Given its various trailers, it's hard not to see Atomfall as an English Fallout-like, comparable in particular to the excellent mod that looks like a new game, London. Its universe depicts a region of northern England after a nuclear disaster that actually took place, but with a dystopian twist and all the consequences that this implies. However, its studio Rebellion (Sniper Elite) intends to offer us an entirely original single-player post-apocalyptic experience of its own, very different from its iconic third-person shooter franchise. It is first and foremost a first-person game, with a huge emphasis on survival and an atmosphere filled with mysteries, which we will have to discover entirely for ourselves.
Atomfall: a post-apo game that irradiates England
In its synopsis, Atomfall will inevitably recall other post-apo video game references such as Fallout and STALKER 2. The title places its plot in 1962 in Windscale, England, after one of the worst nuclear accidents in the country's history in 1957. The events of the game, however, take a very different turn from those that historically followed the incident. Here, the British government will conduct experiments following the genesis of mysterious paranormal manifestations, and establish a quarantine zone around the malfunctioning power plant. In the process, it buries dark secrets that could disturb the general public, which will naturally attract the covetousness of certain factions and motivate them to try to take control of the region by force.
Our adventure in Atomfall begins on our side, bedridden in a bunker. We are brutally awakened by a scientist in a hazmat suit, seriously injured. Our character, who is imposed on us, has visibly lost his memory. A more or less clever way of better immersing us in his skin and in this universe that is completely unknown to us. We immediately notice that the game intends to offer some RPG elements, with different dialogue choices. For example, we can decide to help our interlocutor, or let him bleed out in order to retrieve a map from his body that will allow us to escape from this otherwise hermetically sealed underground place.
In doubt, we preferred to treat him. This immediately allows us to discover the survival aspect of Atomfall, a central component of the game. During our exploration, we will indeed find resources in a very disparate way that allow us to craft various objects, provided we know the recipe, such as bandages, homemade explosives and others. Post-apocalyptic, such manufacturing equipment, food, weapons, and their ammunition are extremely rare. This bandage given to the scientist, for example, may be very valuable to us later. As such, the game recommends a "Survival" difficulty when starting a new game, which turns out to be the second-to-last on the list. Note, however, that it is possible to choose an "easier" and fully customizable adventure, according to our desires. To fully experience the experience intended by Rebellion, we chose this famous "Survival" mode.
This therefore implies a certain level of rigor in our exploration of the world of Atomfall, as well as a very limited inventory, forcing us to constantly assess our most immediate needs and load our bag accordingly. We will also have to think twice before confronting a group of survivors or members of a given faction whose intentions are clearly not very peaceful towards us. Especially when it comes to fighting with a firearm, as we are drastically limited in ammunition. From what we have seen, the combat gameplay is relatively basic: light and heavy blows in close combat, with the possibility of throwing our weapon; and good old-fashioned, very classic shooter when it comes to using a pistol or a rifle. However, we will have to see to what extent things will evolve at this level as the adventure progresses. Still, at this stage of our progression, the slightest injury can quickly prove fatal, both in terms of damage taken and disabilities caused by bleeding or a broken limb. In this respect, the game is much more like STALKER than Fallout, with gameplay that is generally much less hostile to the player.
This affiliation with the famous GSC Game World license is also found in the artistic direction of Atomfall. The title indeed displays desolate outdoor settings and gloomy interiors, but not without a certain dystopian charm. All of this is accompanied by a rather oppressive sound design. The game ran wonderfully on our test configuration, with all the graphics settings at full blast. However, we can regret the absence of upscaling options like DLSS or FSR, as well as Ray Tracing. With only a few hours under our belt, it is of course impossible to have a fully definitive opinion on its technical aspects, particularly regarding possible bugs, or the level design as a whole. Finally, note that the game does not have French voices, but only English, fortunately subtitled, with dubbing with a typical northern English accent. A point that might put off Anglophobes.
A Do It Yourself dimension right down to the exploration of the game
Beyond gameplay that is very focused on survival and careful resource management, Atomfall makes a point of letting us fend for ourselves, at least on its recommended difficulty. Upon leaving the bunker where our adventure begins, for example, we have absolutely no guidance as to where to go to progress through the story. Instead, we'll be left to explore different locations and glean various information and leads on our own. The game strongly encourages us to search every corner of its open world and use our gray matter to piece together the pieces of its irradiated puzzle. As a result, the story's development may be disjointed depending on our ability to uncover the clues necessary to progress through the narrative. A direction that might put off those looking to take it easy, but which we found particularly refreshing.
Our main objective at the start of the game, for example, is to find an exchanger, without any further details. It's only by meeting peaceful survivors or consulting notes found on the body of a scientist lying in an oppressive bunker that we'll be able to find our way and shed light on what happened. Similarly, the rarest resources aren't those we'll randomly pick up from a shelf, but via chests well hidden by the inhabitants of the quarantine zone. To find them, we'll first need to find the coordinates of a given hideout on our map and arm ourselves with an invaluable metal detector. It's worth noting that we acquired ours by bartering with a visibly no longer sane old man living in a mine, for a pile of very valuable goods. All this, only to find one just a few minutes later, on a clearly visible corpse. So, exploration in Atomfall is proving to be rather convincing and exciting in the rewards it offers us so far... provided we brave the many dangers that await us in Windscale.
In addition to outlaws who will gut us on sight or members of other factions if we cause them harm, Atomfall indeed presents other even more terrible adversaries. Among them, the famous giant robots presented in the trailers, which we have not yet encountered. On the other hand, in one of the first "dungeons" near our starting bunker, we met a "feral," a mix between the ghouls from Fallout and the infected from The Last of Us. We shot him to the head with our only two pistol bullets, praying that we wouldn't run out of precious ammunition later. The feeling of immersion in this post-apocalyptic and menacing universe is therefore quite gripping from the first hours of the game. Let's hope that the game has more good surprises of this type in store for us, to continue to keep us on the edge of our seats.
Atomfall: a new post-apocalyptic game bomb in sight, or a small irradiated firecracker?
If we believe Rebellion, Atomfall presents itself as a relatively modest game with a lifespan of around 25 hours. Our first steps in its post-apocalyptic universe have in any case shown us that it is indeed a unique experience in its own category, despite obvious similarities to genre canons like Fallout or STALKER. We particularly appreciated the fact that the game doesn't take us by the hand and lets us approach the adventure as we see fit. Special mention also goes to its artistic direction and its atmosphere, which fit very well with the universe it depicts in a quarantine zone in the north of England. However, it remains to be seen whether these first impressions are confirmed after finishing the game, and whether the initially rather basic gameplay is fleshed out over the course of a convincing exploration, as well as a story that visibly hides some very dark mysteries. See you for our final test coming in the next few days.
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