It is fantastic that Rebellion Developments has stepped back from the Sniper Elite series for a moment to give players a taste of an original IP. To show us what they are truly capable of when creating something new. Luckily, I got to jump into a preview of the upcoming Atomfall title, and I was not disappointed. The high demand for this game makes sense as when I played it, it featured fantastic choices, gameplay, visuals, mystery, and overall atmosphere.
The preview dropped me a couple of hours into the game in what looked to be a sewer before I made my way out into the Casterfell Woods. I was immediately met with several mean-looking Druid enemies that ended up killing me with no mercy. After finally getting past them with the arsenal of weapons I had access to, specifically the cricket bat, and sneaking around, I was now looking at a thick wooded area. As I went forward, I heard fire, and before I knew it, I came across a burning hut on the other side of the shallow river, and next to it, a mystical looking purple wasp nest. Naturally, I crossed the river to get a closer look at the weirdly coloured mound on the tree, and instantly regretted my decision.
A handful of huge, scary wasps began to chase me, and once I was out of the insects’ reach, I was suddenly in another fight with even more Druids. The enemies in Atomfall are ruthless when on the offense and you need to be prepared and aware of them. However, the AI used for them did seem a little wonky at times as they were dumbfounded and occasionally got stuck.. Despite enemies being like this, it didn’t hinder my experience, it actually reminded me a lot of Skyrim and how those NPCs act when spotting you and trying to attack. It was charming to see as it gave me a laugh at times, even though I was met with the death screen from their hard-hitting blows.
After returning to my last save point, across the river from the wasp nest, I decided it was best to start moving towards the quest the game prompted me with. Also known as an Investigation, I was tasked with finding Mother Jago, an herbalist who could potentially help me. But to get to her was a journey since she was on the other side of the map. As I traversed the woods, I came across several different things, such as a crashed helicopter with a distressing audio log, more Druids, and a Garden Centre full of traps that I scavenged through and found a cellar full of useful items and craftable materials. Crafting is quite easy as you don’t need to go to a required bench to make something, you simply gain the materials needed and craft that item. I crafted a lot of bandages since I needed them to survive enemies.
But after the cellar, things got eerie, as I found a telephone booth ringing, I answered and a very strange, demanding voice told me I had discovered the woods and should avoid it at all costs. After this encounter, I finally reached The Old Mine, where Mother Jago was located. I spoke to her, and I was given four dialogue options: curious, friendly, wary, and desperate.
I decided on the curious answer and discovered Mother Jago had her herbalist book stolen by the Druids, which was being kept in their castle. Since I found Mother Jago, I also got access to bartering, which required me to swap the same or more value of an item I owned with the one I wanted from her. She also mentioned that the Druids worship the soil in the ground as it speaks to them. Despite this ominous telling, I was now making my way back to the other side of the map to the castle via the main road. At this point, I decided to upgrade my skills; I had five points to use and I chose to unlock maximum health, low health regeneration, and disarming traps. Surprisingly, traps are found everywhere so I found that skill to be the most useful, especially when sneaking around.
As I followed the road, I discovered the nuclear plant in the distance, illuminating the sky with a bright light that made me take in the scenery. Atomfall gives you time to take in your surroundings, and since the graphics are so highly realistic, I felt immersed. But I had to keep moving and as I did, I found a tunnel and in it a groaning sound was being amplified. I had unintentionally found a Feral, it had semi-see-through bioluminescent features, which was unsettling to see. Once it noticed me, it became aggressive, spitting at me with its infection and I was done for.
I fought the Feral with my shotgun and hatchet many times, but I found it difficult to get past, especially since I didn’t have much ammunition. I noticed further down the tunnel were more of the creatures, so I decided on a different path. Atomfall did not pressure me into taking specific routes, since there was no guide to get to where I wanted to, or doing any particular quests before one or the other. It truly wanted me to do what felt right and take my own path. Which is why I didn’t feel bad not taking the direct obvious route and not doing some other quests I got my hands on. Such as uncovering what happened to Dr Garrow, who was featured in the audio log from the crashed helicopter I found earlier.
I took a side route to the Druid castle and found another telephone booth ringing, and this time the voice told me not to trust Mother Jago, that she is a dark person, and that I should not be so easily trusting. I decided to ignore it and continue to the Druid castle anyway. As I made my way through enemy territory, I found what seemed to be crucified infected people. And suddenly the ground did speak to me, which I wasn’t expecting, since I am not a Druid after all. It said some things in a commanding, distorted voice, but because it caught me off guard completely, I missed what it said.
There were many Druids to get through and because the damage you take from enemies is brutal, I continued to craft bandages to survive. This was easy as I had been scavenging and looting everything I found. As I came to the end of my playthrough, I finally got through the Druid enemies protecting the castle, which took me quite a while. I killed everyone, looted them, and stole a bow to use against them. I entered the castle and although I didn’t discover where Mother Jago’s herbalist book was, I did find a mysterious lock in the castle that needed further investigating. Which I can’t wait to uncover when Atomfall fully releases.
In the brief time I explored Atomfall, it greatly impressed me. Everything I found and did in between was what I wanted to do at my own pace. The entire time I played the game, it did not eager me along to the quests at all, no dialogue from the main character or NPCs to hurry up and move to the next thing. After getting a taste of Atomfall, I want to see where my choices take me, if there are any consequences to how I play, and uncover what is happening. All at my own pace.
Atomfall launches on March 27 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
Previewed on PC at a preview event hosted by Five Star Games
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After being given her first DS Jade has been invested in video games ever since. From classic arcade games to AAA titles to obscure indies, she'll give any game she likes the sound of a fair go. Which has left her with a huge backlog to go through. Once she found her other passion, writing, she inevitably combined the two and decided to pursue them together, now she loves helping others find their next favourite title.
