The post-apocalyptic action-survival genre of video games is not uncommon for the industry, taking players from nuclear-impacted remnants of planet Earth to underwater safe havens turned bad to numerous other options. While you certainly have the likes of the Fallout franchise, which offers a good balance of quality and quantity in their offered experiences, other offerings can fill the full spectrum of amazing to what appears to be an attempt to get out of spending as much on design teams. The latest game to release in the genre is Atomfall for the PC and current and last-generation PlayStation and Xbox consoles – developed by the team at Rebellion Developments, arguably most known for their work on the Sniper Elite series. Taking players to a region not often explored by the genre, the English countryside, how does this game fare compared to its counterparts? Read on to find out!
Atomfall plunges players into a fractured, alternate-reality England of 1962, five years after the Windscale disaster, which in this timeline was a catastrophe that scarred the landscape and the souls of those trapped within its quarantine. Here, you are an amnesiac sprung from a mysterious bunker with only a cryptic plea from an injured scientist to expose the truth about Windscale as your guide. From the outset, the game trusts your curiosity, offering no quest markers but scattering “leads” fragments of notes, coordinates, and rumours that demand you piece together a mosaic of intrigue. As you navigate between cold military checkpoints, crumbling farmsteads and druid-haunted woods, every whispered tip and abandoned ledger opens a fresh branch in the conspiracy, making you feel less like the clichéd vault-dweller of post-apocalyptic fiction and more like a detective hunting down the very soul of this fractured land. I would perhaps not enjoy the game if I came back to it after a couple of months and had forgotten what I was up to; the lower level of hand-holding and more player-driven progression were more than welcome.
Choices in Atomfall feel weighty because every named NPC carries the potential to make or break your escape. You can charm, barter or betray, and each action at least feels like it ripples outward. The cult you encounter might share an invaluable key, but only if you spare a life they hold sacred; contrarily, a bullet to the back of a bandit chief’s skull could avert one threat while igniting another. This branching tapestry of loyalties, combined with multiple endings ranging from bleak entrapment to ambiguous liberation, underscores Atomfall’s central thesis: trust is the rarest resource of all in a world built on lies, disbelief and fear.
Atomfall’s world design is a well-constructed medley of interconnected environments and subtle guidance. Rolling hills littered with years of foliage, dry-stone walls and overgrown bunkers are arranged like pieces of a jigsaw, rewarding players who stray from the beaten track – and in a genre where such nuclear issues would see players placed in a decrepit nightmare of ruin – it is a harrowingly beautiful world in many places. Hidden tunnels beneath abandoned cottages and unlocked gates in military checkpoints forge shortcuts that make each discovery feel earned. The art direction leans into retro‑futurist 1960s tech, pale control panels, rusted generators and public telephones, creating a convincing sense of time and place. Though character models do occasionally show that the game was developed with last-generation consoles in mind (a shame as we appear to be closer to the tail-end of the latest console generation than the head), the environmental storytelling counteracts that by consistently immersing you in a quarantine zone you want to admire, as much as escape from.
Atomfall excels at using sound to deepen the atmosphere presented to players. A sparse yet haunting score underpins exploration, with minimalist piano and synth motifs echoing the isolation or intensity of your locale. Meanwhile, the voice acting is uniformly strong and truly excels at utilising its setting and regional accents to add a layer of authenticity and weight to every scenario. Occasional reuse of dialogue lines can break immersion in crowded areas. Still, when characters do speak, the performances vividly convey the desperation and suspicion that define this fractured world.
Atomfall’s combat feels visceral and deliberate, rewarding methodical planning more than twitch reactions. Weapons carry weight… the heft of a serviceable rifle or the draw of a bowstring is palpable, especially with controller feedback on PS5, and each shot or arrow loosed demands timely consideration – as an ill shot could be your last. The scarcity of ammunition on the default Survivor setting amplifies every encounter, and charging into a bandit camp without surveying cover and choke points may quickly be a death sentence. At least it would be if the Enemy AI wasn’t a tad inconsistent – with some foes tracking your movements with uncanny accuracy while others wander obliviously. Melee attacks, centred on heavy swings and well-timed kicks to stagger opponents, offer a viable alternative when bullets run dry. However, this feels more like a punishment for not having the correct quantity of ammo.
Stealth in Atomfall rewards patience but remains under‑equipped for full ghost-like infiltration. Crouching in tall grass or sticking to shadowed pathways often keeps you just out of the line of sight, and a precise bow shot or silent neck‑snap takedown can swiftly reduce enemy numbers. However, the lack of basic distraction tools, such as no throwable stones or whistles, means stealth too quickly dissolves into loud skirmishes when alarms sound. The heart‑rate mechanic further complicates sneak runs: sprinting to reposition or panicking in a close‑quarters surprise increases the pulse gauge, directly impacting weapon stability. In this way, stealth and survival are intertwined; staying calm under pressure (or rather, not parkouring your way through combat) is as crucial as staying hidden.
Resource management is a core tension driver in Atomfall, with every piece of scrap metal, brewing tonic or ammunition round carrying significant weight in a limited inventory. The crafting system, accessible on the go and quickly (and effectively) taught to you within minutes of starting the game, lets you fashion bandages, explosive devices and weapon upgrades from scavenged materials, encouraging you to experiment. The absence of hunger or thirst meters keeps the focus on threats rather than environmental micromanagement (something that irks me to no end in other survival games). Yet, the heart‑rate bar functions as a survival stat, as mismanaging exertion can leave you vulnerable in critical moments.
At its core, Atomfall is an investigative sandbox that thrives on uncharted discovery. The Leads system replaces rigid quest markers with cryptic clues: hand‑scribbled notes, GPS coordinates to mark on a paper map, or a tip overheard at a watering hole, each one nudging you toward new areas without explicit directions. Parallel plot threads weave between moss‑covered shrines, underground bunkers and the sprawling Interchange, a subterranean labyrinth is also gradually unlocked through power‑routing puzzles. This openness can frustrate players seeking tighter guidance. Still, the payoff of stumbling upon a hidden cache or eavesdropping on a pivotal conversation makes each experience feel more personalised as if your decisions towards survival have weight.
Ultimately, although Atomfall doesn’t offer too much to distinguish itself regarding gameplay among the range of games already in the crowded post-apocalyptic genre, it does shine by leaning into player-driven discovery and surprising yet dark British charm. Its open-ended progression and landscapes turn every play session into an investigative foray, while every decision you make feels more purposeful than just walking down a pre-determined destination. Though its combat and stealth tools sometimes wobble under pressure and a lighter hand-holding may confound some players, these challenges underscore one of the game’s central themes: in an environment built on secrecy and survival, the most potent weapon may be the choices you make. Atomfall may ask more of its players than some of its peers. However, for those craving genuine agency and the thrill of piecing together a fractured world, it offers a haunting and unforgettable experience.
This review was conducted on a PlayStation 5 Pro launch console, using a digital copy of the game. A digital copy of Atomfall was provided by Australian publisher Five Star Games, on behalf of Rebellion Developments, to facilitate this review.
Atomfall is now available to purchase on the PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.
