Platforms: PS4/5, Xbox Series S/X, PC
From satirical co-op shooter Strange Brigade to the multiple adaptations under its 2000 AD publishing arm, Oxford-based developer Rebellion has made a name for itself in bringing British cultural consciousness to the forefront of mainstream gaming. But nowhere is this more evident, perhaps, than in Atomfall, which opens to the image of a red telephone box nestled against the breathtaking Cumbrian countryside.
This rendition of the Lake District isn't one that any sunburnt holiday-goer would recognise, however, but an alt-history remix where the real life Windscale Fire of 1957 has escalated into full blown nuclear cataclysm, ravaging the surrounding landscape with military occupations, bandit camps, and a sci-fi compendium's worth of otherworldly hazards.
Your role, as a nameless amnesiac who wakes up in one of the quarantine zone's many nuclear bunkers, is to find out what really happened in this disarmingly picturesque hellscape, and discover how your character connects to it all. It's this central mystery that sends you trotting across Atomfall's breezy and beautiful open world, which is fully explorable from the get-go, and peppered with all manner of memorable characters, quests, and points of interest.
That central conceit explicitly pulls from multiple sources, from Fallout to The Wicker Man, but Atomfall's story eventually finds enough of a distinctive voice to offer its own compelling slice of Campbellian sci-fi, one which just about satisfies the questions you've been seeking answers for by the time the credits roll. There's something to be said about exploring a game set in a very particular British setting, too, especially one populated by characters that seem to cover the full spectrum of regional dialects between them, and that unique backdrop is harnessed masterfully by Rebellion to sustain the game’s peppy tone, where everything from pub culture to the national obsession with Cornish pasties are lightly ribbed for self-deprecating laughs.
Outside of its campaign, Atomfall's approach to open world design also leaves much to be impressed with. A minimalist user interface offers loose guidance on where to go, but players are otherwise left to themselves to find and deduce clues from around the sandbox in order to figure out what to do next. In an oversaturated genre of open worlds all too eager to inundate players with map icons, flavour text, and on-screen waypoints, this comparative sparsity marks a refreshing counterpoint, gently encouraging you to apply active logic to your direction of travel, and absorb yourself more thoroughly into the world, free from the noise of a cluttered overlay.
Granted, the side effects of this design structure can lead to some frustrating moments of backtracking or wild goose chases, and sometimes it's not always clear why the game will provide more guidance on certain objectives versus others. But these are worthwhile concessions for a more freeform sandbox that, for example, will gladly let you murder almost every single NPC in the game as just one of several ways to figure out the truth of what's really going on.
Better yet, this clean design frees up more on-screen real estate for the visuals of Atomfall's open world to really sing. Rebellion isn't interested in replicating the Lake District like-for-like, but instead evoking the spirit of its pastoral idyll, and the approach pays off, conjuring a rich playspace of flora, fauna, and quaint Cotswold architecture that consistently offers green and pleasant viewpoints whichever way you look. Particular commendation should be awarded to the optimised fidelity, too, which maintains both a silky smooth frame rate and ultra crisp resolution in unison, offering the best of both worlds to players who nowadays often find themselves having to compromise on one or the other.
Alas, things become noticeably less impressive whenever combat kicks into gear, which is disappointingly rote at best. Blending perfunctory first-person shooting with simple stealth mechanics, awkward melee combat, and consumable items such as bandages or nail bombs, the prosaic rhythms of Atomfall's violence makes for one of its weakest features.
It doesn't help that most enemies seem to somewhat lacking in the brains department, either, quite happy to run head first into your bullets or stand deadly still and simply wait for you to aim straight for their weak points. Additional features such as a crafting system and a very simple skill tree enhance that gameplay experience over time, but not by much. Instead, without any signature flourishes — such as, say, the X-Ray Kill Cam from Rebellion's Sniper Elite series — Atomfall's combat simply exists as a means to an end, rather than a good time in and of itself.
Still, that combat doesn't need to do a lot of legwork to keep you invested in sticking with Atomfall throughout its fifteen hour runtime. Instead, the game shines on the strengths of its presentation, storytelling, and player-led approach to open world design. And, just like its real-life setting, any perceived ruggedness only adds to the charm.