Atomfall initial impressions: Quintessential choose-your-own-adventure game with plenty of exploration

At first glance, one wouldn't be wrong to call Atomfall a British version of Fallout. But that already exists, and it is called Fallout London, which you can (and really should) play. Atomfall, on the other hand, is so much more. There are hints of Fallout New Vegas, which the devs say is a direct inspiration, S.T.A.L.K.E.R and The Last of Us.

On my PC (Ryzen 7 5800X3D, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 48 GB DDR4-3200 RAM, Asrock X570 Taichi), Atomfall ran like a breeze at 1440p, averaging at well over 200 FPS at maximum settings. Then again, the game also launches on last-gen consoles such as the PS4 and Xbox One, so it should have no trouble running on any system built in the past five-six years.

Atomfall is the second mushroom-themed game to drop this year after Avowed and despite its lack of RPG elements, both aren't all that different. For one, they both have a pseudo-open world packed to the brim with secrets. Atomfall has three main areas with a village in between that serves as a transit hub. Its introduction isn't exactly revolutionary, but that seems to be the running theme with games of late.

The unnamed protagonist wakes up in a room with no memory of what happened. A dying scientist hands you a card and rambles on about “The Interchange” and before you know it, you're yeeted into an open world with nothing but the clothes on your back and a mystery key card worth nothing. The devs recommend that you play on “Survivor” (one rung below the hardest) difficulty, and I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment.

In Survivor, you have no quest markers and combat is simply not an option in the early game because all you have are your fists. The concept of main and side quests is blurred, and you'll often find yourself juggling between both without even realising it. While some quests do give you a map marker, you'll have to rely on your gut and pay attention to the environment for the rest.

I spent the first few hours will be spent avoiding combat and scouring every location for whatever scraps of supplies I could find. Initially, they're scarce but that might change as the game progresses. One of the many saving graces of Atomfall is that enemies give you ample time to skedaddle before engaging. There's a visual threat meter similar to the one found in stealth games.

I'm a bit divided on the game's progression system. The concept of experience/XP is non-existent, and the only one can level up is via Skill Tonics found in-game. They're not exactly lying around, and you have to actively look for them in hard-to-reach places. While this actively incentivizes exploration, you have to plan out your build in advance because you can't re-spec your points afterwards.

Overall, Atomfall does an excellent job of instilling a sense of terror in the early game. It feels less like Fallout New Vegas and more like Outlast. Based on what I've experienced so far, one can easily get a few playthroughs out of it, and all of them will be unique in their own way thanks to its Laissez-faire approach to storytelling. There's a lot left to uncover, and we shall elaborate more on that in our full review which is coming soon. The game launches on March 27 on all major platforms and March 24 for those who bought the Deluxe Edition.