General Information
As with its apparent post-apocalyptic inspiration, Atomfall is set in Northern England after a mysterious event known as the Windscale Disaster. The story focuses on the quarantine zone around the Windscale Atom Plant where, as the name suggests, the residents are kept in with no means to leave due to some mysterious hazard.
You wake up in a bunker in this zone, with no recollection of yourself or how you ended up there. You’re left to piece together your identity and uncover the dark truths hidden in the secret facility known as “The Interchange”.
A mysterious awakening in post-apocalyptic Northern England
Unlike many post-apocalyptic titles set in over-familiar locales, Atomfall distinguishes itself with its original, quaint Northern England setting. The lush vegetation, rolling hills and traditional villages (with the mandatory red telephone box!) offer a stark contrast to the sepia-tainted environments of other games.Atomfall’s unique setting and atmospheric storytelling encourage exploration; and this is important as you can find useful items such as resources for crafting, weapons and scattered notes and letters. The latter flesh out the lore and can also provide more clues about certain characters, which can help your later decisions. However, the exposition is sometimes laid crudely, sacrificing subtlety for clarity.
Indeed, as an immersive sim, player-driven choices have an impact on the course narrative. You will come across morally ambiguous choices while investigating leads. For example, should you “deal” with the local shopkeep and potentially let the whole village starve or work with him and his dubious cult?
While some decisions have heavier consequences than others, you are never sure how things will turn out, and the “what if” scenarios kept me intrigued. Such a branching narrative design will keep you guessing—and sometimes second-guessing—every decision, making for an immersive experience.
I’d recommend not doing anything rash if you don't find an answer straight away, such as taking down a character just to obtain the key to a locked roo (yes, you can attack/kill anyone in this game). This is because some leads only open up later as you explore and find other clues.
Atomfall’s side quests are also well designed, many of which even influence the main quest in indirect ways. They are also varied from solving a murder mystery to simply finding the entrance to a place.
Despite the focus on exploration, I found a glossary of sorts to be lacking. This would be handy to keep tabs of who’s who, especially in new locations and when you are investigating leads and need to make decisions. Atomfall also does not include a fast travel option, which would be welcome. But its main areas aren’t overly big and you’ll also find tunnels that connect them for “faster” travel.
Survival in the quarantine zone
Atomfall is as much a survival game as it is a narrative adventure. In addition to making narrative choices, you will have to make survival choices due to the scarcity of resources. You’ll want to stock up on your healing items and ammo, while keeping in mind your limited storage space. Even finding some basic resources can come in handy as you can craft some items and even learn to craft others.Notably, I found the barter system to be an interesting, thematic gameplay feature. Instead of using some form of money, you will have to weigh your items against those of a trader. This can lead to some tough choices, such as trading in a rifle when you need to patch up your wounds. Some traders have certain item preferences, which you can learn by observing their reactions during trades, and you can get better “deals” in this way. I found this element to further immerse the player in Atomfall’s post-apocalyptic setting.
Combat in Atomfall is gritty and, depending on the difficulty you are playing at, unforgiving. While you can choose to virtually attack anyone, it’s not recommended to do so when you are out in the open and outnumbered. You will, more often than not, have limited ammo and will have to resort to melee attacks if you do engage in combat. A stealth approach to take down enemies unawares or sneak past them might be your best bet. However, you do have freedom of playstyle, and the skill tree enables you to tailor the gameplay to fit your approach.
Rebellion took a gamble with Atomfall as it is not a genre that the developer is known for. However, this gamble paid off as the game delivers an engaging experience in post-apocalyptic Northern England. Its unique setting, environmental storytelling, and morally ambiguous decisions create an immersive experience that is captivating. While the game’s exposition can sometimes feel heavy-handed and a few quality-of-life features (like fast travel and a glossary) would have been welcome, the overall journey is as intriguing as it is unpredictable. I hope that the developer revisits this universe as, even if it does justice to the “British Fallout” moniker, it is original in its own right and could spawn a franchise of its own.
