Review: Atomfall - You've Got Red on You

It’s easy to picture the Fallout series when you hear Atomfall’s setup. But the moment that first blast door groans open to reveal a lush, vibrant Lake District, it’s clear Rebellion Games has its own distinct, mysterious tale to tell. That said, when a single cricket bat is all you actually need to survive a minacious quarantine zone, well…the action-survival elements could use some linseed oil.

Inspired by the real-world Windscale Disaster of 1957 - one of Britain’s biggest atomic oopsie-daisies - Atomfall's fictional mystery begins five years later. Waking up in an abandoned bomb shelter as yet another amnesiac protagonist - a tired gaming trope at this point - it only took one answered red phone box to see why, in this case, playing a clueless wanderer actually worked.

Within 10 minutes, Atomfall had its hooks in me. Who was I? Why was I battering the Cumbrian locals? How could I access the Interchange? And why was I the only one who could hear these eerie phone booths ring? Point is, starting as a foggy nobody made interacting with the sci-fi world, its eccentric characters, and rival factions all the more engaging - even if the thick local accents will have most non-Brits scrambling for subtitles.

Stereotypically, when we’re tasked with uncovering the truth of nuclear disaster, we crack on with the job across an irradiated wasteland - both barren and empty for the most part. But in the case of Atomfall, the grass is green, the rivers are running, the trees are thriving, and nothing is stopping you from ordering a nice cold pint at the Grendel’s Head.

Having visited the Lake District several times over the past decade, I’ve grown to appreciate when developers draw inspiration from the area. We’ve seen real-world Cumbrian hotspots like Ambleside feature in Forza Horizon 4, but plodding along the cobbled streets of the fictional village of Wyndham - soaking up every drop of it’s slow living, feasting on Cornish pasties, and sipping Earl Grey for the health benefits - feels like a theme park take on the Lake District: compact, intentional, and genuinely impressive - even if the theme park vibe stems from oppressive law and order themes. Rebellion has done an outstanding job capturing the landscape; it’s a gorgeous, believable feast for the eyes, with a dash of wit to keep things moreish. Classic British influences are everywhere, from Doctor Who-sounding robots and iconic phone booths to the pagan mysticism of The Wicker Man. I even caught shades of Hot Fuzz along the way too.

This is a game that encourages you to play detective, ditching traditional quests and waypoint systems in favour of leads and clues to resolve cases. This looser mission system encourages you to dig deeper - talking to NPCs longer than you’d like, sifting through endless scribbled notes, and running yourself ragged across Atomfall’s four sandbox maps. It’s clear Rebellion will swat away any clammy-handed effort we’d attempt at hand-holding.

In my first three hours, I’d solved a small-town murder, gained access to the creepy underground Interchange facility, and bludgeoned my fair share of outlaws. But hey, at least I stopped to admire the local sights along the way.

Sure, leads won’t be for everyone, and I suspect that’ll be why some players pack it in after an hour or two. But if you commit to the plot like I did, allow yourself to wander, resolve a few seemingly unimportant leads, and get to grips with piecing all your clues together, well, that’s where I had the most joy with Atomfall. Personally, I’m not a big fan of hustling straight toward a goal only to boomerang right back again anyway. Motivating us to engage in the opposite, however, ensures you don’t miss out on the uncanny weirdness Atomfall’s world has to offer - and honestly, that’s the game’s biggest strength: just how unapologetically British this whole mystery is.

Rebellion describes Atomfall as an "action-survival" game, but here’s the thing - both its action and survival elements feel like the weakest links in this outing. Early on, when I had no clue what I was doing, I stumbled across a group of extremely rude Welshmen and women. After trading insults and fisticuffs for a while, I finally landed a venomous right-handed jab - and suddenly, a much more polite corpse dropped the finest slab of willow wood I’d ever seen. That cricket bat quickly became, and still remains, my go-to solution for every combat situation I walk into. Sure, I spice things up with a variety of long-ranged weapons from time to time, and throwable molotovs are overpowered, but for the most part I was hitting for six.

Whilst you’re free to approach combat however you like - whether that’s shuffling through tall grass to go unnoticed or stealthily rearranging some spinal structures - in my experience, when all else fails, a few well-timed wallops with a cricket bat gets the job done just fine. You see, enemy AI just isn’t all there - it’s almost as though they’ve recycled a few of my previous victims who’re still suffering from a rattled frontal lobe. Dispatching them is a simple task, even on the hardest difficulties. I’m not saying it isn’t enjoyable, because well, it bloody well is, but in a sandbox style action game, having a blunt rectangle-shaped solution to almost every conundrum falls short of a proper job.

When we compare games with survival elements like Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Stalker 2, there’s just no sign of genre staples like weapon durability, hunger, or tiredness in Atomfall. From start to finish, I never once had to swap out my weapon loadout except when I intentionally sought to try new guns. Despite the rusted, timeworn aesthetic of every rifle, pistol, and shotgun, not a single one jammed or needed maintenance - and the same goes for my trusty cricket bat. Don’t get me wrong, I love Willow, but I’d happily commend (and mourn) her service if she ever splintered or cracked.

Food, resources, ammo, and health items are plentiful in Atomfall. In fact, item rarity feels almost non-existent - like being a Boy Scout Nepo Baby, with your scout leader parent running ahead, scattering supplies at your feet. Aside from the occasional herb nestled away in rich foliage, I never found myself short on crafting materials either. 

On the topic of scouts, upgrading your skills and abilities in Atomfall comes in the form of perk patches that can be obtained by collecting ___ stims, typically found in B.A.R.D crates. Unlock these patches to disarm traps, hold more items, and draw your bow quicker. 

This all feels rather negative when said aloud, but in reality, Atomfall’s serviceable combat and simple survival mechanics freed me up to get stuck into its gripping narrative. A Story I’m not going to spoil here - honestly, you’re better off going in blind - so I’ll keep this brief. Atomfall is one of those open-investigation games where your choices and allegiances matter, leading towards one of five endings. You can focus solely on escaping the quarantine zone, ignoring Windscale entirely, or unravel the mysteries of the Interchange, the deadly underground atomic facility crawling with mutated ghouls, robots, and more. For me, the eerie lore surrounding the British Atomic Research Division and it’s hulking robots, Protocol’s iron grip on the villagers of Wyndham and the pagan cultists’ stranglehold on the surround areas, easily make up for Atomfall’s action-survival shortcomings. Of course I could say more, but I think it’s best experienced firsthand.

Verdict

Atomfall blends sci-fi, folklore, and British charm in a quirky, post-atomic Lake District. Its detective gameplay thrives on curiosity, whilst simplistic combat and minimal survival mechanics fade into the background. Neither of which overshadow the games biggest strength - its world and the atomic secrets lurking within. The game’s weirdness and wonder make it a joy to explore. So, If that’s what you’re after, or you just fancy smashing a garden gnome with a cricket bat, then it’s well worth your time.