Surviving on the bare minimum in apocalyptic settings with a range of narrative options has always been a gaming genre that appeals to the masses. Fallout may be the obvious leader in this category, recently spawning a TV show and shifting to online multiplayer for ongoing interest and updates. Rebellion (the team behind the fantastic Sniper Elite series) has thrown bright red telephone booths into the ravaged English countryside to create their own post-bomb survival-RPG – Atomfall. On first glance, many have dubbed the game ‘English Fallout’ due to the similarities in gameplay, looting and combat style. But after a full run through the game (15 hours approximately – which could easily extend further) there’s something unique at play here. For Atomfall’s silent protagonist takes the backseat to shady characters across a handful of smaller maps rather than an entire open world, siding or slaying those that promise an escape from a land swarming with humans changed by a catastrophic event. Anyone can be your leader, and anyone can be killed. It’s the choices that create a web of interconnected story beats worth seeing through to conclusion. But in a packed 2025, does Atomfall carve out a strong enough identity? Read on.
As the protagonist, your character wakes up in a bunker while being asked for medical support. Should you heal this person, kill them, trust them? The choices start from the opening seconds, leading to escape from the bunker into the disaster-impacted English countryside. This is a very Fallout, Far Cry opening though on a much smaller scale with minimal starting information. The land is green and full of broken-down cars, buildings with chunks torn away and sinister enemies taking anything they can find. We soon learn about the Interchange, which is a series of blast doors leading to a central location. But who is Oberon? How do we escape? Why does everyone want to kill me, yet the soldiers in town leave me be? The rest of the story is best discovered naturally, as most players will walk a different path. There are multiple zones full of enticing areas to explore, and only following the main story missions would rob the player of the game’s focal point – experience, discovery, survival. The less you know beyond the atom’s fall, the better. The story is perhaps the best distinction from the comparison games, containing enough intrigue to usher in different finales depending on where your trust is placed.
The gameplay is quite varied, though the general loop is to find weapon, test weapon, keep or discard weapon. The melee staples are all there – cricket bat, knife, axe, shock baton, etc. I preferred to focus on the guns despite limited ammo, as the gunplay is a class above the melee combat. Without a block or dodge in melee, close quarter fights can end quickly if mobbed from different angles. The gun mechanics are much stronger, with headshots taking down most human foes and strategically destroying the mechs and other tough hordes. Rifle, handgun, shotgun, SMG – all the old friends are there, but the most fun overall was the simple bow. Sneaking through the woods while picking off enemies with arrowed headshots felt right for the stealth aspect of the game, as even the takedown from behind could alert an enemy and place you in dangerous proximity. Keeping distance, picking off enemies then retrieving arrows was the optimum style outdoors. In the tighter sewers and tunnels, the shotgun (blast radius) and handgun worked well. There are multiple enemy types, such as druids who inhaled too much blue and now hear voices in their heads, and the mechs capable of deleting your health in a second. The game offers enough options, including Molotov cocktails and grenades, to deal with most circumstances. The trick is to have enough toys at your disposal, leading into a core mechanic: crafting.
Crafting in open-world RPGs is now an expectation, but survival-RPGs actually depend on proficiency to remain healthy and armed. Atomfall has recipes spread across the mini-maps for items such as explosives, antidotes and enhancing guns. Loot is quite plentiful if spending the time to search beyond the main missions, and bandages (so, so necessary) should not be an issue in keeping stocked. The limited inventory system is the section that will cause most challenge. The player does not have much room, considering key items such as atomic batteries also take up a slot. Big weapons take one of four larger slots (you’ll have to store or discard anything else) and there are multiple rows for other items. This includes health, projectiles, story items and other essentials. This filled up very quickly in the early game, needing smart inventory management to progress missions and remain a threat. Anything for crafting is stored separately, thankfully. The game wants you to focus on fewer weapons and feel like the pockets are always full. This makes most scenarios become life or death, which works for the approach intended. There are other mechanics – metal detecting, switching power routes – but having a grasp on finding, crafting, storing and using items in the right scenarios is key.
Graphically, the game looks fantastic. It’s not at an Assassin’s Creed: Shadows level of graphical immersion, but it isn’t supposed to be. The different areas juxtaposed, such as the prison and the woods, have their own distinct atmospheric vibe boosted by the way environments are navigated. The blue lights on the horizon are inviting, and scenery makes you want to explore. Hey, there’s a beach – wait, why is that guy rummaging through the sand? The facial animations and features are again not quite AAA level, but the vocal performances elevate key characters beyond their looks. The game actually throws a range of approach options, though not so much in the graphical department other than brightness. Choosing a difficulty in aspects such as combat, survival and exploration will dictate how much the game feeds you. The ‘normal’ mode is survival, offering very few map markers and ramping up the challenge beyond a Fallout or similar. I tried multiple modes and enjoyed the more casual approach when wanting to check out the corners of each map, as survival does see plenty of unexpected deaths. But overall, there is a mode for all based on how you want this game to respond.
Atomfall’s premise and approach to gunplay has enough for all lovers of survival games to explore. While there is not a heap of depth in many of the mechanics – and no additions such as base building, relationships or companions – Atomfall provides a solid 15-hour experience with encouraged freedom and its own distinct personality. There is vast potential to grow this franchise considering the location and the story, though much will depend on whether scope exists to expand upon the offerings here with the additions mentioned above. A single moment in the game that caught me off guard was a trip to medical, which entered horror-genre territory – such surprises are everywhere in Atomfall, which could be the start of something special for Rebellion if they refine some of the unpolished surfaces. Seeing a wicker man, or a woman lock up her infected husband in their bedroom to keep away suspicion, or just taking down every NPC in town for no reason – Atomfall is the playground, and you’re the puppeteer. Survive as you will.
Atomfall is out now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S (also via Gamepass) and PC via Steam .
