‘Atomfall’ evaluate: A hauntingly British apocalypse that’s enjoyable, flawed, and irritating

Riot Studios’ Atomfall is a step in the proper route as we (hopefully) close to the top of an period the place each big-budget RPG appears like a 60-to-80-hour dedication. After Murderer’s Creed Valhalla pushed the boundaries of simply how a lot sport a sport might have — and never essentially for the higher — it’s refreshing to see an motion RPG that really enables you to decelerate, take a breath, and simply exist in its world for a minute.

Moderately than drowning you in an limitless sea of map markers, aspect quests, and fetch missions that really feel extra like a to-do listing than an journey, Atomfall affords one thing totally different. It’s a sport that trusts you to discover at your individual tempo reasonably than continuously screaming at you to interact with yet one more system or mechanic. That’s a uncommon factor in 2025.

But whereas Atomfall by no means overstays its welcome, there’s nonetheless part of me caught between seeing its simplicity as a component that permits it to shine, or as a weak spot.

Warning: There are minor story spoilers forward.

Welcome to Cumbria

Atomfall is an action-survival RPG set in Nineteen Sixties Northern England, 5 years after the real-life Windscale nuclear catastrophe — one of many worst in historical past. UK-based Riot Studios takes that tragedy and twists it into an eerie, fictionalized quarantine zone the place nobody will get in or out.

You step into the footwear of a anonymous, silent protagonist who wakes up in a mysterious bunker with no reminiscence of who you’re or how you bought there. Your solely goal? Discover the Interchange — a secret analysis facility run by the British Atomic Analysis Division (B.A.R.D). Alongside the way in which, you’ll cross paths with all types of teams: ruthless outlaws, fractured navy models, fanatical druids, and villagers doing their finest to fake that every little thing’s simply tremendous. Oh, and there is the mysterious voice that talks to you thru pink phone containers.

All of this unfolds towards the backdrop of a hauntingly stunning rural county of Cumbria.

Not like most RPGs, Atomfall ditches the standard objective-based quest construction in favor of its distinctive “Leads” system. As an alternative of waypoints and a guidelines telling you precisely the place to go, you piece collectively your subsequent steps via conversations with NPCs, scattered letters, and outdated cassette tapes discovered all through the quarantine zone. There’s no omniscient map marker holding your hand — simply the clues you’ve gathered and no matter notes you resolve to take. That stated, you may manually place compass markers to assist hold observe of potential factors of curiosity.

It’s a refreshingly intuitive strategy to immersive storytelling that extra video games ought to experiment with. Elden Ring and Darkish Souls make use of one thing comparable, however in a method that’s intentionally cryptic — hiding lore in merchandise descriptions and letting gamers fill within the blanks. Atomfall, then again, makes its world really feel extra natural, turning each discovery into a real “aha” second reasonably than simply one other step on a to-do listing.

For instance, when reaching Wyndham Village — at the moment underneath occupation by The Protocol, the preliminary quarantine navy models despatched in that bought left behind — I used to be stopped on the gate and instructed to talk with Captain Sims, a person with a eager curiosity in outsiders. Sims, suspicious of anybody who manages to wander into the zone, affords me info if I comply with do some reconnaissance for him. He desires to know if any of the villagers are as much as one thing shady — as a result of, past simply enjoying Massive Brother, he’s bought cause to fret. It seems that, after the catastrophe, a big variety of villagers ran off into the woods and began a cult.

This set me off on a spherical of conversations with the city’s key figures: the barkeep, the baker, the priest, and the final retailer proprietor. Every of them had their very own skeletons within the closet — secrets and techniques they have been hiding from Protocol. From there, I had a alternative. I might both rat them out to Sims or assist them of their struggles, enjoying the lengthy sport in a city constructed on paranoia.

It’s moments like this that Atomfall does effectively, however general, the story isn’t a lot to put in writing house about. Whereas the Leads system is actually distinctive in presentation, on the finish of the day, it’s nonetheless simply an ordinary quest construction — besides now, you’re piecing issues collectively by yourself as an alternative of following a flashing goal marker.

And in the case of the sport’s six attainable endings, the setup begins to really feel slightly formulaic. Each NPC who affords you an escape route from the zone follows the identical fundamental sample: two principal missions, then a remaining alternative involving the Interchange — the mysterious B.A.R.D facility on the coronary heart of all of it. Do you destroy what’s inside? Or do you utilize it to additional another person’s goal? Or you may say screw it, go full chaos mode, and wipe out each NPC within the sport. It’s solely attainable — and truthfully, it is a blast.

Atomfall actually desires to hammer house the concept of belief in determined circumstances, however it isn’t precisely delicate about it. Some characters begin off pleasant, however the second you acquire their belief and observe their route, it’s as if a swap flips — you may instantly inform you’re being railroaded right into a “bad” ending. Throughout my 25-hour playthrough on PlayStation 5, I noticed 4 of the six attainable conclusions, and none of them felt significantly satisfying.

Worse but, the sport appears weirdly disconnected from its personal mechanics. Regardless of its fast-paced, action-heavy fight — the place practically each enemy assaults on sight — the endgame slides had the nerve to chastise me for “choosing a violent path.” Huh? What sport have been you watching?

On the finish of the day, Atomfall’s Leads system is a superb concept with loads of potential, however its execution leaves lots to be desired. There’s one thing there, however it simply doesn’t fairly stick the touchdown.

What’s it going to be then eh?

Regardless of Atomfall giving off some critical Fallout vibes, don’t be fooled — this isn’t a Bethesda-style RPG. It leans much more into motion than survival, with solely a sprinkle of RPG parts. Every thing from fight to crafting to NPC interactions feels lighter and fewer complicated in comparison with video games like Fallout or S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R.

And truthfully? That’s okay.

That stated, Atomfall’s fight feels very a lot in keeping with trendy shooters. Weapons are heavy, sensible, and include a healthy dose of recoil, whereas melee fight is gradual, weighty, and brutally visceral. The sport additionally introduces a coronary heart fee (stamina) system, the place high-energy actions like sprinting, leaping, or combating have an effect on your skill to purpose or land heavy melee strikes. Managing this method provides an additional layer of stress, forcing you to suppose earlier than you rush into fight.

Your arsenal consists of basic “roadman” weaponry — knives, police truncheons, and even a superb old style cricket bat. You may also use the controller triggers to kick enemies again, maintaining them at a correct distance when issues get too shut for consolation. However enemy selection? Fairly skinny. You’re mainly coping with 4 varieties: ranged enemies, melee enemies, and two sorts of large robots — one with a minigun and one other with a flamethrower. And that’s about it. Oh, and the rats. Fuck the rats.

For ranged weapons, you’ve gotten your 4 normal classes: rifles, pistols, shotguns, and SMGs. Every kind has about two or three variations that you would be able to loot from enemies or encounter on the earth. And, after all, there’s the trusty bow and arrow, as a result of no survival sport is full with out one.

Oddly, you may’t craft arrows or ammunition, which appears like an oversight in a sport that leans into survival parts. Nevertheless, you’ll be scavenging for fabric, herbs, gunpowder, gun oil, and alcohol to craft therapeutic gadgets, potions, and throwable explosives.

Then there are the consumables, which lean closely into the UK’s famously thrilling delicacies. You possibly can drink tea to gradual your coronary heart fee, or chow down on tomatoes, potatoes, cake, and tins of meat — totally immersing your self within the actuality of simply how bland the British weight loss plan may be.

As an alternative of a conventional foreign money system, Atomfall goes full bartering mode. Merchants don’t deal in money; as an alternative, they choose your commerce based mostly on merchandise worth, with a easy indicator exhibiting how honest the trade is. Every dealer has their very own priorities — if somebody has a stockpile of bandages, they are not going to care a lot when you attempt to offload extra. However when you’re providing one thing rarer, like a superb weapon or meals, they’ll be extra prepared to chop a deal.

Exploring the Quarantine Zone

If the concept of wandering via a radiation-soaked wasteland born from a catastrophic scientific failure feels acquainted, that’s as a result of it is. Loads of video games have tackled the “post-disaster exclusion zone” idea earlier than, and Atomfall suits proper into that custom. In some ways, it shares a number of DNA with Pacific Drive, the 2024 survival sport about navigating an anomalous Pacific Northwest in a barely functioning automotive. However the place Pacific Drive had procedurally generated areas, Atomfall trades that for 4 distinct areas of Cumbria — ones you’ll be tediously backtracking via over and over.

Gamers will discover themselves scouring each inch of Wyndham Village, Slatten Dale, Skettermoor, and Casterfell Woods. Minus the village (when you’re a superb boy), every space is managed by a distinct faction, they usually all assault on sight. The areas themselves aren’t significantly huge — you may stroll from one finish to the opposite in about 5 to 10 minutes — however truly reaching your aims can really feel like a little bit of a slog. Due to the Leads system, you’ll inevitably end up bumbling into places you weren’t supposed to succeed in but, which may be both thrilling or irritating, relying on how well-equipped you’re on the time.

True to its survival-lite strategy, Atomfall retains assets — particularly ammo — scarce. You’re by no means stocked up sufficient to only go in weapons blazing, which inspires stealth and exact shot placement to keep away from getting swarmed by the sport’s surprisingly giant enemy patrols and encampments. Nevertheless, the stealth system is barebones at finest, and enemy AI is so painfully dumb that you would be able to usually filter a complete camp with out a lot effort.

That being stated, Atomfall’s world is genuinely stunning in that eerie, “nature reclaiming civilization” form of method. Wyndham Village has all of the hallmarks of a quaint post-war township now caught in an unsettling limbo. Casterfell Woods is dense and foreboding, full of towering bushes and unknown creatures lurking within the shadows. Slatten Dale, a hilly, industrial panorama, revolves round its deserted mine and quarry. After which there’s Skettermoor — once-picturesque farmland now decreased to scorched earth, patrolled by trigger-happy troopers on the lookout for an excuse to shoot first and ask questions by no means.

Atomfall’s RPG parts are about as mild as they arrive. There’s a easy ability tree that regularly unlocks as you discover coaching manuals scattered all through the world — both purchased from merchants or hidden in particular places. The position of those manuals provides some nice environmental storytelling, like discovering a bow mastery handbook in an deserted fort’s archery camp or a fight coaching handbook from a former soldier-turned-merchant in Skettermoor. That stated, if merchants don’t have them, they are often obscenely onerous to search out, and also you don’t actually want them to finish the sport.

You may also gather ability factors from B.A.R.D crates present in bunkers throughout the map. The abilities themselves? Fundamental RPG fare — injury buffs, poison resistance, sooner looting. Nothing groundbreaking, however sufficient to provide you a slight edge.

At its core, Atomfall presents itself as a deep, complicated expertise, however the longer you play, the extra you understand it’s a reasonably informal journey dressed up in survival-horror aesthetics. That stated, credit score the place it’s due — technically, the sport runs impressively easy for a 2025 launch, with few noticeable bugs or efficiency hiccups. And in an period the place damaged day-one launches are the norm, that alone feels price celebrating.

Is Atomfall price it?

Atomfall is a type of video games that feels prefer it’s on the verge of being one thing particular however by no means fairly will get there. It has a robust id — a post-apocalyptic journey wrapped in eerie British folklore, with a heavy dose of survival mechanics and a singular quest system — however its execution is commonly at odds with its ambitions.

The Leads system is an intriguing different to conventional quest markers, permitting for natural discovery and player-driven exploration. Nevertheless, on the finish of the day, it nonetheless boils down to straightforward RPG quest buildings. You’re simply piecing collectively aims via notes and conversations as an alternative of being explicitly instructed the place to go. It’s immersive, positive, but additionally irritating when backtracking via the sport’s small but tedious world.

The place Atomfall does shine is in its ambiance. The environments are superbly crafted, from the eerie, cult-infested Casterfell Woods to the scorched farmland of Skettermoor. The sport leans into its setting with immersive environmental storytelling, and it’s refreshing to see a post-apocalyptic world that doesn’t simply appear like a generic wasteland. It additionally runs remarkably effectively, with few technical points — one thing that feels more and more uncommon in trendy sport releases.

If you happen to’re on the lookout for an RPG-lite survival expertise with immersive exploration, tense fight, and a uniquely British setting, then Atomfall affords sufficient to be pleasing — particularly when you go in figuring out its limitations. Nevertheless, when you’re anticipating deep RPG mechanics, intricate storytelling, or a very open-ended expertise, it’s possible you’ll stroll away underwhelmed. It’s a sport with a number of nice concepts, however it by no means totally commits to any of them. As a mid-tier survival-action RPG, it’s stable. Is that this the following Fallout or S.T.A.L.Ok.E.R.? Not fairly.

Atomfall arrives March 27 on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Sequence X/S, and PC.

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