Join me on a thrilling, albeit violent, journey through the English countryside, courtesy of Atomfall, the new survival-action game from the creators of Sniper Elite, Rebellion. Recently, I had the opportunity to dive into the game at a pub in North London, sipping on a pint while getting hands-on experience. Atomfall's unique, open-ended mission design and its eerie atmosphere left me both intrigued and slightly unhinged—enough to start swinging a cricket bat at every NPC in sight, including an innocent old lady. Let me walk you through my experience.
In Atomfall, every NPC, from the lowliest grunt to the most crucial quest-giver, can meet an untimely end. Eager to test this mechanic, I embarked on a mission of mayhem from the get-go. Barely two minutes into exploring the digital Cumbria, I tripped a wire, alerting three guards. With no elegance, I dispatched them using a cricket bat, which I soon baptized in blood as my weapon of choice.
Later, I acquired a bow and arrow, which I eagerly equipped, indulging my love for archery in video games. This allowed me to handle both long and short-range encounters, giving my cricket bat a much-needed break. Amidst the serene yet unsettling landscape, I spotted a towering wicker man, a nod to the folk horror themes that underpin Atomfall’s segmented world of “open zones.” These elements contribute to a palpably uneasy atmosphere, deepening the mystery of the now-irradiated corner of England.
My contemplation was abruptly interrupted by a group of druids, likely connected to the wicker man. They became the perfect targets for my new bow. As I took them down, my inner voice humorously claimed, "I'M ROBIN BLOODY HOOD," before snapping back to reality in the London pub. It was only 10am, and I hadn't touched a drink yet, I swear.
The bow's mechanics felt satisfying, but what caught my attention was Atomfall's innovative approach to stamina. Instead of a traditional depleting bar, the game uses a heart rate monitor that increases with physically demanding actions. For instance, sprinting pushes your heart rate over 140 bpm, impacting your aim if you need to engage in combat suddenly. I later found a Bow Mastery skill manual that mitigated the effect of a high heart rate on aiming. While Atomfall's skill tree might not be the most intricate, it offers enough flexibility to tailor your character to different playstyles, such as favoring stealth over direct combat.
Atomfall Screenshots
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My initial rampage resulted in a pile of dead druids, but my true goal remained elusive. Exploring the Casterfall Woods hadn't revealed anything significant, so I followed a quest lead to a herbalist named Mother Jago near an old mine. Along the way, I encountered environmental storytelling cues, such as a shimmering, oily swirl above a power plant, hinting at Britain's descent into a post-apocalyptic state, and a ringing phone box with a creepy warning to avoid the woods.
The path was dotted with eerie details like a boathouse rigged with an alarm, adorned with the words "get lost" and a mound of skulls and bones nearby. Atomfall's atmosphere oscillates between serene and terrifying, reminiscent more of Stalker than Fallout, with its tone and game design.
After another druid massacre and looting their garden center for herbs, I met Mother Jago at her quaint allotment. She resembled Angela Lansbury turned black magic enthusiast, but her vague responses left me searching for clues in every dialogue option, reminiscent of classic point-and-click adventures. Jago promised valuable information in exchange for her herbalism book, which was supposedly held in a druid castle.
Atomfall's freeform design allowed me to approach the castle from any angle, and I chose a side attack. En route, I encountered a druid patrol at an abandoned petrol station, leading to the "Battle of the Forecourt." The enemy AI, though not highly reactive, provided a satisfyingly bloody encounter. I used a grenade and a nail bomb before closing in for some brutal melee combat. While the combat isn't top-tier, it adds a fun element to the exploration and discovery of Atomfall's secrets.
After sniping some axe-wielding brutes, I made it inside the castle's outer walls, where I found a locked hut with a note hinting at distant keys. Atomfall eschews objective markers, encouraging players to use maps and set their own points of interest. My intuition led me to the central keep instead, where I searched for the elusive book but found only crafting materials. Atomfall's mission design is deliberately obtuse, challenging players to explore and solve puzzles independently.
Following the map coordinates to retrieve the keys, I encountered a poison plant monster that proved nearly fatal. Using my Skyrim bunny-hopping skills, I bypassed it to collect the keys from a previous victim. Returning to the hut, I found only a perk point and ammo, not the book I was seeking.
Venturing deeper into the castle's underbelly, I confronted the High Priestess and her followers, uncovering an SMG, poison bomb recipe, and an atomic battery hinting at new questlines. Yet, the book remained elusive.
Xbox Games Series Tier List
Xbox Games Series Tier List
After my play session ended, I learned the book had been lying on a table I'd walked past multiple times. Frustrated and confused, I returned to Mother Jago, mistakenly believing the book was a ruse. In my character's descent into violence, I killed her, finding a recipe to combat the poison swamp monster among her belongings. This was likely the valuable information she intended to trade for her book.
Atomfall's developers at Rebellion suggest a playtime of at least four to five hours, with most players taking around 25 hours to complete the story. The varied experiences of other demo players, who encountered entirely different adventures, suggest a rich, multifaceted world full of secrets and mysteries.
While Atomfall's objectives can be overly obscure, the game rewards deep engagement with its quest design. The blurred lines between main and side quests create a thrilling sense of peril and personalized storytelling. Despite killing Mother Jago, I'm eager to see how my story unfolds, likely differing significantly from other players' experiences.
With bloodied hands and a trail of chaos behind me, I embraced my British roots—cricket bat in hand, I headed back to the pub, waiting for the storm to pass.
