It’s five years after the Windscale nuclear disaster. You awake memory-less, inside an underground bunker in the Lake District to a quarantine zone, hostile factions, strange lights in the sky, and the odd exploding sheep or two. Who are you? How did you get here? And, more importantly, how can you escape? The answers seem to exist at The Interchange, a vast vortex of light and energy that can be seen twisting up into the sky from several miles away. With little else to guide you, and no one particularly keen to offer an assist, you set out towards it, looking for answers and a way home.
This is in a nutshell, the premise behind Rebellion Developments’ latest first person action adventure Atomfall, now available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Set in an alternate 1960’s Britain, Atomfall offers players a lush and verdant landscape in which to explore, freeform. Expect twinkling streams, old stone walls and bridges, quaint English country villages, and an assortment of colorful characters with convincing voice acting from both Britain and Ireland. Throw in an old red public phonebox or two and the picture-postcardiness of it all is actually quite breathtaking at times.
It’s all very much a departure from the Fallout style post-apocalyptic fare we’ve become accustomed to in games and on TV over the years, but scratch the surface and you’ll soon notice the wildlife (everything from rodents, to bees, and even the fish in the rivers) is hostile to your presence. There is also an abundance of strange other-worldly plant life that seems to make the sheep that graze on it quite literally explode, threatening to cover you in alien spores if you get too close.
Then there are the factions. From the Druids in the nearby woodlands, to the not-at-all-reassuring military presence in the local village, to the outlaws with white painted faces that roam the highways and byways looking like demented mime artists, everything in Atomfall is trying to kill you.
And I haven’t even mentioned the feral mutants, druidic cults, and rogue robots yet!
Coming from weekends playing the tightly structured and at times unforgiving Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, switching to Atomfall felt quite freeing in comparison, particularly in its approach to exploration. Rather than spoon-feeding objectives through a cluttered menu or mini-map, the game employs a ‘leads’ system that encourages players to piece together clues from notes, conversations, and environmental hints. If you leave an area and come back again, those leads will appear as reminders at the top of your screen. Thanks, Atomfall!
Navigating this semi-open world (split into interconnected zones via tunnels, mines, bunkers and other underground structures) just feels organic and happily rewarding, especially when you stumble onto a hidden bunker, or unravel a side story that ties into the larger mystery. The freedom to tackle investigations in any order, coupled with multiple endings shaped by your choices, gives the game a sense of agency that’s rare in the genre.
Simply put, Atomfall is a puzzle-box world that invites curiosity and rewards those willing to dig deeper. My personal test for such a setup/reward is the Waterfall test. Does the game feature a waterfall? And if so, is the space behind the waterfall explorable? (Atomfall passes the Waterfall test.)
Rebellion’s commitment to accessibility also deserves a shout out. With customizable difficulty options, players can tweak everything from enemy aggression to resource scarcity, ensuring the experience caters to both hardcore survivalists and casual adventurers. This flexibility makes it an appealing choice for those who want to experience the story without having to suffer a steep learning curve. The game’s skill tree is also a straightforward delight. Four main categories (melee combat, ranged combat, survival, and conditioning) each unlock a series of perks that cater to whichever play-style you want to adopt.
For all its quirk and charm, Atomfall stumbles in execution at times. Gameplay-wise, it straddles an awkward line between survival sim and action-adventure, without fully committing to either. The survival elements — scavenging for resources, crafting weapons, and managing health — are all present, but presented simply, and lacking the depth to truly challenge players over the game’s 15–20-hour runtime. The small inventory size and inability to stack items like bandages can also grate, turning resource management into a chore rather than a strategic choice.
Meanwhile, the action components, particularly combat, are a notable weak link. Gunplay is serviceable, with scarce ammo adding tension, but melee encounters are clunky and repetitive, often devolving into button-mashing slogs. Enemies will even occasionally travel in a line like so many ducklings, making the task of taking them out one by one a (comical) breeze.
Stealth is also an option, but its mechanics, like so many recent games, is inconsistent, leaving you uncertain when you’re truly invisible to approaching enemies, and when your arse is actually sticking out from behind a wall. I lost track of how many times I was convinced I was hidden, crouched behind a crumbling bookcase in the ruins of a cottage, only to hear a familiar refrain “Nice and slow now! We don’t want any trouble,” before being pasted by a hail of bullets. On the flip side, I was often able to crouch at the feet of a nearby enemy in obvious plain sight (or at least it felt that way) only to hear someone remark “Lost ’em. They’ve sodded off!”
Although Atomfall’s overall tone and story are deliciously reminiscent of so many good things — Day of the Triffids, Still Wakes the Deep, Fallout, The Wicker Man, and even 1970’s and 80’s sci-fi series like Under the Mountain, Into the Labyrinth, and Doctor Who (the game actually features a cheeky Doctor Who easter egg), the likeness is only skin deep. Atomfall lacks the depth, satire, social commentary and personal reflections contained in these other works to be truly considered an equal. Despite feeling familiar and fun, and successfully carving out a niche with its Britishness, Atomfall is missing that something something that could elevate it beyond genre stereotypes and into a truly unique sphere of its own.
For Game Pass subscribers, it’s an easy recommendation: a quirky, atmospheric romp that’s worth a weekend dive. For others, it’s a solid pickup at a discount if you’re drawn to its premise and can overlook its rough edges. Rebellion has laid a promising foundation here, and with refinement, a potential Atomfall 2 could be something truly special. For now, it’s a good game that flirts with greatness but never quite seals the deal.
Our Score: 7/10. A charming, ambitious experiment, Atomfall is a game of highs and lows. Its stunning world, player-driven exploration, and unique British twist make it a compelling adventure worth experiencing, especially for those who value discovery over hand-holding. Yet its lackluster combat, shallow survival mechanics, and uneven storytelling hold it back from greatness.
It’s not the “British Fallout” some expected, nor does it try to be, but rather a distinct, if imperfect, survival tale that shines brightest when you’re lost in its countryside. Exploding sheep notwithstanding.
Genre: Action Survival
Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
Release: 4/27/2024
Studio: Rebellion Developments
Publisher: Rebellion Developments