Atomfall
marks
Rebellion’s
first
new
IP
in
years
and
is
remarkably
different
from
their
Sniper
Elite
series
which
has
been
the
studios
main
focus.
Based
around
the
very
real
Windscale
nuclear
disaster
that
occurred
in
England
in
1957,
Atomfall
is
a
self-proclaimed
action
survival
game
that
is
at
its
best
when
it
leaves
out
the
action
and
survival
parts
and
focuses
on
exploring
its
world
and
investigating
its
intriguing
narrative.
One
thing
is
for
certain,
though:
Atomfall
another
great
example
of
why
the
double-A
gaming
space
is
so
important.
Although
it
may
lack
the
polish
and
scope
of
a
triple-A
title,
it
isn’t
lacking
in
cool
ideas
and
passion.

Note:
this
is
not
my
best
work.
During
the
writing
of
this,
my
dog
has
been
near
his
time,
and
right
now
every
day
is
waiting
to
see
if
I
need
to
make
the
call.
Right
now,
I’m
spending
nearly
all
my
time
with
him
outside
in
the
garden
where
he
can
watch
the
world
go
by
and
enjoy
the
sights
and
sounds,
since
he
can’t
go
out
for
walks.
I
haven’t
been
able
to
concentrate
on
writing,
and
as
such
I’m
worried
this
review
isn’t
up
my
usual
(admiteddly,
not
very
good
normally)
standards.
I
do
apologise
for
that.

Available
On:
Xbox
One,
Xbox
Series,
PS4,
PS5,
PC
Reviewed
On:
PS5
Developed
By:
Rebellion
Developements
Published
By:
Rebellion
Developements

Review
code
provided
by
the
publisher.

You
awaken
as
an
unknown
human
being
with
no
memory
of
how
you
came
to
be
in
an
underground
bunker,
which
honestly
just
sounds
like
a
regular
weekend
for
us

Brits
Scots.
Emerging
from
the
bunker
in
a
scene
very
reminiscent
of
Fallout
and
Elder
Scrolls,
you
find
yourself
in
the
lush,
green
countryside
of
England.
Rolling
hills
and
stone
walls
do
nothing
to
distract
from
the
Windscale
nuclear
plant
in
the
distance,
though,
a
strange
blue
plume
billowing
out
from
its
ruins.
Cleverely,
Windscale
can
almost
always
be
seen
as
you
explore
the
cosy
town
of
Windham,
the
Druid-infested
Casterfell
woods
and
Skethermoor.
It
looms
over
everything
you
do,
and
unsurprisingly
your
journey
will
always
lead
to
there
eventually.

While
somewhat
forgotten
about,
the
Windscale
fire
was
a
very
real
event
that
resulted
in
panic.
Subsequently,
the
government
attempted
to
cover
up
how
bad
the
radioactive
fallout
was.
Atomfall
takes
the
idea
further,
as
you
find
that
in
the
game’s
world,
the
area
has
been
walled-off
and
quarantined
for
five
years
already,
leaving
people
and
even
some
military
stranded
inside.
Clearly,
something
else
is
going
on
at
Windcale,
and
to
escape
you
need
to
figure
out
exactly
what
it
is.

Not
that
Atomfall
wants
to
help
you
do
that.
Stepping
out
of
the
bunker,
you
have
no
pre-ordained
objective
or
direction
to
head
in.
The
game
does
attempt
to
give
you
a
few
obvious
starting
points
–
the
classic
British
red
telephone
box
with
a
ringing
phone
right
in
front
of
you
being
the
most
obvious
one
–
but
you
are
free
to
just
amble
off
and
figure
it
all
out
at
your
own
pace.
There’s
a
mystery
to
solve,
and
you’re
going
to
have
to
Scooby-do
the
shit
out
of
it.

Although
Rebellion
were
keen
to
say
that
Atomfall
was
ditching
the
traditional
quests,
the
“leads”
system
they
replaced
them
with
are
essentially
the
same
thing,
just
with
a
bit
less
handholding
than
we
normally
see
these
days.
In
the
various
zones,
which
are
connected
via
loading
screens
–
probably
due
Atomfall
being
on
Xbox
One
and
PS4
–
you’ll
run
into
several
people
promising
to
help
you
escape
the
quarantine,
and
all
of
them
have
their
own
agendas,
from
Mother
Jago
and
her
desire
to
grow
closer
to
the
mysterious
voices
in
the
soil
to
Colonel
Sims,
the
leader
of
the
stranded
military
forces.
If
you
want
to
get
out,
you’ll
need
to
help
them
out.

Whichever
path
you
venture
down,
you’re
still
free
to
follow
the
other
leads
as
well.
Working
with
others,
and
exploring
the
world,
might
reveal
information
which
paints
trusted
allies
as
in
a
new
light.
There
aren’t
a
lot
of
big
obvious
choices
to
be
made
as
such,
but
you
can
end
up
betraying
allies,
getting
back
together
with
them
or
even
wind
up
in
a
situation
where
options
are
completely
removed
from
the
board.
And
that’s
not
even
mentioning
how
you
can
confrot
them
with
evidence
you’ve
found
or
been
told
about,
or
just
pull
out
a
gun
and
shoot
’em
point
blank
in
the
noggin.
Even
if
you
avoid
the
main
story
leads,
there’s
plenty
to
be
found
in
the
world
that
will
fill
in
the
story
and
gradually
push
you
toward
the
ultimate
goal.

That
ultimate
goal
is
Windscale
itself,
and
The
Interchange,
a
massive
underground
bunker
that
must
be
gradually
powered
up
throughout
the
game
by
using
special
Atomic
Batteries.
These
will
naturally
tend
to
turn
up
along
the
main
narrative
lines
of
the
game,
but
they
can
also
be
found
in
various
places
off
the
beaten
path,
a
reminder
that
Atomfall
can
be
completed
even
if
you
choose
to
ignore
the
majority
of
the
main
plotlines.
The
Interchange
is
a
vast
place
that
also
connects
all
the
different
zones,
thus
acting
as
something
of
a
shortcut
system
in
a
game
that
has
no
fast-travel.
Powering
up
another
chunk
of
the
Interchange
acts
like
the
completion
of
another
chapter,
another
step
toward
solving
the
mystery.

Rebellion
told
us
during
previous
that
it
really
hopes
you’ll
play
through
it
more
than
once.
That’s
why
it’s
actually
a
surprisingly
short
game
(my
first
escape
tok
9
hours,
and
there’s
a
trophy/achievement
for
doing
it
in
under
5)
because
to
get
a
better
idea
of
what’s
going
you
need
to
escape
a
few
times
with
different
characters.
If
you
play
it
just
once,
the
ending
will
likely
be
unsatisfying
unless
you’re
the
kind
of
person
who
prefers
to
be
left
with
more
questions
than
answers.
Although
to
be
honest,
even
if
you
replay
the
game
quite
a
few
times
your
curiosity
probably
won’t
be
entirely
sated.
This
is
by
design
as
Rebellion
wanted
Atomfall
to
ape
its
speculative
fiction
inspirations
by
leaving
some
questions
unanswered.
The
result,
I
feel,
is
likely
be
divisive
but
will
hopefully
spark
a
lot
of
fun
debate
about
what
exact
is
happening
in
Atomfall’s
alt-history
world.

However,
there’s
one
big
problem:
I’m
not
sure
Atomfall
is
a
game
you’ll
want
to
play
a
few
times
over.
One
playthrough
was
fine
–
I
enjoyed
it,
but
I’m
not
sure
the
gameplay
is
enough
to
get
me
to
come
back
a
few
more
times.
That
said,
for
the
purpose
of
this
review
I
did
escape
several
times,
though
for
the
last
few
runs
I
just
loaded
up
a
save
file
I
strategically
kept
for
this
very
reason.
The
way
the
game
is
designed
means
all
paths
eventually
lead
to
the
same
area,
and
even
to
the
same
few
things
you
need
to
do.
Part
of
me
wishes
there
was
a
little
more
variety
in
how
the
final
hour
of
Atomfall
plays
out,
though.

To
put
it
simply,
the
writing
and
mystery-solving
aspects
of
Atomfall
are
where
the
game
shine,
although
that
might
just
be
the
radioactive
fallout
giving
everything
a
nice
glow.
The
four
zones,
plus
The
Interchange,
aren’t
huge
but
are
fairly
dense
with
plenty
of
optional
reading
and
environmental
storytelling
to
find.
The
side-quests
(sorry,
side-leads)
aren’t
plentiful
but
the
few
on
offer
are
enjoyable
and
again
tend
to
add
some
more
meat
to
narrative.
The
actual
design
of
the
missions
isn’t
going
to
win
any
awards,
mind
you,
usually
being
nothing
more
than
sending
you
across
the
map
to
the
furthest
point
to
find
an
item.

Outside
of
the
great
writing
and
the
mystery,
though,
Atomfall
flounders.
The
game’s
so-called
survival
elements
are
pretty
lightweight.
You
don’t
have
to
concern
yourself
with
starving,
sleeping
or
anything
like
that.
It’s
really
just
about
exploring
enough
to
fuel
the
minimal
crafting
system.

Crazed
woodland
druids,
giant
mechs,
odd
creatures
and
the
military
are
all
things
you
might
have
to
face
in
Atomfall’s
seperate
zones.
One
option
is
stealth,
but
it’s
barebones
at
best.
You
know
the
drill:
get
in
some
long
grass
that
magically
hides
you,
pop
out
to
snap
a
neck.
However,
enemy
vision
is
so
inconsistent
and
the
basic
takedown
so
noisy
that
stealth
feels
useless
without
some
upgrades
first.
Even
with
them,
stealth
is
rather
dull.

Speaking
of
which,
I
do
quite
like
the
upgrade
system.
The
skill
tree
is
small,
but
most
skills
are
locked
away
until
you
find
training
manuals
dotted
around
the
world,
providing
another
good
reason
to
explore.
You
also
need
to
grab
special
serum,
a
strange
substance
that
the
science
boffins
were
working
on
in
Windscale.
Like
the
survival
and
stealth
elements,
the
skill
tree
is
simplistic,
but
unlike
those
two
other
elements
feels
like
it
strikes
a
good
balance.
This
isn’t
a
huge
RPG
chock-full
of
skills
and
abilities
to
buy,
but
the
upgrades
that
are
there
feel
useful
instead
of
adding
on
0.2%
to
some
random
stat.

There
are
no
shortage
of
melee
weapons
lying
around,
from
sickles
to
crick
bats
to
big-ass
knives.
Sadly,
getting
into
fisticuffs
is
easily
the
worst
part
of
Atomfall.
With
no
blocking
and
dodging,
and
just
one
attack,
as
well
as
the
slow
movement
speed,
your
only
option
to
evade
damage
is
to
use
the
special
kick
to
stagger
enemies
or
to
help
control
crowds.
But
that
just
means
fights
come
down
to
whaling
mindlessly
on
the
enemy.
In
one-on-one
fights,
the
only
real
tactic
is
to
kick,
spam
a
few
attacks
and
then
kick
again,
keeping
the
foe
stun-locked.
Multiple
opponents
does
at
least
force
you
to
be
a
little
strategic
by
using
the
kick
to
keep
people
at
bay.
Without
the
kick,
combat
devolves
into
button-mashing
since
there’s
no
way
to
mitigate
incoming
damage.
And
there’s
a
few
foes
which
can
soak
up
far,
far
too
much
damage
become
dying,
making
the
already
dull
melee
combat
even
duller.

Really,
though,
once
you
have
a
gun
(which
can
be
found
pretty
quickly)
there
doesn’t
seem
to
be
a
reason
to
rely
on
the
shitty
melee
combat.
Prior
to
launching
and
even
during
my
hands-on
preview,
Rebellion
talked
about
how
rare
runs
and
ammo
would
be.
After
all,
Britain
doesn’t
tend
to
stock
guns
in
the
local
corner
store,
so
outside
of
rusty
shotguns
that
farmers
use
the
only
ones
should
be
in
the
military’s
possession.
In
reality,
though,
there
are
shotguns,
pistols,
revolvers
and
rifles
scattered
around
the
place
like
American
Santa
flew
overhead
with
a
hole
in
his
magic
bag.
Ammo
certainly
isn’t
raining
from
the
sky,
but
it’s
in
enough
abundance
that
anyone
with
half-decent
aiming
skills
shouldn’t
have
too
many
problems.
The
guns
do
feel
quite
good
to
use,
and
most
enemies
go
with
a
headshot,
but
otherwise
the
gunplay
is
entirely
mediocore.

Really,
though,
it
feels
like
Atomfall
wants
you
to
stay
out
of
fights
where
possible,
which
makes
sense
because
you
are
not
play
as
a
super-soldier
or
some
kind
of
action
here.
And
I
appreciate
how
Atomfall
often
lets
you
avoid
both
combat
and
stealth,
though.
Provided
you
aren’t
trespassing
in
specific
areas,
enemies
will
not
attack
on
sight,
and
by
slowly
walking
around
them
or
backing
away
hostilities
can
be
avoided.
Even
cooler,
if
you
whip
out
a
gun
and
point
it
an
unarmed
enemy
or
somebody
with
a
melee
weapon,
there’s
a
chance
they’ll
call
it
a
day
and
fuck
off.
This
can
work
even
if
you
don’t
have
any
ammo,
too,
which
is
a
great
little
detail.

In
a
sense,
then,
the
underwhelming
gunplay
and
fighting
kind
of
work
in
the
games
favour.
One
or
two
enemies
is
fine,
but
tackling
groups
when
you
don’t
have
much
ammo
is
a
waste
of
time
since
it’s
going
to
cost
you
resources
and
probably
just
result
in
a
huge
chunk
of
your
healthbar
deciding
to
go
on
vaction.
And
tackling
enemies
that
have
ranged
weapons
head-on
when
you’re
out
of
ammo
is
completely
stupid,
too.
Does
this
mean
the
combat
mechanics
shouldn’t
be
criticised?
No.
They
are
in
the
in
the
game,
after
all,
but
I’m
willing
to
at
least
admit
that
it
somewhat
works
in
the
game’s
favour
–
you
aren’t
here
to
fight,
and
it
should
always
be
a
last
resort.

But
there
are
also
plenty
of
customisation
options
available
in
the
menu
to
tinker
with.
For
example,
you
can
choose
for
leads
to
be
marked
as
“Main
Story”
and
for
markers
to
be
displayed
on
the
minimap
for
easier
exploration.
You
can
also
tweak
how
rare
resources
are,
aggressiveness
of
enemies
and
much
more.
In
other
words,
while
the
default
difficulty
lends
itself
to
a
sense
of
exploration
and
discovery,
you
can
also
turn
Atomfall
into
a
more
guided,
relaxed
experience.
Or
you
can
ramp
it
all
up
to
the
maximum.

Honestly,
I
probably
wouldn’t
have
liked
Atomfall
if
the
difficulty
wasn’t
so
customisable.
Being
able
to
tweak
so
many
aspects
meant
I
could
turn
down
the
elements
that
bugged
me
–
like
the
combat
–
and
emphasis
the
aspects
that
I
enjoyed
–
like
the
exploration
and
narrative.

One
aspect
of
the
game
I
found
intriguing
was
that
you
can
kill
literally
everyone
you
meet,
including
those
who
give
you
leads.
Seriously,
you
can
shoot
the
buggers,
blow
them
up,
snap
their
neck
or
murder
’em
in
whatever
way
is
most
convenient.
Even
with
everyone
dead,
you
can
still
beat
the
game
and
escape
because
Rebellion
has
ensured
there’s
still
one
option
left.
Maybe
the
true
mystery
is
all
the
friends
we
made
on
the
way…or
the
bodies
we
leave
behind.

Atomfall
is
a
tricky
game
to
review.
Its
wonderfully
realised
and
colourful
world
is
a
genuine
joy
to
explore
and
plays
host
to
an
excellent
mystery.
But
every
time
I
had
to
set
aside
that
mystery
to
fight
some
enemies
or
sneak
past
them
or
just
run
from
one
end
of
the
map
to
the
other
yet
again,
the
hook
that
the
story
and
writing
had
buried
in
me
was
damaged.
Being
able
to
adjust
so
much
of
the
gameplay,
by
which
I
mean
basically
turning
all
the
combat
and
survival
stuff
to
the
lowest
setting,
certainly
helped
a
bit
for
my
second
playthrough,
though.

In
other
words,
if
you
can
soak
up
the
thoroughly
bleh
combat
and
stealth,
and
the
thin
survival
elements,
and
just
focus
on
the
world,
storytelling
and
mystery
then
you’ll
have
a
good
time
with
Atomfall.
But
if
go
in
looking
for
Fallout
in
Britain,
as
it
was
often
descried
prior
to
launch,
or
even
for
action-survival
gameplay
mentioned
in
Atomfall’s
own
description,
you’ll
be
left
dissapointed.

One
thing
is
absolutely
for
sure:
Rebellion
has
the
groundwork
for
something
special
here,
and
a
sequel
has
the
potential
to
be
fantastic.
I
want
to
come
back
to
this
world,
to
find
out
what
happened
after
I
left
it
and
to
see
what
Rebellion
can
build
on
the
foundations
they
laid.

Now
how
about
some
kind
of
Atomfall/Sniper
Elite
crossover?