Join me on a thrilling journey through the eerie English countryside with Atomfall, the innovative survival-action game from Sniper Elite developer, Rebellion. I recently spent 90 minutes exploring this game at a North London pub, and I was captivated by its open-ended mission design and haunting atmosphere. In a moment of madness, I found myself attacking everyone in sight, including an innocent old lady, with a cricket bat. Let me dive into why this game left such a strong impression.
In Atomfall, every NPC, from the humblest villager to crucial quest-givers, can meet a grisly end. As I began my demo, I set out to test this feature. My approach was far from graceful; within minutes of exploring the digital Cumbria, I triggered a tripwire alarm, forcing me to dispatch three guards using the blunt end of a cricket bat, now baptized in their blood.
Later, I acquired a bow and arrow, satisfying my love for archery in video games. Equipped for both long and short-range combat, I let the cricket bat rest. A towering wicker man loomed nearby, a chilling reminder of the folk horror elements that underpin this segment of Atomfall's world, divided into multiple "open zones." These elements contribute to an unsettling atmosphere, enhancing the overarching mystery of what catastrophe befell this once peaceful, now irradiated, part of England.
My contemplation was abruptly interrupted by a group of druids, likely connected to the wicker man. They became perfect targets for my newly-acquired bow. "I'M ROBIN BLOODY HOOD," my mind exclaimed, before I snapped back to reality in the London pub. It was only 10am, and I hadn't even started drinking yet.
The bow felt satisfying to use, but what intrigued me more was Atomfall's unique approach to stamina. Instead of a traditional bar, the game uses a heart rate monitor that increases with physical exertion. Sprinting, for instance, can push your heart rate over 140 bpm, affecting your aim and accuracy in combat. I discovered a Bow Mastery skill manual that mitigated the impact of a high heart rate on archery, hinting at a skill system that, while not overly complex, allows for personalized character development tailored to different play styles.
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With only a trail of dead druids to show for my efforts, you might wonder what my ultimate goal was. Initially, I was just as puzzled. My aimless exploration of the Casterfall Woods eventually led me to follow a quest note to find Mother Jago, a herbalist living near an old mine. Along the way, I encountered hints of a larger narrative: an ominous, shimmering cloud over a power plant, the apparent cause of Britain's apocalyptic state, and a creepy phone call warning me away from the woods.
The path was peppered with environmental storytelling, like a boathouse rigged with an alarm system and a mound of skulls warning trespassers away. Atomfall's atmosphere oscillates between serene forests and zones of terror, reminiscent more of the Stalker series than Fallout, both in tone and design.
Following another druid skirmish, I looted their garden for herbs and met Mother Jago at her quaint retreat. Dressed in a plum-colored coat and a hat adorned with animal skulls and roses, she resembled a darker version of Angela Lansbury. Yet, her vague responses to my questions left the mystery as opaque as ever, reminiscent of classic point-and-click adventures where every conversation must be explored for clues. She offered information in exchange for her stolen herbalism book, located in the druids' fortified castle.
Atomfall's freeform design allowed me to approach the castle from any angle. I chose a side attack, engaging a druid patrol at an abandoned petrol station. The ensuing battle was messy but fun, though the enemy AI could use some improvement in terms of reactivity. After dispatching the druids with a grenade and a nail bomb, I made my way inside the castle's outer walls.
Inside, I encountered a locked hut with a note pointing to distant map coordinates for the keys. Atomfall eschews objective markers, requiring players to manually mark points of interest on their maps. My hunch led me to the central keep instead, but after searching its dark corridors and finding only crafting materials, I realized the book's location was intentionally elusive, reflecting Atomfall's challenging mission design.
Following the map coordinates, I faced a poison plant monster, which I evaded using a Skyrim-inspired bunny-hop. Collecting the keys from a previous victim, I returned to the hut to find only a perk point and ammo, not the book I sought.
Delving deeper into the castle's underbelly, I encountered the druids' ritual chambers. After dispatching the High Priestess and her followers, I found an SMG, poison bomb recipe, and an atomic battery, hinting at new questlines I couldn't explore further. None of these were the elusive book.
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Post-demo, I learned the book was on a table I'd overlooked several times. Believing the book might be a ruse, I returned to Mother Jago in frustration, only to kill her in my confusion. Her body yielded a recipe that could have helped against the poison monster, suggesting the information she promised in exchange for the book.
Atomfall's developers at Rebellion estimate a story completion time of 4-5 hours for speedsters, with most players taking around 25 hours. The varied experiences shared by others at the demo, including encounters with killer robots and mutants, suggest a game rich in depth and secrets.
While some might find Atomfall's objectives too obscure, the game rewards those who embrace its challenging quest design. The blurred lines between side and main objectives create a sense of peril, encouraging players to forge their own narrative paths through the irradiated English countryside.
With my hands stained from Mother Jago's unjust end and a trail of chaos in my wake, I embraced my British roots: I grabbed my cricket bat, headed back to the pub, and waited for the storm to pass.
