Atomfall Preview - Gamescom 2024

The recently announced title Atomfall has been shrouded in mystery. Its trailers give an idea of a strange post-apocalyptic world with a British twist, that promises action, investigations, and survival elements - but the core of the game still feels somewhat elusive. With developers Rebellion being fairly diverse in their previous titles, the direction for this latest effort didn't seem entirely clear. We had a chance to play an early build at Gamescom 2024 and hoped to find some answers.

The demo took place during the game's very early section - just as the player emerges for the first time into the semi open world area. As the developers pointed out to us, the campaign design will follow the guidance of having a few such open areas, interconnected together, with some side-paths as well. In this area, we observed a semi-collapsing river ravine, as well as a phone booth curiously placed in the middle of the rocky outcrop. The phone rang, and a mysterious voice told us we needed to kill someone. With not much to go on, the quest log suggested we explore the area for clues, in a very free-form fashion. Apparently we had to find something called the Interchange, in this supposed quarantine zone. While the map was revealed (not sure if that will be the typical player experience, or was for the sake of the demo), there were no quest markers on the map or radar. We headed to the right, past some collapsed rocks, and squeezed into an abandoned hut. Inside were some raw materials that could be used for crafting, and another paddle that served as a melee weapon. Using the materials, we crafted a few bandages, just in case, via the inventory screen, and adjusted our weapon quick-select wheel to include a pistol and hatchet that we apparently had. There was also a metal detector, but the demo didn't offer a use case for it.

Continuing past the hovel, we came upon a crashed helicopter, and some other humans that immediately began to attack. There wasn't much clue to their intentions, but it turns out these are Outlaws that roam these areas, as we met more such groups later on. Unprepared for the fight, we perished and had to restart the demo. This time, we chose to utilize stealth and let them leave for patrol. Hiding in bushes, we stalked those left at the camp and eliminated them with takedowns, which took a nerve-wrackingly long time. With the immediate danger clear, we found more raw materials in the helicopter, as well as some intel that probably adds to the lore, but we didn't have time to read it. A door in the rocks behind the camp also looked inviting, but unfortunately it was not part of the demo build.

We ventured back to the phone booth area, and went downstream this time. Here we found a bunker door that we were able to enter; inside were a couple of Ferals, strange humanoid creatures that were also hostile. Having defeated them with melee attacks, and an available kick button, we explored the few rooms of this small bunker for more materials, as well as crucial ammo for the pistol - which is extremely limited. We used some bandages on the wounds from the battle, and ate potatoes for that last bit of health top-up. One thing that stood out is opening the inventory did not pause the game, which made combat unexpectedly tough if you didn't have all your preparation already done and items assigned to hot-keys/quick select wheel.

Exiting back to the world, continuing downstream we came across a stranger that was sitting in a partially collapsed hovel, playing his guitar. He was finally a friendly face, someone that we chatted with and could select from a few conversation options; though the player character in Atomfall is not voiced. This man told us that we are apparently in a zone that was setup after some kind of cataclysmic event, though unfortunately we have no memory of this or how we got here. He was surprised that we were from outside this quarantine zone, and somehow managed to get in. This made the conversation relatively brief, and we were left with more questions than answers - including not knowing who called us and why we were told to kill someone - added to the fact that apparently the phone lines shouldn't even be working. Venturing on, we arrived at another small group of houses, hosting another group of outlaws. Still low on ammo and not wishing to engage, we decided to sneak around the area, though with that our demo time had concluded.

Atomfall certainly has a bit of an odd feeling about it. It reminds us of games such as Generation Zero or Atomic Heart, with a budget somewhere in between. It may have ambitions of a Fallout-style experience, but that may be aiming a little too high. Its survival and adventure elements, along with lack of typical handholding, may result in an interesting exploration-centric adventure, when the game releases in 2025 for PC and consoles.