“Well, we obviously don’t want to give too much away at this point; nobody likes spoilers! Suffice it to say that the player has been dispatched to this remote, off-world facility as a result of a complete loss of communications. Their job is to determine what has suddenly caused the colony to fall silent, and then try to save as many lives as possible.”

We’re always happy to investigate cataclysmic events, but what about the world that we’re going to be looking into? Fisher was happy to drop more details about what inspired its unique environments while once again managing to deftly sidestep revealing more than what the trailer showed us.

“We’ve been inspired by the slightly more analogue world of 1980s sci-fi, which is much more mechanical keyboard than it is touchscreen. We think it’s given our colony a chunky, lived-in aesthetic that has a genuinely unique feel. We’ve taken influences from everything from Lovecraftian eldritch horror to 1980s VHS sci-fi, so we think that people will be intrigued by what we’ve built.”

Aside from the world and its inspirations, Fisher also revealed a little more about the protagonist we’ll be guiding through the hair-raising adventure, and there’s definitely some shades of Dead Space’s Isaac Clarke here. “The Combat Engineer is a highly trained first responder who is proficient in search and rescue, combat, demolitions, and engineering. They fulfill a critical role. Whenever contact is lost with any off-world facility or spacecraft, they are the first on-site, providing emergency logistical support and physical protection to any survivors. Sometimes arriving days or weeks ahead of a full rescue fleet, they are often all that stands between a distant colony and total catastrophe.”

Last but definitely not least, he gave us some food for thought regarding the terrifying enemies. “That very much depends on which part of the colony you’re exploring. Without spoiling too much, let’s just say that the player might sometimes feel more powerful, but they should never feel ‘safe’.”

It looks like you’re going to be both the hunter and the hunted in this one, and that’s probably going to be the most thrilling part about this sci-fi survival horror shooter when it drops sometime next year for the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

You make your way through a colony in space that’s been at the receiving end of a cataclysmic storm which has devastated the landscape while horrifying monstrosities now prowl around just waiting for their next meal. If you don’t want that to be you, you’re going to need some quick reflexes and a solid trigger finger to shoot your way through to safety. But the aliens aren’t the only threat you’ll be contending with, as the weather is going to be throwing a spanner in any escape plans. It’s a tough spot to be in, and adds to the tension.

While there’s no release date as of this moment (beyond the 2027 release window), you’ll be pleased to know that this one is making it to Xbox Game Pass, Xbox on PC, as well as Xbox Play Anywhere aside from being available on Xbox Series X|S, Steam and PS5. You’re going to want to brace yourself before you check out the reveal trailer below.

The Red Strain is accessed near the starting zone of the base game, inside the Slatten Coal Mines. A previously defunct elevator shaft whisked me away to a completely new area called the Scafell Crag, the base of operations for this DLC’s content. Like Wicked Isle, the new location has a single entrance with no Interchange shortcuts. That’s not a deal-breaker, but Scafell Crag’s entry point is far from any Interchange nodes or major zones, forcing players to trek on foot across long stretches. At least the first DLC started within the hub-like Wyndham Village. While the distance isn’t unbearable, it makes backtracking more tedious than it should be—and, two expansions in, there’s still no fast-travel option.

"The Red Strain takes place in the self-contained Scafell Crag, a region housing a top-secret research campus."

But for the most part, The Red Strain takes place in the self-contained Scafell Crag, a region housing a top-secret research campus with a rocket ship of all things nestled within. My introduction to this new region was pleasant. The mysterious loudspeaker and abandoned trainyard reminded me of Gordon Freeman’s entrance to City 17 in Half-Life 2, at least to a small degree. Exploring the rail tracks and small operator rooms reminded me why I enjoyed the environments in the base game so much. There’s a level of fine detail and a strong British sense of place here, something I found missing in Wicked Isle. I also enjoyed the linear progression curve of enemy encounters. You start out alone in the trainyard, able to peruse at your leisure, until inciting the anger of some infected citizens near the local village. I guess I just like that I’m not terribly swarmed right from the get-go. The player gets to ease oneself into the new DLC area.

Things take a more puzzling turn when leaving the station and small village. A huge wall with turrets surrounds what is called Test Site Moriah. Contained within Moriah’s walls are the meat and potatoes of the DLC’s main quest. So, naturally, getting inside should be rather straightforward and clear, right? The opposite was true in my case. I was lead on a wild goose chase that lasted over an hour thanks to misleading Investigation leads.

"Some leads don’t acknowledge previously completed quests, unfortunately."

The game naturally leads the player to various notes divulging how to open the entrance inside Moriah. These notes tie into the Windfall Shipment quest from the base game, a quest which leads to the Signal Redirector key item. A vast majority of players getting into this DLC will already have the Signal Redirector in their inventory. Yet, these new leads still mark the Windfall quest as ‘ongoing’, pointing players in the vicinity of the Signal Redirector. In short, the leads to get through the gate  don’t recognize the completion of a prior quest, encouraging players to backtrack to places already completed.

To complicate things further, some journals mention a new “Signal Redirector MK II,” which seems tied to the Windfall leads. After wandering all the way to Skethermoor in search of the Windfall shipment I already retrieved much earlier, I realized I didn’t need the MK II at all—I was just using the MK I on the wrong control box. Some of that’s on me, but the quest design could be far clearer. And without a fast travel option, that kind of backtracking becomes exhausting. This goose chase is partially on the game for being so obtuse and misleading.

"The new zone has a lot of terrain verticality and oodles of fresh content to explore."

Once I realized what I actually had to do to open the gate to Moriah, I began enjoying the DLC again. The Moriah Site has a lot going for it. It’s got great terrain verticality, a host of new opponents to combat, and a tight layout that’s far more convenient than the sprawl of Wicked Isle. Moriah is dotted with a series of facilities in a circle-like configuration with the command center at the far end and a neat underground tunnel allowing for quicker traversal. The interesting vertical geography, including a rocket ship of all things centered in the middle of the map, just makes exploration all the more fun. You’re rarely exposed in a wide open spaces getting ambushed by common bandits here; the terrain is too varied and terraced for that, and the enemies are almost exclusively unique.

You’ll see some common bandits here and there after opening the Moriah gate, but the area is almost exclusively populated by new stuff. Scafell Crag sees the player facing off against a new organic variation of the BARD robots, Red Strain variants of Ferals, and my favorite, cute pesky little drones which fly out in packs shocking every non-infected person in sight. The drones in particular emphasize your new combat equipment well. The new SMGs are perfect for spraying down drone flyers, and electric grenades are even more effective for their wide blanket effect. As far as the larger robots go, you have a new heavy machine gun and flamethrower that tears them to shreds. I didn’t find much use for the new suppressed weapons, but it’s cool they added them in the game. All in all, I never felt too overwhelmed by enemy encounters and there’s enough variety here to keep the gameplay feeling fresh and different from the core game and its first DLC.

"The new heavy machine gun and flamethrower tears BARD robots to shreds."

What’s more, you can even use robots and turret systems against foes with the handy new Signal Redirector MK II. Just hack away at the applicable robotics and they’ll patrol and shoot down anyone threatening you. It’s especially handy to hack turret systems for those erratic and unsuspecting drone swarms. There’s also some new Skills and items that I won’t spoil here, suffice to say they’re more or less in line with what Wicked Isle brought to the table.

Unfortunately, all the new gadgets and weaponry has to be frugally managed in your increasingly limited inventory. That’s because there’s been no expansion to inventory or tweaks to the core gameplay systems related to it whatsoever in this DLC. It’s surprising because one of the core issues since the base game’s release was how clunky inventory management was. Manually scrolling through each individual unsorted item in storage is made more tedious here due to the additional items and loot – and with no increase in item cap size, constantly selling off or discarding stuff is a necessity. At least there’s a lot of storage tubes populating the new zone. I can’t imagine how tedious it would’ve been to have to backtrack all the way to the Interchange just to store and retrieve your loot. The dlc requires you fill your inventory with a myriad of key items necessary to advance the main quest. And without any kind of inventory expansion, collecting all the new gear becomes stifled.

"Unfortunately, all the new gadgets and weaponry has to be frugally managed in your increasingly limited inventory."

One of the key items you’ll be lugging around are brains. Yes, that’s right, brains… in jars. Your main objective is seeking out five or so jar-brains hidden within the various facilities of the Moriah campus. The facilities each fulfil a specific function of the operation, much like the different wings within the Interchange. There’s not as many cool gimmicks or interesting thematic level design here as the Interchange, but the effort to differentiate the buildings is still notable. But back to jar-brains. Inserting each brain into the command facility unlocks access to new facilities and unravels more of the mystery of the red strain virus infecting everything in the zone.

It’s a nice narrative conceit that pushes the player forward both in terms of new locations and story revelations. And each brain has a unique personality too, adding some characterization to an otherwise lonely quest. The story dispenses lore and worldbuilding via the numerous notes and journals left by prior inhabitants (and sometimes the jar-brains). It’s more or less the same style of worldbuilding as the base game and the first DLC. The main Oberon plot is also tied into this DLC, as expected. You didn’t think a viral outbreak named the Red Strain wouldn’t have any connection to the Oberon artifact, did you?

"Your main objective is seeking out five or so jar-brains hidden within the various facilities of the Moriah campus."

Speaking of Oberon, this DLC includes two new endings. Both endings involve backtracking to the final quest of the main game to complete. In other words, there’s no new ‘final dungeon’ or anything. You must do the same Oberon journey from the base game’s ending, albeit, with the added backtracking to the new zone afterwords. I wouldn’t mind ending it at Oberon again, but having to hoof it back to the Moriah Facility is pure tedium. Again, the game desperately needs some kind of fast travel option. The same slideshow style endings are present for both endings of the DLC. While the endings aren’t any more flashy than the core game’s, they do provide thought-provoking decision-making between the two opposing quest-givers. There’s quite a bit of moral reasoning and questioning to digest with this story’s endings, which I appreciate.

The Red Strain is a pretty notable improvement from The Wicked Isle DLC. The new zone is much more interesting to explore and the added enemy types and fresh weaponry is more dynamic and fun. And while some old woes remain unchanged here, there’s at least far less backtracking this time around. If you only have the budget to pick up one DLC for Atomfall, The Red Strain is the better option of the two.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Built on the remains of a missile testing facility by C.O.R.E., an unknown force has since taken up residence. Ultimately, the player can opt to venture inside, pick up any available leads and unravel what’s going on. It may have something to do with the red foliage surrounding the building, which is likely anything but good.

Players can look forward to new skills and weapons, including guns with suppressors and “heavy weaponry” from the new hostile robots. Something is lurking within Moriah and will seemingly challenge players unlike anything else before.

For more details on Atomfall, check out our review. You can also read our thoughts on the first expansion, Wicked Isle, here.

The Horde mode in Zombie Army VR puts players in the shoes of a soldier as they face unending waves of increasingly-dangerous zombies. If a player finds it too difficult to deal with the ever-escalating threats in the game mode, they can also team up with another player for 2-player co-op. The game mode features four different maps, each with its own quirks that players will have to deal with.

As the new trailer showcases, the Horde mode in Zombie Army VR will feature a good combination of indoors and outdoors environments, giving players different kinds of challenges from having to take on long-distance enemies in an open field to hordes of quick zombies in narrow hallways. Along with the game mode, the update also brings with it other content to Zombie Army VR, including new skins Black Ice and Toxic Hazard.

Zombie Army VR was released on PC (via SteamVR), PlayStation VR2, Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 back in May, and is priced at $29.99. The title servers as a prequel to Zombie Army 4, putting players in the shoes of a Deadhunter – an elite squad that specialises in taking down zombie war criminals. The story of the game revolves around the player trying to fight through a bombed out Nuremberg and helping out legendary Deadhunter Hermann Wolff with finding his family.

The VR title features an impressive arsenal of weapons and tools that players can make use of, from thrown items like grenades, to epic sniper rifles to line-up perfect shots, and even melee weapons in case a zombie manages to get too close. The weapons in the game are all based on real-world World War 2 weaponry, and players can further improve them by making use of upgrade kits.

Zombie Army VR also brings back the X-ray Kill Cams that the series is known for, along with the kind of gameplay that fans of the series can expect, ranging from epic boss fights against Nazi zombies, to an emphasis on exploration, and even co-op gameplay. The title was announced all the way back in March this year.

In May, Zombie Army VR got another trailer that focused on showcasing co-op action, as well as melee and ranged combat with the game’s authentic World War 2-era weaponry. The trailer featured bursts of fast-paced gameplay, giving us a look at progression systems, the iconic kill cams, and the fast-paced and brutal combat that players can partake in as they mow down hordes of zombie war criminals.

For players that might not have a way to play VR titles, the last major release in the Zombie Army franchise was 2020’s Zombie Army 4: Dead War, which is available on a host of platforms – PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Current-gen consoles can also play the shooter thanks to backwards compatibility.

The new location comprises an industrial facility with, as Rebellion describes it, “strange red foliage,” which may be the source of the so-called “red strain.” The building’s inside reveals that it belongs to an organization called C.O.R.E., and they even have their own robots for protection. As always, you can expect to uncover different mysteries with more details to be revealed in the coming weeks.

It’s unknown whether The Red Strain will be included with the Deluxe Edition alongside Wicked Isle, or sold separately, so stay tuned. Atomfall is available for Xbox One, PS4, PS4, PC, and Xbox Series X/S alongside Game Pass. Check out our review here – we gave it an eight out of ten, praising the setting, story and world design, though its stealth and combat often felt clunky.

To access the DLC, players need only head to the Wyndham port and speak to the ferryman (one of the new NPCs) standing on the docks. Beginners are welcome too, since Wyndham can be entered right from the beginning of the base game.

As expected, the large bulk of said content takes place on an isolated isle apart from the base game’s mainland areas. Backtracking to the mainland is also a decent chunk of the DLC’s main quest, but more on that later. So, how large is the new DLC island? Well, it’s comparable to other regions of the base game. In particular, Midsummer Isle resembles the Casterfell Woods region in size and geographical features. So, if you loathe those druid-infested woods as much as I do, you’re in for more of that.

Of course, being an isle, there is water surrounding the entire landmass. My first death in the DLC was caused by a group new Aquatic Ferals enemies that emerged from the depths of some beach water. They look like 50s sci-fi horror mermen, and they pack quite the wallop. There’s also a new enemy faction that behaves identically to the base game’s druids. Besides these two new enemies, which are basically reskins if we’re being honest, there’s not much players won’t have experienced combat-wise in the base game. Wicked Isle doesn’t feature any groundbreaking new boss fight mechanics or particularly noteworthy encounters, and that’s a bit of a shame.

"Wicked Isle doesn’t feature any groundbreaking new boss fight mechanics or particularly noteworthy encounters."

What lets the enemy design down even more, however, is the reappearance of those annoying unkillable Mutant Plant enemies. They’re placed in irritating zones too, discouraging exploration in one noteworthy instance. Another small complaint is the high number of druid packs patrolling many of the island’s landmarks. As I said earlier, Casterfell Woods was my least favorite location in the base game, and man was I disappointed when I happened across similar packs of druids in yet another wooded area. Sure, there’s some patches of grass overgrowth allowing for a stealthy approach, but Atomfall works best with its tightly crafted indoor level design, which this DLC has little of.

But Midsummer Isle stoops even lower than the lesser regions of the base game. This is because there’s no access to the Interchange whatsoever on the island. The Interchange rendered traversal manageable in the base game thanks to its interconnected entrances hiding within every region. Lacking an Interchange entrance is bad for several reasons. For one, you don’t have access to your storage tube. All that shiny new loot will have nowhere to go thanks to the severely limited inventory space and no Interchange access. Well, unless you decide to hoof it all the way back to the mainland via ferry. Yes, unfortunately, fast travel options or inventory expansions didn’t get added to this DLC. Not that I really needed it in the base game, but again, I had the Interchange to go to and from the various regions. Here on Midsummer Isle, I must manually hoof it to the boat, go through a load screen, and then hoof it from the Wyndham docks. You really feel the traversal padding with this DLC.

The second reason no Interchange access is bad is due to the backtracking-heavy quests within the DLC. And not just any old backtracking, fetch quest backtracking. Yeah, bit of a bummer combo that. One of the last steps toward completing the DLC’s main quest is finding four keys to unlock a crypt. But the game doesn’t just give you those key locations, you have to work for them. This is where one of Atomfall’s strongest design elements comes into play: leads. Turning lead tracking off in the options menu allows the game to organically guide the player to quest objectives. This typically involves clever deduction of written texts, uncovering info from NPC conversations, and good old environmental storytelling. And that mostly stays true in the DLC, even if guidance is a tad less effective this time around. I got lost more during this DLC than at any time in the base experience. Good luck finding the new metal detector, because with a total lack of clues or leads, you’re gonna need either luck or objective markers turned on to find it.

"I got lost more during this DLC than at any time in the base experience."

Regarding the four keys themselves, You can go after them in whichever order you see fit, but you better find all clues in one batch first before getting said keys individually. This is because each key is located within a region of the mainland. Some players will have made three separate trips to the mainland just for each key. This level of backtracking simply didn’t exist in the core game, especially given the smart layout of the Interchange connecting the regions. What makes it even worse is the total lack of expansion given to mainland areas or familiar NPCs. You simply use your newfangled metal detector in an old area of the base game and return back to the island with the quest items; that’s it. No re-contextualization of prior areas or new dialogue with old NPCs.

This fetch quest design exposes the need for an Interchange shortcut to the mainland or a fast travel feature update. A sizable portion of this DLC’s playtime is spent just backtracking and traversing across regions already explored in the main game, but without any added context, areas, or NPCs to make it interesting or fresh.

That said, not everything in Wicked Isle is backtracking or re-skinned content. The new blunderbuss shotgun is fun to shoot, even if ammo is very sparse, and the new daggers and cutlass at least look cool, even if they don’t play any different from their equivalent from the base game. Players also get access to a new set of Skills, which provide resistances and new capabilities relating to various status effects. Decomposition is a particularly enjoyable skill to put points into. It turns enemies into a puff of spores that you can extract upon stealth killing them, how cool is that?

"The new Decomposition skill turns enemies into a puff of spores that you can extract."

I wouldn’t say the amount of new items and Skills are particularly amazing here or anything, but their quality at least makes up for it (although those new skills sure do cost way too much). Apart from some fancy new gear, players will find side quests and lots of diaries and notes to sift through, as well as interesting new characters to argue with. Oh, and there’s a new ending players can engage with should they tackle quests and respond to dialogue in a particular way.

Speaking of characters, the first one you meet right from the beginning is one of the more intriguing of the bunch. The boatman who ferries you over to the isle has quite a tragic tale to tell, and his own journey through the course of the DLC earns some amount of empathy. Likewise, the main antagonists of the DLC (if they can be called that) speak in an Old English tongue that is ever so delightful to hear. In fact, the story that’s weaved from the ghostly Abbot and his retinue is one of the best things to come from Wicked Isle. The mysterious ‘angel’ that fell from the sky, it’s worshipers, and the 1600s events that the player learns about all tie into the main story of Atomfall wonderfully. Wicked Isle provides a clever insight into how a Britain 200 years in the past reacts to Oberon, perfectly complimenting how the more modern man with their technology reacts to it in the base game.

"The boatman who ferries you over to the isle has quite a tragic tale to tell."

Still, a good story isn’t quite enough to pull this DLC up from its ultimate shortcomings. Considering Wicked Isle is a third ($19.99) of the base game’s price, I expected a bit more from it. I enjoyed the base game’s content more than the DLC’s offerings. Fetching a bunch of keys from the old stomping grounds of the base game didn’t do Wicked Isle any favors, especially given the lack of fast travel or Interchange entrances. Plus, Wicked Isle just doesn’t have much meat on its bones.

With only a handful of new weapons and Skills, there’s not a sizable amount of stuff here that I can see roping players back into its world. But it’s decent enough to warrant a purchase for fans who really appreciate Atomfall. Wicked Isle is a nice compliment to the main game, enhancing and prolonging Atomfall in neat and rewarding ways, but it doesn’t necessarily provide a good enough hook to entice new players or bring familiar players back in.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Accessed from a boat in Windham Village, Midsummer Isle is isolated from the rest of the quarantine zone. However, it expands on the lore with some leads taking you back to the zone and opening alternate endings. You’ll wind up in an abandoned fishing village but venture into dense forests and an old abbey’s ruins (where the Monk’s Grove resides in secret).

Lake Bandits and Druids are the more common threats, but you’ll also have to beware of the new aquatic Ferals (who look like Mermen). Fortunately, there are some new weapons to help out. The Blunderbuss shotgun ignites enemies and can discharge both shells at a time, while the corrupted dagger deals more damage to infected enemies. You can even apply poison to arrows.

There are also four new skills, including decomposition to discretely dispose of bodies after a silent takedown. Atomfall: Wicked Isle launches on June 3rd for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. Check out our review of the base game here.

By taking a boat from Wyndham Village, players can venture to this new isle and visit its fishing village. Though new mysteries, supplies, and even escape opportunities can present themselves, you have to deal with the locals, who may not be so quick to cooperate.

Of course, there are also hidden locations housing strange rituals, fighting rings, and haunting streets to traverse. What other secrets lay in wait? We’ll have to wait and find out.

Stay tuned for more details and gameplay for Wicked Isle in the coming week. You can check out our review for Atomfall in the meantime. It crossed 2 million players in over two weeks and became “immediately profitable” at launch. Rebellion is currently discussing sequel plans.

Speaking in a recent interview with The Game Business, Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley revealed (via IGN) the fact that Atomfall was “immediately profitable” for the British studio at launch, in spite of the fact that a portion of its player base joined in through Game Pass and not direct sales. Kingsley went on to add that plans for sequels or spinoffs set in the Atomfall universe were also being discussed, while work on post-launch updates and DLC for Atomfall itself is, of course, also continuing.

In our review of Atomfall, we awarded it a score of 8/10, saying, “Atomfall concocts an engrossing story in a world full of intrigue and whimsy, while delivering a gameplay experience that is defined by strong world design, rewarding exploration, and an impressive emphasis on player agency. Utterly gorgeous and wonderfully eccentric, Rebellion’s post-nuclear dystopia is well worth checking out, even with some issues in combat and stealth.” Read the full review through here.

Atomfall is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.