I played Atomfall and experienced a masterclass in player freedom wrapped in surreal science fiction

Often, I saw comparisons for Atomfall as a blend of the captivation in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and the thriving questlines of Fallout 76. Even after my Atomfall preview, that felt accurate to me. However, following a proper playthrough, it's closer to Arkane's 2017 Prey than the Fallout series.

A masterclass in surreal science fiction and player freedom, Atomfall matches Prey more often than I ever imagined.

Vastly underestimated, Prey inevitably became a masterpiece amongst gamers, and Atomfall is about to do the same thing.

It's not perfect, but it's the kind of creation that reminds you what video games are all about. Atomfall rewards player inventiveness during a time when we're constantly being advised where to go or what to do.

Go to point A, talk to person B, or complete objective C; it's often just a choice of what game text you'll work on next. Atomfall lets you ignore all of that or do it all in several different ways.

Tackling the world how you choose is a liberty that's oft not granted to the player. One that Atomfall not only encourages but is the main reason I'll tell everyone to play this Rebellion RPG.

Why you should trust me

Why you should trust me

Michael Hoglund

I've been gaming since I was five on a Super Nintendo from Blockbuster. Now, I'm contributing to Windows Central to spread my 30+ years of love for gaming to everyone I can.

What I liked: Freedom to explore

The world of Atomfall is broken down into separate zones rather than one continuous experience.

You'll start in the outlaw-infested location of Slatten Dale. However, from that point forward, you can quickly diverge out in any direction you wish.

There are five primary zones players can explore, including the talkative folks of Wyndham Village and the whimsical druids of Casterfell Woods.

Each zone has its own vibe that players will need to respect when walking the zone.

Go into Skettermore; you'll need to keep track of where you are or aren't allowed at any given moment.

Depending on the relationships you've built or destroyed, that area may or may not require you to be concealed to traverse it.

Every major area also has multiple smaller ones attached. You'll uncover bunkers in Skettermore, a castle in Casterfell, and entire department spaces in the Interchange.

These zones are intricately linked to one another through a myriad of tunnels, roads, and alternate secret routes that you may never see.

Wherever your travels take you, Atomfall awards your curiosity. Every choice—be it gear, ammo, skill upgrades, or new paths—ensures your efforts are worthwhile, no matter which direction you choose.

Leads are the heart of Atomfall's quest system. Discovering a clue, whether it's a piece of paper with coordinates or details about a person of interest, simply points the player in the direction of a multi-step journey to find a treasure trove of items or bolster a player's reputation with a particular group.

The lead system in Atomfall is a refreshing change of pace. While it isn't as ambiguous as something like Elden Ring and its DLC, it still takes a step away from the traditional map markers. Instead, it offers a general location and gives you an idea of what to expect when you reach that spot.

The system lends itself perfectly to Atomfall, especially when it comes to the main portion of the game — The Interchange.

From the very beginning of the game, a scientist will share everything you'll need to know to get you started on your journey. Find the Interchange and make your escape from the quarantine zone. Simple as that.

From there, how you go about it is up to you. You can piece together the puzzle of the Interchange by diving into the cryptic clues inscribed on tattered notes hidden away in abandoned bunkers.

You can immerse yourself in the insights offered by locals who better know the area or choose a more ruthless approach, silencing all those around you and disregarding their knowledge entirely. The travels ahead are shaped by your decisions, each leading you down a different road.

The narrative is yours to make. The freedom Atomfall surrenders to the player is on a level so many other games pretend to have but never reach. It sets a bar that all games of this nature should aspire to achieve.

As with most titles, the story is the vehicle that is relied on to move the game forward. With the liberty Atomfall provides, every storyline can be ignored. You can decide to do whatever you want, so long as you find a way to power the Interchange, it doesn't matter how you do it.

The main gameplay loop revolves around powering the Interchange through the use of atomic batteries. You'll need a set amount to do so, but there are far more batteries available to the player than you'll need. Allowing even more freedom in which ones you choose to go after.

If you decide to make it matter, you'll find a rich, detailed narrative that's built on the backs of mid-1900s British sci-fi. It's glorious. Hints of Day of the Triffids, Doctor Who, and more are all carefully embedded into the very stone the world is built upon.

Mystic druid arts paint an astounding contrast to the science fiction that powers the otherworldy robots and mechanisms in use by Protocol soldiers and B.A.R.D. Otherwise known as the British Atomic Research Division.

Between these groups, outlaws, and villagers, you'll have your hands full in deciding who to offer your services to and who to bury in the dirt as a stepping stone in the name of progress. If you're careful enough, you may just find that line that walks between two groups equally. Then again, maybe it'll get you killed.

Whatever path your journey takes you on, I guarantee yours will be different than that of a friend. You'll find your own perilous routes to navigate through the world. Be it a soldier, druid, secret agent, or some random throaty voice on the telephone.

To drive the freedom point home once more, there's a secret achievement in the game (minor spoiler) that tasks you with completing the game without ever picking up the phone. Throughout the game, there is a multitude of old British phone booths that, when approached, will typically ring.

On the other end is an ominous voice that will attempt to sway your opinion one way or the other. They're everywhere, but Rebellion challenges you to entirely ignore them. A feature that would be fundamental in any other setting, and you can skip it.

You don't see many, if any, games doing that.

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What's fine: Combat

Combat is a straightforward affair in Atomfall. Both ranged and melee attacks are simple yet satisfying when put in motion. A light swing produces a satisfying thwack across an enemy's face. A heavier swing handles and looks concussive.

There's no block; instead, you're left with the ability to kick a delinquent out of your space, stunning them. This allows for a quick one-two follow-up before needing to back off or kick again to keep the enemies in a perpetual stun lock sequence. It's simple but gets the job done.

Weapons won't suffer from degradation either. Find a favorite, and you can go the whole game without swapping it out. That's precisely what I did.

While I tried numerous other weapons and had a good knife-wielding maniac streak, I stuck with a medieval mace from the moment I picked it up until the credits rolled. Paired with a melee damage-increasing skill, I one to two-shot most enemies in the game.

Ranged combat is more by the numbers, as any human enemy will fall swiftly to a single headshot. A shotgun to the body from point-blank range also delivers a crumpled body, but anything less requires follow-up shots from any ammo type.

You won't find the BFG from DOOM or some incredible-looking Fallout-esque weaponry. You'll encounter single or double-shot shotguns, .22 caliber rifles, bows, pistols, and some higher-end bullpup-style automatic weapons if you manage to take out some Protocol Soldiers carrying them.

The breadth of combat stops there. There isn't a vast amount of options at your disposal besides the bare necessities, something the game drives home. You're a nobody in a maddening world trying to make it out. Not some trained soldier with outlandish mechanical weaponry.

Even the skills you can learn are fairly basic by the numbers improvements. More melee or ranged damage, better kicking, and better heart rate management; it doesn't attempt to reinvent the wheel.

To me, the combat was serviceable, but nothing special like the moments you feel when dropping a 600-meter shot with a bullet cam in something like Sniper Elite. Occasionally, a comically placed grenade taking out multiple enemies or a knife to the head of an outlaw will give you a sense of accomplishment, but the moment-to-moment combat is just decent.

While combat may not carry the game, the exploration of the world and its secrets is far more satisfying.

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What I didn't like: Enemy AI

My only real negative revolves around AI polish. You can really shatter enemy brains in this game by hilarious amounts at times.

Find a ladder, and you can directly stream enemies directly into you one after the other. They won't stop, either. Many times, I took out entire camps because the enemies had to crawl either up or down a ladder to reach me, where I'd be waiting with a heavily swung mace to the dome.

Other times, walking out of a room would send an enemy sprinting back to their original location. This allowed me to craft bandages mid-combat without ever having to worry about an enemy approaching because I could see them running away.

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Should you buy it?

You should play this if...

✅ You love player freedom
Doing as you please is an absolute pleasure, and Atomfall takes the cake when it comes to letting players do as they please.

✅ Exploration that rewards the player
Exploring leads to missions, loot, and a story you can share with a friend.

You should not play this if...

❌ You're looking for the best combat
You won't find the best of the best here. What it does have is serviceable, with weird AI moments that are more funny than sad.

Atomfall is a game I adored playing from beginning to end. The further I got, the better Atomfall became. The game is something that only gets better the further you get, and I'd consider it a contender as one of the best games on Xbox.

Fans of Prey, Fallout, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will find a home in Atomfall. It's 100% worth its asking price, and now I'm going to be sitting here waiting for the DLC to drop like a schmuck. I can't wait for it!

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