Join me on a thrilling journey through the English countryside, a 90-minute adventure with Atomfall, the latest survival-action game from Rebellion, the developers behind Sniper Elite. I recently visited a pub in North London for a pint and some hands-on playtime, and left intrigued by Atomfall's open-ended mission design and its eerie atmosphere. My experience might have taken a violent turn when I decided to attack everyone in sight, including an unsuspecting old lady, with a cricket bat. Let me explain why this happened.
In Atomfall, every NPC is fair game for elimination, from the lowliest grunt to the most crucial quest-giver. As I started the demo, I set out to test this feature. My approach was far from elegant; just two minutes into exploring this digital rendition of Cumbria, I accidentally triggered a tripwire alarm, leading to the demise of three guards at the hands of my cricket bat, now baptized in blood.
Later, I looted a bow and arrow, which I quickly equipped, satisfying my love for archery in games. This allowed me to handle both long and short-range encounters, giving my cricket bat a much-needed break. I spotted a towering wicker man, a nod to the folk horror themes that underpin this part of Atomfall's segmented world, made up of multiple "open zones". The atmosphere was convincingly unsettling, enhancing the mystery of what transpired in this now-irradiated corner of England.
My musings on the mystery were interrupted by a group of druids, likely connected to the wicker man. They became perfect targets for my new bow. As I took them down, I couldn't help but feel like Robin Hood. The bow felt great to use, but what caught my attention more was Atomfall's innovative approach to stamina. Instead of a traditional depleting bar, a heart rate monitor reflects the physical exertion of your actions. Sprinting for too long can push your heart rate over 140 bpm, making it challenging to aim accurately when stopping to fight. I later found a Bow Mastery skill manual that mitigated the impact of a high heart rate on archery, though Atomfall's skill tree might not be the most complex, it offers enough flexibility to tailor your character to your preferred playstyle, be it stealth or gunplay.
Atomfall Screenshots
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With my only achievement being a trail of dead druids, you might wonder about my overall goal. So did I. My aimless exploration of Casterfall Woods hadn't uncovered anything significant, so I followed a note leading me to a herbalist, Mother Jago, near an old mine. Along the way, I encountered hints of the larger story, like a shimmering, oily swirl above a power plant, hinting at Britain's descent into the post-apocalypse, and a ringing phone box with a creepy warning to stay out of the woods.
The path was littered with environmental storytelling elements, such as a boathouse rigged with an unsettling alarm system, warning others to "get lost". Atomfall's atmosphere shifts from sleepy, leafy forests to zones of creeping terror, reminiscent more of Stalker than Fallout. The game encourages exploration in a way that feels like classic point-and-click adventures, pushing you to delve into every conversation for hints.
After another druid massacre and looting their garden center for herbs, I met Mother Jago at her quaint allotment retreat. She resembled Angela Lansbury if she'd turned to black magic aromatherapy. However, she was vague about the mystery, and I had to exhaust every dialogue option to find my next lead. Jago offered valuable information in exchange for her herbalism book, which was held hostage at the druids' fortified castle. With a new lead, I headed back across the map to retrieve it.
Atomfall's freeform design allowed me to approach the castle from any angle. I decided to attack from the side, encountering a druid patrol near an abandoned petrol station. The ensuing Battle of the Forecourt was fun, though the enemy AI lacked responsiveness. After dealing with the patrol, I made it inside the castle's outer walls, where I found a locked hut with a note suggesting the keys were far away. Atomfall doesn't use objective markers, instead encouraging players to study the map and set their own markers. Ignoring the hut, I entered the central keep.
Inside, I found more druids to dispatch but no sign of the book. I searched every corner, crafting healing bandages from cloth and alcohol but found no trace of it. Atomfall's mission design is intentionally obtuse, challenging players to explore without hand-holding. Frustrated but intrigued, I followed the map coordinates to find the keys, leading me to a poison plant monster. Using my Skyrim bunny-hopping skills, I bypassed the creature and retrieved the keys, but still no book.
Venturing deeper into the castle's underbelly, I killed the High Priestess and her followers, finding an SMG, a recipe for poison bombs, and an atomic battery hinting at a new questline. Yet, the book remained elusive. It was only after my demo ended that I learned the book was in the castle all along, on a table I had overlooked. Confused and believing the book might be a ruse, I returned to Mother Jago, only to kill her in my frustration. Searching her body, I found a recipe to combat the poison swamp monster, the information she had promised in exchange for the book.
Xbox Games Series Tier List
Xbox Games Series Tier List
Atomfall's developers at Rebellion mentioned that completing the story might take around 25 hours, with varied experiences for each player. Someone else at the demo session had an entirely different adventure, encountering a crashed helicopter and a region filled with killer robots and mutants. Atomfall's obfuscated quest design rewards those who delve deeper, blurring the lines between side and main objectives, creating a unique experience for each player. Despite my violent detour with Mother Jago, I'm eager to see how the story unfolds.
My hands bloodied from the chaos I caused, I embraced full-British mode, taking my cricket bat and heading back to the pub, waiting for the storm to pass.
