Join me on a thrilling journey through the English countryside, which I experienced during a 90-minute demo of Atomfall, the new survival-action game from the developers of Sniper Elite at Rebellion. I recently visited a pub in North London for a pint and some hands-on playtime, and left intrigued by Atomfall's open-ended mission design and its eerie atmosphere. My experience took a wild turn as I found myself attacking every NPC in sight, including an innocent old lady, with a cricket bat. Let me delve into why this happened.
In Atomfall, every NPC, from the most insignificant grunt to the crucial quest-giver, can be killed. As I began the demo, I decided to test this aspect of the game's design. My approach was far from sophisticated; just two minutes into exploring this digital rendition of Cumbria, I accidentally triggered a tripwire alarm, forcing me to take down three alerted guards using the blunt side of a cricket bat, which I humorously dubbed my murder partner after it was baptized in their blood.
Later, I acquired a bow and arrow, which I eagerly equipped, satisfying my love for archery in video games. This allowed me to handle both long and short-range encounters, giving my cricket bat a break. As I explored further, I encountered a towering wicker man, a clear nod to the game's folk horror influences. These elements contribute to the unsettling atmosphere that underpins the mystery at the heart of Atomfall's segmented world, composed of multiple "open zones." This eerie setting made me more curious about the catastrophic event that led to this once peaceful, now irradiated part of England.
My contemplation of the mystery was interrupted by a group of druids, likely connected to the wicker man. They served as perfect targets for my new bow, and as they fell, I couldn't help but think, "I'M ROBIN BLOODY HOOD." Snapping back to reality in the London pub, I realized it was only 10am, and I hadn't touched my drink yet.
The bow felt satisfying to use, but what truly captured my interest was Atomfall's innovative stamina system. Instead of a traditional depleting and regenerating bar, the game uses a heart rate monitor that increases with physically demanding actions. For instance, sprinting for an extended period can push your heart rate above 140 bpm, impacting your aim and accuracy in combat. I later found a Bow Mastery skill manual that mitigated the effect of a high heart rate on drawing the bowstring, though the skill tree seemed relatively simple. However, it appeared flexible enough to allow players to tailor their character's skills to their preferred playstyle, whether that be stealth or direct combat.
Atomfall Screenshots
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With my only notable achievement being the elimination of several druids, you might wonder about my overarching goal. So did I, initially. My aimless exploration of the Casterfall Woods region hadn't unearthed anything significant until I found a note directing me to a herbalist named Mother Jago, near an old mine. Along the way, I encountered hints of a larger narrative, like the ominous, shimmering colors hovering over a power plant—the apparent source of Britain's descent into the post-apocalypse—and a phone box that rang with a chilling warning to stay out of the woods.
The path was dotted with environmental storytelling, such as an old boathouse rigged with an unsettling alarm system, painted with the words "get lost," surrounded by a mound of skulls and bones. Atomfall's atmosphere oscillates between serene, leafy forests and zones of creeping terror, drawing more comparisons to Stalker than to Fallout, in both tone and game design.
My journey reminded me of classic point-and-click adventures, where exploring every conversation is key to finding clues. After another druid massacre and looting their garden center for herbs, I met Mother Jago at her quaint allotment retreat. Dressed in a plum-colored coat and a hat adorned with an animal skull and roses, she seemed like Angela Lansbury dabbling in dark magic rather than crime-solving. However, she offered no clear answers to my questions about the unfolding mystery, forcing me to exhaust every dialogue option in search of my next lead. Eventually, she offered valuable information in exchange for the safe return of her herbalism book, which was being held hostage in the druids' fortified castle.
Atomfall's freeform design allowed me to approach the castle from any angle, and I chose to attack from the side. En route, I encountered a druid patrol near an abandoned petrol station, leading to the "Battle of the Forecourt." While the enemy AI wasn't particularly reactive, the visceral combat was satisfying, though not the game's highlight. Instead, enemy encounters seemed more like a fun distraction from the main focus: uncovering the world's secrets.
After dealing with some axe-wielding brutes, I entered the castle's outer walls and stumbled upon a locked hut. A note with map coordinates suggested the keys were far to the southeast, reflecting Atomfall's lack of objective markers and reliance on player-driven exploration. Instead of following the coordinates, I decided to check the central keep, finding more druids to dispatch but no sign of the book. Atomfall's mission design is intentionally obtuse, challenging players to think and explore without hand-holding.
Following the coordinates, I encountered a poison plant monster that proved nearly invincible to my rifle bullets. Using my Skyrim bunny-hopping skills, I bypassed it to retrieve the keys from a previous victim, only to find a perk point and ammo in the hut, not the herbalism book.
Frustrated, I ventured deeper into the castle's underbelly, where I killed the High Priestess and her followers, finding an SMG, a recipe for poison bombs, and an atomic battery that hinted at new questlines. Still, no book.
After my session ended, I learned that the book had been on a table I'd passed multiple times. Before that revelation, I believed the book was a ruse, leading me to kill Mother Jago in my frustration. Searching her body, I found a recipe to combat the poison monster, which was the "valuable information" she intended to exchange for the book.
Atomfall's developers at Rebellion suggest that completing the story might take "less than four or five hours" for some, but most players will spend around 25 hours. My fellow demo participant had a completely different experience, starting with a crashed helicopter and exploring a new region with killer robots and mutants. This suggests a rich, varied world beneath Atomfall's surface.
While Atomfall's objectives can be frustratingly vague, the game rewards thorough exploration and engagement with its obscured quest design. The blurred lines between side and main objectives add a thrilling element of danger to every decision, encouraging players to create their own narrative and uncover their unique explanation for the events in the irradiated English countryside. Despite my violent detour with Mother Jago, I'm eager to see how my story will unfold.
My hands bloodied from my rampage, I decided to embrace full-British mode: take my cricket bat, head to the pub, and wait for this all to blow over.
