Atomfall

Atomfall isn’t for everyone — the lack of fast travel alone will turn many away. But if you enjoy slow, methodical exploration, it might be exactly what you’re looking for.

There isn’t a single aspect where Atomfall couldn’t have been better, but somehow, it grabs you till the end, as long as you’re willing to accept its noticeable flaws.

A non-linear story that lets you carve your own path is fantastic, and the striking 1950s Britain aesthetic makes Atomfall a uniquely imaginative take on post-apocalypse. This holds true despite its weak action mechanics and unnecessary survival elements. It’s not a must-play right away, but it would be a shame to skip it entirely.

I don't regret my time with Atomfall. It knows what it wants to be, with a reasonable scope and solid shooting mechanics. But issues with the skill system, its underbaked stealth, and an unengaging narrative are asterisks too large to ignore. Like the world it depicts, something exciting and unique lies at Atomfall's core. I just wish it wasn't walled off by my laundry list of frustrations.

There's a distinct charm to Atomfall, and I was fully captivated by the main story, even if the game built around it never quite reaches excellence. Stopping for a cuppa to lower your heart rate or infiltrating the ruins of a castle infested with neo-pagans calling themselves druids exemplifies the earnestness of Atomfall's design, but for how clever I think its puzzle-box world is, it's equally uninspired in many of its buttressing gameplay systems.

Choosing to venture into new territory and try their hand at a new genre, Rebellion has succeeded in delivering an engaging-yet-flawed experience in their most ambitious project yet.

Atomfall is an interesting game. It might not be wholly unique in anything it does, but it combines its core ideas in a way that feels fresh. A big part of that comes through the drip feed of the underlying story, whilst another is the glorious British countryside that makes up its maps. It likely isn't going to blow your mind, but it's an enjoyable journey and you would still be missing out if you didn't give Atomfall a go.

An alternative to Fallout rather than a homage, with a more freeform approach to open world gaming that offers more meaningful freedom than many other bigger budget titles.

Rebellion has absorbed its influences well to design a masterful post-apocalyptic adventure in broad strokes. While this survival FPS doesn't revolutionize the genre, it does things seriously. Its main strength lies in its organic approach to missions and its desire to reward exploration. Unfortunately, the survival and combat aspects, which suffer from flawed AI, lag behind the genre's leading lights. Atomfall isn't perfect, far from it, but it's definitely worth a look... especially if you're a fan of this type of offering.

It’s immersive, compelling, yet is extremely respectful of your time. It can be a big exercise in survival, in shooting, or exploration — or any combination therein. I hope to see more of this from Rebellion.

Atomfall thinks smaller than Fallout on many levels. The merciless mission between detective thriller and fight for survival is the highlight of the game, but it quickly melts through the core. Because after a wave of euphoria, Atomfall remains a soulless game that hints at a lot but contains hardly anything - apart from repetition.

Atomfall reimagines a jolly trip to the Lake District as a fight for survival, a unique idea that leaves a lasting impression. Not every decision you make feels like life and death but its British sensibilities and stunning visual design make up for those weaker points, delivering an engaging jaunt in the countryside… with guns.

As an accessible alternative to radioactive shooters with an endearing British flavor, Atomfall provides a good deal of fun. Sadly, it offers self-defeating design choices and literal eye pain alongside it. All the elements of a truly great FPS are here, all the potential in the world is waiting to be realized, and if not for a pile of dropped balls, it wouldn’t have tripped and fallen off that course...Plus, again, actual f.cking eye aches.

Atomfall marks a courageous change of direction for Rebellion, offering a fascinating British uchronia with satisfying exploration and effective ranged combat. However, technical shortcomings, deficient AI, and superficial storytelling prevent the title from fully expressing its potential, despite the commendable freedom granted to the player.

While Atomfall presents a weird and wonderful world to explore, it ultimately fails to live up to expectations. Epitomizing a good idea not being executed to its full potential, Rebellion's mysterious spin on the action-survival genre just falls short.

The game’s world is a pleasure to explore, mainly because we don’t get too many games set in good old Blighty. But Atomfall stretches players too much and has painfully basic combat.

Atomfall is a refreshing alternative to Fallout and Stalker and shines in its first few hours with survival and detective work. After that, it quickly runs out of juice.

If you can get over a difficult start and fancy a lean take on the survival genre, Atomfall delivers an intriguing tale worth discovering.

Atomfall’s commitment to player freedom is baked into its design, and it works really well. I’d love to see the team at Rebellion, or other developers, for that matter, iterate on its structure and build more games designed around this level of freedom. Even most open-world games aren’t even close. Atomfall itself, though, is a tougher recommendation. It isn’t that it does anything terribly wrong, it’s just that little about it other than the structure stands out. Once you get used to the flow of things, there’s not much else I can point at and say this is why you should play Atomfall instead of any number of other survival games. Still, it’s always nice to see a developer try something outside of what has become the accepted right way to do things, and for the most part, Atomfall succeeds on that front.

In its latest action-adventure game, Sniper Elite developer Rebellion lays out a solid plan to thrive in a wasteland of nuclear apocalypse games. Rather than aping Fallout or Stalker’s action RPG formula, the more streamlined Atomfall scavenges together some original ideas in its deconstructed quests and an emphasis on bartering. That could have made for a compelling survival story built around open-ended exploration, but it’s those pesky details that will get you killed during a nuclear disaster.