Atomfall - Reviews Thread

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Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Game Information

Game Title: Atomfall

Platforms:
  • PlayStation 5 (Mar 27, 2025)
  • PlayStation 4 (Mar 27, 2025)
  • Xbox Series X/S (Mar 27, 2025)
  • Xbox One (Mar 27, 2025)
  • PC (Mar 27, 2025)
Trailer:

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 80 average - 77% recommended
Metacritic - 70 average (PS5 Version) based on 13 reviews

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Critic Reviews


Console Creatures - Bobby Pashalidis - 8 / 10
Atomfall is an exciting new property that doesn't overstay its welcome.


DualShockers - Callum Marshall - 8.5 / 10
Quote not yet available


Game Hype UK - Adam Neaves - 82 / 100
Rebellion have tried something different with Atomfall and have brought a really good game to us. Maybe it lacks direction, but that's where the developers have gone with this and there will players that absolutely love this.


Gamer Guides - Patrick Dane - 73 / 100
If you’re looking for something to get lost in for a little bit, Rebellion has offered up a mostly pleasant jaunt. Especially as something to pick up and play on Game Pass, it’s easy to recommend trying. That’s good too, Atomfall works better as a cheap, last-minute package weekend to Cumbria, rather than a two-week vacation. While it’s charming for a short stay, you’re sharing a single-sized bed with your partner, and the B&B owner’s eyes just started to glow blue.


Hey Poor Player - Andrew Thornton - 3 / 5
Atomfall’s commitment to player freedom is baked into its design, and it works really well. I’d love to see the team at Rebellion, or other developers, for that matter, iterate on its structure and build more games designed around this level of freedom. Even most open-world games aren’t even close. Atomfall itself, though, is a tougher recommendation. It isn’t that it does anything terribly wrong, it’s just that little about it other than the structure stands out. Once you get used to the flow of things, there’s not much else I can point at and say this is why you should play Atomfall instead of any number of other survival games. Still, it’s always nice to see a developer try something outside of what has become the accepted right way to do things, and for the most part, Atomfall succeeds on that front.


Loot Level Chill - Mick Fraser - 8.5 / 10
Atomfall might not get everything right, but by St. George it gets England right - and that might be enough.


PSX Brasil - Bruno Henrique Vinhadel - Portuguese - 80 / 100
Atomfall may be one of Rebellion's most different proposals in years, but it delivers a sandbox with investigation in an interesting and fun way. There are technical and some structural problems that are notable, but they do not take away the shine of a game that has everything to please a good portion of players.


Push Square - Liam Croft - 8 / 10
Atomfall commits to embodying everything it means to be British, and it comes out the other side all the better for it. The mystery at the heart of the alternate 1960s setting is gripping, forever teasing clues and solutions to a way out of its rural quarantine zone. Its combat systems and mechanics let the experience down, but Rebellion's latest peaks when it makes you the countryside's Inspector Gadget with a bunch of Leads to pursue and villagefolk to suspect.


Rectify Gaming - Tyler Nienburg - 8.5 / 10
It's safe to say that Atomfall is not a Fallout clone. With its stunning views and entertaining gameplay, Atomfall is a must-play for those who enjoy open-world survival games. The amount of mystery from the moment you press play keeps you engaged all the way through.


Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Unscored
Atomfall looks and sometimes plays like a middling survival shooter, but its passions truly lie in exploration and investigation – and it's much better at both.


Saving Content - Scott Ellison II - 4 / 5
Rebellion have made a fresh, exciting post-apocalyptic world we haven’t seen before, formed from the results of a real-world accident. There’s some fantastic player agency that’s unlike anything else we’ve been able to have from this perspective. Atomfall has deep systems to engage with, an impressively unrestricted world to explore, guerrilla-style combat, and a leads system that takes you to unpredictable places for one of the best surprises of the year.


The Outerhaven Productions - Andrew Agress - 4 / 5
Atomfall is a small town mystery, monster battle, folk horror, science fiction quadruple feature. A high degree of freedom lets you choose what kind of adventure you want to have. This hands off approach has some small downsides. But it also leads to an incredibly inventive survival game that offers players boundless possibilities.


Thumb Wars - Liam Magee - 4 / 5
Overall, my experience with Atomfall was more than pleasant, as I enjoyed the gameplay that the game offered, as well as the different characters I met along the journey. Unfortunately, the narrative let Atomfall down in some areas, as I felt relatively underwhelmed regarding the enemy factions and their overall role in the game's story.


XboxEra - Jesse Norris - 7.8 / 10
Atomfall is a punishingly difficult title, that rewards patience and forethought. This is no “Fallout in England”
 
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This doesn't seem like my kind of game, but for the people into this genre, it looks really cool. Rebellion is such an interesting developer.
 

Topher

Identifies as young
Good scores. I already have two games going right now or else I’d give it a shot. Hopefully it will stay on game pass for a while
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Pretty expected scores. AA kind of game that wouldnt get 90s or 60s. A 75-ish scores sounds about right.

Watching some vids last week, in a nutshell it's a game more like this:

- Open world-ish in zones
- More of an action/survival game than detailed RPG
- Hard and no bullet sponge enemies (or yourself). A good blast or two from close range can kill just about anyone
- Good graphics, but I noticed tons of shimmering/lighting pop in (from trees and distant objects)
 

Alebrije

Member
Preordered the Game , it seems exploration has relevance, not looking for a Fallout clone because fallout formula has nothing more to offer. We need new stuff.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
Personally, the game is gonna live or die based on how interesting the final mistery is, i can forgive AA clunkiness and being derivative if i'm engaged and want to know what actually happened.

The moment the writing get predictable is when i'm gonna stop playing because the gameplay\mechanics are just ok and not enough to support a 20-30 hours game, that's why i always bail out from bethesda games, their shitty writing is not good enought to make me endure their shitty gameplay.

Unfortunately, writing in rebellion games is...not good.


For people who watched some reviews, does the melee combat has at least a dodge and block or is it just spam attack and wait until something die?
 
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I think people are confused as to what the game is, so lots of people have wildly different expectations

this is not supposed to be like the Fallout games. it isn't an RPG.

this game is supposed to be a lot like the Sniper Elite games. just first person and in a post apocalyptic world.
 

missiles

Member
Was really looking forward to this, but the review comments about broken stealth, clunky combat and terrible AI have put me off. Just looks janky and frustrating. A shame given the setting and concept.
 

Miyazaki’s Slave

Gold Member
I will support Rebellion, 100.
Not a fan of survival games personally, but it will get my cash and I hope they have a strong release on steam (90,000 - 150,000 CCU would be great for them).

They are not part of a huge conglomerate and do work across all sorts of media to keep their independent status, respect!
 

bender

What time is it?
That long game play video floating around yesterday that mostly focused on arrow headshots to enemies didn't inspire a lot of confidence in me.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
I think people are confused as to what the game is, so lots of people have wildly different expectations

this is not supposed to be like the Fallout games. it isn't an RPG.

this game is supposed to be a lot like the Sniper Elite games. just first person and in a post apocalyptic world.
Not really, sniper elite games have clear objectives and side objectives with map markers, this one is all about making your own path without much of a clue or map markers.

The game is more of an investigation game with some survival elements and combat wrapped into a british fallout shell.
 
Not really, sniper elite games have clear objectives and side objectives with map markers, this one is all about making your own path without much of a clue or map markers.

The game is more of an investigation game with some survival elements and combat wrapped into a british fallout shell.
multiple reviews, including Skill Up, say the closest comparison they came up with is Sniper Elite

neither you or I have played the game, but it does appear to have much more in common with Sniper Elite than all the Fallout comparisons I've seen
 

a'la mode

Member
multiple reviews, including Skill Up, say the closest comparison they came up with is Sniper Elite

neither you or I have played the game, but it does appear to have much more in common with Sniper Elite than all the Fallout comparisons I've seen

We only know how to make one game, and by God, we're going to make it again!

...but make it British. Can we say pip pip cheerio or is it trademarked or something?
 

DragoonKain

Neighbours from Hell
I thought it was going to be more like Atomic Heart but it sounds like it's more STALKER meets Fallout. I'm very much in the mood for a shooter, but one thing that has me concerned is the combat. Seems like it's geared toward playing very slow and methodically and in shooters that can get super tedious. Looking forward to giving this a shot.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
multiple reviews, including Skill Up, say the closest comparison they came up with is Sniper Elite

neither you or I have played the game, but it does appear to have much more in common with Sniper Elite than all the Fallout comparisons I've seen

The devs literally showed the game where you don't have map markers or a precise mission and combat is not the main appeal, how the fuck is sniper elite similar when it is a game based on fixed objectives, focused on combat, no role playing like killing important npcs or trusting someone instead of someone else, no survival elements and a truckload of map markers for every objective or side objective?

Doesn't sound like a sniper elite experience to me.

I doubt that people wanted another sniper elite out of atomfall, the major hook seems to be the no-handholdy investigation part with various outcomes, something that is completely absent in sniper elite that is all about completing specific objectives.

Also, i really don't give much fuck about modern reviews.

I guess we are gonna see how much the devs lied to us when we are gonna play the game, because atomfall on paper should be a completeòy different beast from sniper elite.
 
The devs literally showed the game where you don't have map markers or a precise mission and combat is not the main appeal, how the fuck is sniper elite similar when it is a game based on fixed objectives, focused on combat, no role playing like killing important npcs or trusting someone instead of someone else, no survival elements and a truckload of map markers for every objective or side objective?

Doesn't sound like a sniper elite experience to me.

I doubt that people wanted another sniper elite out of atomfall, the major hook seems to be the no-handholdy investigation part with various outcomes, something that is completely absent in sniper elite that is all about completing specific objectives.

Also, i really don't give much fuck about modern reviews.

I guess we are gonna see how much the devs lied to us when we are gonna play the game, because atomfall on paper should be a completeòy different beast from sniper elite.
I have watched very little footage, and am merely relying on what some of the reviewers said. if you have watched a lot of footage, you probably have a better idea than me. I'm purposely avoiding it to not spoil the game.

I will say the limited stuff I saw, I believe from Skill Up, focused on killing certain enemies in creative ways. like, that's the majority of the game. the 'mystery' you follow isn't really the focus. my understanding is that this game has certain maps you can play, like in Sniper Elite. for each map, your goal is basically to get from point A to point B killing enemies in fun and interesting ways while doing so. this game seems to have no survival elements like those in STALKER, and no RPG elements like those in Fallout.

the "mystery" elements in the game are fairly light. if those are a selling point for someone, I think they're going to be let down.

we'll see how it is when the game comes out, but it doesn't seem like the craziest comparison to me.
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
I have watched very little footage, and am merely relying on what some of the reviewers said. if you have watched a lot of footage, you probably have a better idea than me. I'm purposely avoiding it to not spoil the game.

I will say the limited stuff I saw, I believe from Skill Up, focused on killing certain enemies in creative ways. like, that's the majority of the game. the 'mystery' you follow isn't really the focus. my understanding is that this game has certain maps you can play, like in Sniper Elite. for each map, your goal is basically to get from point A to point B killing enemies in fun and interesting ways while doing so. this game seems to have no survival elements like those in STALKER, and no RPG elements like those in Fallout.

the "mystery" elements in the game are fairly light. if those are a selling point for someone, I think they're going to be let down.

we'll see how it is when the game comes out, but it doesn't seem like the craziest comparison to me.
The bolded is DEFINITELY not the game that the dev presented, like at all.

Not only combat is basic and should be avoided most of the times at least in the beginning, but going from point a to point b is not how the game should work, not based on how the devs described the gameplay loop.
It should be more about following vague clues and exploring, not about reaching a specific part of the map.
 
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The bolded is DEFINITELY not the game that the dev presented, like at all.

Not only combat is basic and should be avoided most of the times at least in the beginning, but going from point a to point b is not how the game should work, not based on how the devs described the gameplay loop.
yeah, I'm not sure how they presented it, but it seems like that is what the game actually is

the game is split up into multiple maps where you literally trying to unlock the next map by accessing the next zone. the path to the exit is lined with enemies. my guess is that 'mystery' elements help guide you to the next zone.

I think some people view this as big open world like STALKER or Fallout. It isn't. it's a series of maps.
 
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GymWolf

Gold Member
yeah, I'm not sure how they presented it, but it seems like that is what the game actually is

the game is split up into multiple maps where you literally trying to unlock the next map by accessing the next zone. the path to the exit is lined with enemies. my guess is that 'mystery' elements help guide you to the next zone.

I think some people view this as big open world like STALKER or Fallout. It isn't. it's a series of maps.
I know it's a series of map, i know pretty much everything about the game, this is why your description based on reviews sound so wrong...
Well, let's wait and see but this doesn't seem like a game where killing enemies in a funny should be the focus, combat looks very basic.
 
I know it's a series of map, i know pretty much everything about the game, this is why your description based on reviews sound so wrong...
Well, let's wait and see but this doesn't seem like a game where killing enemies in a funny should be the focus, combat looks very basic.
I know I'm getting a lot of controversy in my Avowed thread, but fwiw I thought Avowed combat looked very basic and it turned out to my favorite combat in a long, long time. I saw your post in that thread and that you disagree, but I do think I'll hold off on passing judgment until I try it. some patches might make it better, plus the combat in Sniper Elite games is pretty good.

I do agree that if combat sucks in this game...that will be a problem. a lot of this game does seem to focus on combat. I mean, what else would it? everyone seems to agree the mystery parts are fairly light. there is no RPG mechanic, and the survival elements are barebones. without combat, what else are you left with?
 

GymWolf

Gold Member
I know I'm getting a lot of controversy in my Avowed thread, but fwiw I thought Avowed combat looked very basic and it turned out to my favorite combat in a long, long time. I saw your post in that thread and that you disagree, but I do think I'll hold off on passing judgment until I try it. some patches might make it better, plus the combat in Sniper Elite games is pretty good.

I do agree that if combat sucks in this game...that will be a problem. a lot of this game does seem to focus on combat. I mean, what else would it? everyone seems to agree the mystery parts are fairly light. there is no RPG mechanic, and the survival elements are barebones. without combat, what else are you left with?
For how they presented the game, combat should not be the focus or the major hook tbh.

It looks super basic with basic weapons and basic throwables with kinda shitty ai, the melee look vastly inferior to avowed.


The hook of the sniper elite combat was the realistic sniping and the kill cam, and atomfall doesn't seem to have neither.
 
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