resolution of 1440p. At Xbox Series X, it also looks great and works steadily. Several release bugs were quickly padded.
Conclusion
We will be frank, cult as S.t.A.L.K.E.r. Whether Fallout the game will not become. However, AtomFall and does not try to jump above the head. The game promises an interesting study of the unique world of full puzzles and secrets. And she copes with it and even more. She does it unobtrusively, does not lead the player by the hand and gives herself to decide how to play. What is the task of taking and doing and not. Despite the problems with the combat system and the behavior of the enemies of AtomFall, it is a convincing, atmospheric game with elements of survival, which is exactly worth trying to try the fans S.t.A.L.k.E.r., which have already passed the second part along and across, and to all others who are interested in research and indivisible. Especially when you can play the Game Pass subscription on your PC or Xbox.
AtomFall can delay with its slowness and atmospheric world that is so fun to explore
