If you’ve read GamingBolt’s review of Atomfall, you have a pretty good idea of its biggest strengths- the fascinating narrative premise, the engaging storytelling, the wonderfully eccentric cast of characters. But of the many areas where Rebellion’s newly released survival action game excels, the one that serves as its brightest highlight, as the foundational element that defines and elevates the entire experience, is its setting- the world itself, how it’s designed, and how it doles out its content. It’s full of personality and it strives to be different, and the end result is truly special.
All of that starts on a conceptual level, and Atomfall makes a strong impression on that front. The game takes players to an alternate history early 1960s setting in Northern England, and though it does claim to be a post-apocalyptical game on paper, its world is really quite unlike the sort of post-apocalyptic setting that you’d expect based on the cues it otherwise takes from the likes of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Fallout. Rather than dreary and horrific, Atomfall’s quarantine zone setting is vibrant, overgrown, bright, and colourful. It’s also populated- not by anyone you’d describe as “sane” in the ordinary course of things, but it’s not the sort of map where you’re going to feel any sort of real isolation. In fact, the many personalities that you do meet are all weird and charming in their own ways, an unexpected comedic touch to proceedings. More than a touch, in fact- Atomfall takes prides in how whacky and offbeat it is.
That, as you might imagine, lends a very unique atmosphere to Atomfall’s setting, which by extension instantly helps set it apart from the crowd. Though there’s no doubt that the game evokes more than a little bit of games such as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Fallout (the former in particular), in terms of tone, atmosphere, and aesthetic, what it delivers feels entirely unique and of its own creation. From the second you step out into Atomfall’s open world, you can tell you’re in for something that, if nothing else, isn’t going to be ordinary.
The visual design of the world has a significant hand in that, and maybe even to a greater degree than a significant chunk of such titles. At a time when open world games struggle so often to make an impression and do things in a way that help them stand out, Atomfall leaves an indelible mark. Technically, it’s not the most astounding game you’re going to play by any means – Rebellion has never pretended to be a box office AAA studio, and that hasn’t changed – but its gorgeous art design helps Atomfall stand out. Bright and colourful environments, impressive structures that stand stark in the background and instantly draw the eye, a charming British town that finds itself under martial law, gorgeous scenes of natural beauty with bright-red phone boxes scattered here and there- Atomfall keeps throwing sights your way that, one way or another, are hard not to be completely taken with.
Best of all, the game doesn’t let any of that go to waste, because actually exploring Atomfall’s world is always a joy. On paper, in complete honesty, there are ways where it does feel inarguably flawed to some degree, ways that, if addressed, would have resulted in clear and obvious improvements. For instance, the map isn’t seamless, with multiple different areas instead being stitched together in a collection of several open-world maps. At the end of the day, it is still very much an open world game, but it’s easy to imagine how it could have been an even stronger experience than it already is if it was just one, giant, seamless map.
As I mentioned in my review though, Atomfall’s weaknesses – which it is not totally devoid of – are in many cases ultimately easy to forgive, because it makes up for them in other ways. For instance, it might be a bit of a bummer that its map isn’t seamless, but when you’re fully immersed and completely captivated by the game while exploring its world, however it is structured, it’s overarching structural issues matter less in the moment. That is very much the case here. Not only do Atomfall’s multiple maps boast impressive diversity in their environments and the sights they have to show you, they also boast strong design that encourages organic and diegetic exploration, with the player being expected to actually pay attention to and engage with the world rather than simply following markers or compasses or other similar crutches that open world games so often tend to fall back on.
On top of that, Atomfall also ensures that the actual, tangible rewards it’s giving out don’t feel lacking. That in particular is often tricky in survival or survival-lite games. Atomfall falls in the latter category, with its survival elements being limited to managing your health and heartbeat and dealing with things such as status conditions, resource conservation, crafting, and inventory management. It’s not the most stringent in the demands it places on the player – certainly, it feels nowhere near as relentless or oppressive on that front as something like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. does – but it strikes enough of a balance that the things that you find when you’re out exploring – bullets, weapons, crafting material, healing items, any number of other things – end up feeling valuable and worth the extra effort regardless.
The way Atomfall doles out its content is just as much of a factor in making its exploration stand out the way it does. Every single quest in the game comes in the form of a “lead”, and there’s never any distinction between any of them with regard to how important they are, or if they are tied to the main story. As far as the game is concerned, all leads are on the same footing, and you never quite know how some particular narrative thread might play out. All you can do on is tug at that string and see what it leads to- which means the game once again asks you to follow your curiosity and do what you think is interesting, rather than what you feel like you should prioritize based on a quest log. And that works, of course, because the leads are more often than not well worth your time. Stories intersect with each other and with the main plot in consistently interesting ways, which means you’re always on your toes, and always feels a certain sense of ownership over where you find yourself in the story, and most of all, how you got to that point. It’s not often that games are able to succeed at that, but Atomfall does so with surprising confidence.
Rebellion’s first-person survival gem is definitely still a little bit in the rough, and especially with things such as its combat and stealth, it could have done with a little more finetuning- with which it undoubtedly would have been an even more engaging experience. But even in the form that it exists right now, it’s well worth experiencing, and a big, pleasant surprise. Rebellion is of course no stranger to doing more with less, as it has proven time and again with its Sniper Elite games in particular. With Atomfall, the studio has done so again, and delivered something that deserves all the plaudits in the world for how much it prides itself on being its own thing, and just as importantly, how well it does it.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
