Atomfall Preview: Survival and a spot of tea

Cheerio!

I didn’t expect to learn about British history while previewing the latest title from Rebellion, but upon retrospect, that was a bit foolish. While Atomfall might be a departure from Sniper Elite, Rebellion’s well-known franchise is certainly rooted in the past.

Atomfall is yet isn’t, a survival-action title set in an alternate history. Set in the 60s, five years after (the very real-life) Windscale nuclear fire of 1957, it explores what could have been. Complete with olde timey narration, news outlets raise the alarm of an incident that has enveloped the region. Facts turn into rumours, reporters and citizens alike are eventually turned away… and then silence.

It’s here, as confused as the British public, that you set off in the exclusion zone and explore.

While a post-nuclear survival game certainly isn’t new — S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Fallout send their regards, as do so many other titles — Atomfall is immediately, visually different. I emerged from a sewer into a lush, green countryside. Roadways are largely intact, though littered with rusted-out cars (and even a tank or two). 

Starting out from a central point on the map and given one and a half hours to explore, I did what any sensible person would do: save scum. In my first instance, I went back — and deeper — into the sewer system before emerging in the small town of Wyndham, a village under the control of a military unit calling itself Protocol.  In anothe, I stayed above land and immediately followed the lead that was offered up in my HUD: find a local herbalist and (maybe) get some answers.

I made it about two minutes into the sewers before encountering a group called the Outlaws. The first member of the tribe I ran into seemed like they could be friendly, telling me to advance slowly and keep my weapons stowed. While I complied, I quickly realised it was all a ruse; the Outlaw advanced on me quickly and even brought a friend, with vision cones rapidly shifting from white, to yellow, to red.

A couple quick hits with a cricket bat sorted out that problem.

Spotting a ladder that would take me out of the pits of the sewers (and unable to track down a key that was preventing me from going further), I heard the telltale screech of rats before I saw them. It wasn’t one, or two, but a swarm, and at first I simply throught they were running away from something, as if foreshadowing a larger problem.

Nope. The swarm was actually beelining it towards me, intend on felling me through a thousand bites. I mashed my bumpers to stomp and eventually smash the rats with a cricket bat, and it was here I was introduced to one of Atomfall‘s main mechanics: your heart rate.

Just like in Sniper Elite, exertions like melee attacks or prolongued sprints will cause your heart rate to 
skyrocket and, eventually, impact future movements and efforts. Tired but alive, I jumped into my backpack and applied a couple bandages to top up my health bar.

Realising I’d then just used up all my reserves, a tooltip introduced me to the usual survival fare: I’d been given a recipe for bandages earlier, and I just so happened to possess the items needed to craft more. Hallelujah!

Up the ladder and back on solid ground, I stumbled into Wyndham and immediately panicked. I hadn’t checked to see if I had anything beyond a cricket bat, and here I was, face-to-face with armed soldiers. Thankfully, my discovery unveiled another lead about the town, and that informed me that I was able to freely pass through the region… provided I behaved.

I made my way to the largest landmark in the town, a local church. It’s here that things went batshit crazy, as I stumbled upon a dead woman and an anxious vicar. While assuring me that he had nothing to do with the murder, the head of the church begged me to remain silent about it. 

“If the captain and his toy soldiers find out, things will be so much worse here,” he explained, as another lead made itself available. Speaking with the vicar and his assistant, the lead essentially branched out into multiple areas of investigation.

I opted to first investigate a cellar that the victim had recently snuck into and found a series of crafting items and — more importantly — a note that insinuated the murder was part of a larger plot. It was also here that I turned a corner in the village and ran into a large, robotic mech labelled “B.A.R.D.”, one under control of the Protocol. Far more menacing than a Mr Handy, it thankfully was friendly (at least, for now).

Running out of time to play, I reloaded a far earlier save and set off in search of the herbalist, learning many new things very quickly in the process. The region that she resided in was controlled by a sect called the Druids, and they were truly insane. Making my way to their headquarters — in search of a book they’d stolen for the herbalist that I’d trade for further information — I learned that the Druids worship the land.

They do that because they believe the land speaks to them. More specifically, the irradiated soil does. I also figured out what “B.A.R.D” stood for — formally, the British Atomic Research Division — as the as the Druids had stockpiled a number of their reserves.

It was in that same facility that I embraced stealth, silently sticking to tall grass and the shadows in order to snap the necks of unassuming Druids. This tactic worked remarkably well, and even got me into the inner sanctum of a High Priestess. I silently observed her throwing atomic batteries into a volitile pit — assumedly to help the soil speak to its followers — before I ended her life too.

Why did I do it? I don’t know, but as the Druids in the area became aware of my presence and started to attack, my time with Atomfall had ended. To say that it piqued my interest was an understatement.

Atomfall is same-same but very much not, equally as appealing to the hardcore survival crowd as it is fans of RPGs. I can’t wait to play more.

Expect Atomfall from 27 March on Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS4, and PS5.

Stevivor was flown to Sydney by Five Star Games for the purposes of this preview. Atomfall was previewed on Windows PC via Steam.