I confess, Atomfall was not on my radar prior to an invite to check out the game at its publisher’s office. With conversations dominated by Assassin’s Creed Shadows in March, it existed on the periphery of my mind. But now, having played a decent chunk and learned of its early mysteries, I’ve become enraptured.
This survival-action adventure, developed by Rebellion (Sniper Elite, Zombie Army) is set after a nuclear disaster, in an area of Britain infected by weirdness (and of course, radiation). In the wake of this devastating event, the landscape of this region has been transformed, and certain folks have succumbed to a wasting disease that transforms them into atomic zombie creatures with radioactive spit. Certain other folks have chosen to set up bloody cults in Wicker Man fashion.
Amid all of this, you awaken in a wide open world with scant memories of who you are, where you come from, and what your purpose is. Such is the lush background that defines a choice-filled adventure where you can go anywhere, and make your own choices about how to advance.
First steps into the bizarre world of Atomfall
My preview of Atomfall picked up after an introduction to the game’s world, and so, lacking any real context, I set off to wander through beautiful fields, thinking mostly about the gorgeous sights that lay ahead of me. Atomfall really is a pretty game, filled with fields of flowers and bright green grasses. Overhead, the sun shines, and if you look into the distance, you can see a lovely blue, magical haze drifting over the land. (This is radioactive and deadly, but it looks really nice, at least.)
Briefly distracted, I allowed myself to wander directly into the arms of an awaiting cult – and that’s where Atomfall‘s real challenges began. As a lone wanderer, I assumed my innocence. But the cult of this adventure is ghastly and deadly, and they’ll attack any stranger with extreme aggression.
So I died by axe to the head. Then twice more, for good measure. As it dawned on me, Atomfall is a proper survival game – and sometimes, survival means running away, and never looking back. On entry to the world, I was still incredibly weak, and while I was armed with a hatchet, a bat, and a shotgun, none proved useful once the cult members grouped up.
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Individually, you can dispatch a cult member with quick timing and by evading their own attacks. Swing, swing, swing, swing again, and they’re down. But patrols are usually multi-man, so if you’re wandering the world in search of your next quests, you’ll need to think far ahead.
Atomfall relies on you wandering a wide open map to continue, so it’s a lesson you’ll need to learn fast. While it is challenging at first, you’ll quickly pick up your place in the world, and the dangers you’ll face at every turn. That means hunting for quests with your peepers up, hiding in long grasses, and occasionally, running like a coward.
Real-life horror in action
Conquering fear will lead you to many strange sights, and to many strange mysteries. The first was in my log from the moment I entered Atomfall – to go find an old woman, who’s believed to have a cure for the strange Voices that plague you. As you attempt to find a safe path through your hostile world, you may stumble across other threads of your personal mysteries.
In a bunker, you may find a woman desperate for a companion, but untrusting. You may find a horde of atomic zombies lying in a strange underpass. You may stumble across the remnants of a mysterious war, and clues of how the beautiful British countryside has been overrun.
If you’re paying attention, you might even stumble across a ringing phone booth. And answering it, you might hear a mysterious Voice that seems to know you, and your plight. It’s these creepy details that make the world of Atomfall so compelling.
What seems like an ordinary world, populated by humanity gone mad, is actually something other. As noted by Rebellion, there’s elements of the real world here, with the action depicting an alternate history version of the real-life Windscale fire, but it’s also inspired by folk horror, pulp fiction, and sci-fi. These touches elevate it from the real world, while maintaining a sense of familiarity and immersion as you travel.
This also means every choice you make is laced with a real sense of responsibility.
Killing an old woman because the Voices told me so
That brings me to the moment in Atomfall that solidified my impression. As mentioned, I was first tasked with finding an old woman who might have information and medicine for me. She was my best lead for figuring out what the hell was going on, so I pursued her beyond multiple mobs of raving enemies, through tunnels, across fields.
Eventually, when I stumbled into her marked encampment, I found a sickly sweet and kind old woman in a garden, generously offering me her services. The catch was, I had to find an old recipe of hers in a nearby castle – and if I could, I should find one of the old lady’s books there, too.
In a segment that brought to mind Skyrim in all the best ways, I ran through this culty castle, stumbling through various traps and taking down enemies with my trusty hatchet, to find the old woman’s recipe. It was a harrowing journey of ducking behind corners, biding time, learning to master a bow and arrow, and then striking when the time was right. With no map, it required a deeper exploration, searching through boxes scattered around, and in high shelves, without being caught.
Eventually, I found the recipe. But I couldn’t find the book, no matter how many corridors I travelled down. After a good 20 minutes rummaging through every box and shelf I could find, I decided to give up – and I left the castle, running through hordes of cult members on the way out.
Satisfied with my progress, I started to head back to the old woman. Most of the way there, I heard a phone box ring. The Voice on the other end had a message: Don’t trust the old woman. She’s been corrupted.
So when I headed back, I decided to murder her.
A rash decision, I’m sure – but with zero context for the importance of the Voice, and who I was, I chose to trust the phone box over the kindly woman with the garden. And you know what? Atomfall simply accepted that. While she appeared to be an essential NPC with all the information I would need to unravel my past, I could kill her, and all her quest lines simply vanished. And I was left in a world with few clues to advance.
It was fantastic. Obviously, it was pretty rough dispatching the old woman. I probably shouldn’t have done that. But perhaps I avoided a worse fate by getting rid of her early? What if she was going to attack me if I brought her books back? These are all distinct possibilities.
With the old woman lead simply gone, my investigation wound up continuing elsewhere. Wandering aimlessly, I found the aforementioned woman in a bunker, and was able to set off on a quest to aid her. If I chose, I believe I could’ve dispatch her also, but with her pleasant vibes and nervous nature, I assumed that wasn’t the best course. Plus, I really, really needed a lead with the old woman gone.
Atomfall trusts you to use your judgement in these cases, and to pursue leads you think will bear fruit. For that reason, I have become very enamoured by this game, and how it chooses to unleash players on its world. It’s for that same reason I think the game should absolutely be on your radar, particularly if you’re looking for a new immersive sim, or something that treads a fine Skyrim-Fallout line within a novel, uniquely flavourful journey.
Atomfall is set to launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on 27 March 2025.
