Long before Bethesda helmed the franchise and Walton Goggins transformed into a ghoul for his captivating TV adaptation, Fallout began as an isometric, bird's-eye-view action RPG. Survive the Fall channels that classic top-down wasteland exploration—at least based on my hands-on experience with its early hours. This gritty survival tale expands upon Fallout's legacy, particularly through its detailed camp-building mechanics. While its squad-based combat and scavenging deliver fresh gameplay, the narrative's static delivery occasionally muffles its distinctive charm.
Unlike typical nuclear wastelands, Survive the Fall’s apocalypse stems from a catastrophic comet strike—a dinosaur-level disaster that ravaged Earth. The impact left behind a scorching crater emitting "Stasis," a poisonous mist. Survivors either flee its toxic embrace or harness its alien energy, mutating into enhanced but inhuman forms. Leading a ragtag crew, you'll negotiate alliances with factions like the Stasis-addicted Shroomers or the enigmatic Sighted cult across three diverse biomes.
The squad-driven gameplay immediately stood out. While scavenging the opening area—a vast national park—you can personally rummage through crates for chemicals or assign tasks to companions with a button press. This delegation mechanic avoids the tedium of micromanagement, though environmental prompts occasionally overlap in cramped spaces.
Combat thrives on tactical teamwork. Early ammunition scarcity encouraged stealth—slipping past marauders like in Commandos: Origins, using distractions and environmental traps. Firefights proved clumsier, with controller aiming feeling imprecise compared to tactical pause-and-command features reminiscent of Wasteland.
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Between excursions, the camp-building system shines. Research unlocks tech-tree upgrades for crafting everything from bunk beds to defensive gates. Resource chains—like timber becoming planks—add depth, while scavenged food sustains expedition teams. This system promises hours of satisfying progression.
Exploration unveils vivid locales, from a repurposed plane fortress to ghoul-infested farms. However, lush areas like the bioluminescent Mycorrhiza swamps suffer framerate dips worse than the terrain's toxins. Occasional game-breaking bugs also required reloads, though post-launch patches could address these.
The text-only dialogue lacks immersion, despite quirky moments (like Blooper dubbing Stasis "fart wind"). Most exchanges merely advance fetch quests without deepening faction bonds.
Releasing this May on PC, Survive the Fall has promising foundations. If its combat and performance hiccups are ironed out, it could become a standout survival RPG—worth every scavenged bottlecap.
