When games become multimillion-dollar endeavors, it’s rare for a studio to take bold risks. Many stick to what they know, polishing successful formulas or occasionally revamping them. If they do come up with a new project, it usually stays within their wheelhouse.
That’s why it’s remarkable that Rebellion Developments made “Atomfall.” The U.K. studio is best known for its “Sniper Elite” series, which has spawned multiple sequels and spinoffs. The developers could have kept making the same stealth and sharpshooting games, but that’s creatively tiring.
“Atomfall” runs far afield from their previous works, and at first glance, the alternate-history 1960s setting and first-person perspective will draw comparisons to “Fallout,” but the project is different. It’s more of a survival game in an area quarantined after the Windscale nuclear disaster, which is based on a real event. Players take on the role of a nameless protagonist who wakes up in the zone and finds a world that has been isolated from civilization for five years and has broken down.
INSIDE THE QUARANTINE ZONE
Players discover an oppressive military force hellbent on maintaining order, a cult living deep in the woods, and outlaws who scavenge and murder to survive. The goal in “Atomfall” is to escape and return to society, but as players explore the five regions, they discover that there’s a deeper and darker story behind the quarantine. It’s this mystery, the building suspicions and outright paranoia that make this open-world adventure engrossing.
Rebellion masterfully shows how developers can craft a tight open-world game with multiple quests, but do so in a way that makes every thread matter. The team does this via a lead system that keeps track and organizes the game’s numerous missions, but it never tells players to go to Point A and then to Point B. It nudges them to learn more about the world and become invested in it in order to unlock new areas.
For example, they’ll stumble upon clues to a church murder and have evidence about what exactly happened, but it’s up to the player to use that info to their advantage. They could choose to help one person or blackmail another. The choices unlock opportunities that mesh into the overall narrative.
Knowing motives and people’s secrets is important because “Atomfall” has several characters who promise a way out, but they’re not all trustworthy. To find the best ending, players must know all the angles.
SURVIVAL ASPECTS
Being a survival game, players will do their share of scavenging for scraps, glass and other materials. They’ll learn recipes to craft shivs, Molotov cocktails and bandages that heal wounds. When it comes to combat, the campaign encourages stealth. It’s often wiser to avoid confrontation than to walk up to a patrol and start knocking people out with a spiked club.
A major reason for this is that firearms in “Atomfall” aren’t widespread and ammo can become scarce, especially when outlaws respawn. If players don’t conserve ammo, they can find themselves armed with a knife in a gunfight. Skirmishes work better if players are methodical or can at least use a weapon like the bow and arrow, which is the most effective weapon in the game against nearly all enemies and has ammo that can be reused.
“Atomfall” also has an unusual progression system layered on top of its gameplay. Players don’t acquire experience points, but rather, they pick up training manuals that hold skills. To acquire these skill, players need to locate training stimulants that lets the protagonist learn them. Some skills unlock the ability to craft better firearms while others act almost as a way to gate certain areas of the game. Players will need to craft concoctions to survive radiation- or infection-heavy areas. Meanwhile tools become to key access other areas.
Again, this is another way to push players to explore the world and deepen their mastery of combat or stealth. If players don’t have a skill, they can find ways to compensate for a while, but certain skills and items almost become mandatory to survive certain zones.
Separately, these elements are good, but “Atomfall” ties them together with a compelling mystery that elevates the whole experience. In several ways, the campaign reminds me of the early days of “Lost.” The deeper players go the more the campaign sucks them in, and the project turns into a worthwhile adventure that gamers should take a risk on.
‘Atomfall’
3½ stars out of 4
Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One
Rating: Mature