Atomfall has stoked intrigue over the last few months with its trailers showcasing a new action survival game set in an alternate-history version of 1960s England. Combing through a quarantined countryside, players gather resources to survive while trying to uncover a mystery of nuclear proportions.

Recently, The Outerhaven had the pleasure of going hands-on with Atomfall. The preview of the Rebellion title provided a look at the Casterfell part of the map, thick woods inhabited by not-so-friendly cultists. Even this one area holds a variety of activities, including gathering intel, infiltrating cults, and hitting said cultists over the head with a cricket bat.

Fancy a Game of Atomfall Cricket?

Entering the Casterfell Woods, I found myself immediately attacked by the cultists. What should I fight back with? Between a shotgun, cricket bat, axe, and flashlight (or torch, for our UK friends), the axe seemed most sensible. But the cricket bat seemed more fun so I went with that.

And let me tell you, that cricket bat quickly became my favorite weapon. Bringing it down on an enemy’s head provided a satisfying thwack. Following up with another sent them down like a plastered pub-goer. Everything about the cricket bat is so visceral, from the sound design to the animation when you make contact. I later tried the axe and it just didn’t have that same oomph to it. Admittedly, the bat is a little slower, but it makes the anticipation of a human home run all the sweeter. Or a “Six” as cricket calls it.

Into the Woods

Having had my first successful combat encounter, I decided to explore. The small cult enclave I bumbled into had some bits and bobs to scavenge. I got a few of these off of enemies themselves, such as cloth, alcohol, and other materials for crafting. I’d also often find another weapon or a bit of food for healing. Though crafting bandages proved more effective.

From that little camp, I opened the map to see what else I could visit. A mission objective , here called a “lead,” told me to visit Mother Jago. But first I wanted to explore. I saw a castle to the south, a dam to the north, and what appeared to be a village to the east.

Heading over to the dam first, I got to see more of the world of Atomfall. The forest was lush and beautiful, like any good Northern England grove. But it was also eerie. Every now and then I’d run into a cultist. Or I’d see a glowing protrusion on a tree, apparently an irradiated beehive.

But I also found small campsites, buildings, and other areas of interest. At one point, I stumbled upon a crashed helicopter. Looting it for supplies, I chanced upon an audio file and gave it a listen. A Dr Garrow, the sole survivor of the crash, mentioned heading into the nearby village to investigate. This immediately added another lead. And I still hadn’t followed my first! I figured I should probably do that.

“Leads” Lead the Way

I tracked down Mother Jago at the Old Mine. Atomfall provides a number of dialogue options for interacting with NPCs, like any solid RPG. Helpfully, the options include both the desired dialogue and the approach you’re going for. Say you want to ask Mother Jago about herself. The dialogue option will denote this as the “friendly” choice. It’s a small touch that should alleviate anxiety around the game misinterpreting dialogue—a bane for many role-players. I didn’t see any wildly diverging options in the preview. But I imagine the shorthand may allow players to quickly implement their desired moral compass.

As for the lead itself, Mother Jago told me a little about the area. I had the option to ask about a few locales. Since I visited the dam, I asked about that, which removed the other options. Atomfall seems to encourage repeat playthroughs.

After learning what I could, Mother Jago tasked me with getting her herbalist’s book back from the cultist’s castle. Helpfully, she also offered to barter with me. She didn’t have anything I particularly needed. After all, I wasn’t about to trade my trusty cricket bat for a bunch of tomatoes. But I was about to trade a homemade nail bomb for a bunch of tomatoes. Hey, I wanted to know how the system worked.

In Atomfall’s bartering system, a scale shows how balanced a trade is. So I got more tomatoes for my troubles than I perhaps needed. But I was happy. And those tomatoes would prove useful.

Good Luck Storming the Castle

Arriving at the cultist’s castle, I decided to try out the old shotgun. I say “old” not as a term of familiarity but because it is in fact quite the rust-bucket. It packs a punch but it’s slow to reload. And ammo is fairly scarce. Not so scarce that you’ll run out immediately—mostly because enemies may overrun you first. As they did to me.

Trying a slightly more cautious approach, I tried to get the drop on an enemy—literally dropping down from a ledge—and he immediately turned around. It took me a bit to realize that enemies actually have pretty good hearing in Atomfall. So the nuclear disaster didn’t mess up their ears. It made them better. Or I’m just noisy.

The shotgun approach was not working. Neither was the try-stealth-but-then-get-spotted-and-just-start-hitting-people approach. I kept getting rushed. I started to get frustrated. I’d have to try something new.

Dying once more, the reload screen suggested maybe not going in the front door but, I don’t know, find another way in? Hmm. Wild idea, but I’d try it. I snuck around the edges and wouldn’t you know, I found a crack in a fence I could squeeze through. Taking some enemies out silently and methodically, I started to get somewhere. But I still had to breach the castle walls.

Climbing up the ladder, I immediately found myself surrounding by sentries. So I climbed down the ladder. And what followed was a suitably Pythonesque scene of me popping up the ladder, wacking someone with a cricket bat, and popping down. But these enemies weren’t as dumb as I thought. One climbed down the ladder after me. And then they turned around and got whacked with my cricket bat there. It worked, and the animations sold the physical comedy of the situation.

A Needle in a Haystack, A Book in a Castle

Making it into the castle grounds, I finally felt that lovely gaming feeling where a combat system just clicks. In minutes, I cleared out the area. I picked up a bow, which quickly became my second favorite weapon, fast and silent and with a good range. No book though. That’s okay. A couple more minutes and I cleared out the castle itself.

Feeling pretty satisfied, I proceeded to loot everything not nailed down. Almost everything. Try as I might, I could not find that book.

Now you’re probably wondering, why not just check the lead marker? Surely there was one. And there was—sort of. The lead marker told me the vague vicinity in which I’d find the book. I think.

I say that because the lead marker placed a circle in front of the castle, while the description specified the castle itself. Either way, I searched both and found neither crook nor book. No crook because I took them all out, at least.

I decided to head to the other lead—investigating the village. Sure enough, I found that what I thought was the village to the east was just the outskirts. Some outlaws spotted me. But unlike the cultists who attacked on sight, I found I could back away from a conflict here.

Continuing on my way, I reached a giant metal gate and realized that the village proper was its own whole area. The preview ended right as I reached it. I’ll have to wonder what lies inside for now.

Atomfall Overall Impressions

I greatly enjoyed my time with Atomfall with only a couple of qualms. The exploration really shined in particular, as the game is packed with little nooks and crannies that can often lead to bigger adventures. For me, I chanced upon that helicopter. But I noticed that someone else ended up deep in the dam and another person ended up in another cultist location entirely. I love the implication that players can stumble upon different things for different playthroughs.

As for the combat, it definitely has a bit of a learning curve. But when it clicks it really clicks. I went from dying over and over to cleaning house, the house being an entire castle. Switching from bow to bat to bow felt fluid and gratifying. I was “getting it.” And getting it does mean accepting that you’re just a bloke out in the country and not British Rambo. Survival game fans will be eating good with Atomfall—and eating tomatoes.

The only thing that really threw me was finding that book. I get that there’s a new trend of games taking a hands off approach to wayfinding. You don’t want an overcrowded HUD. Many players appreciate that—including myself, to an extent. But I hope there’s at least an option for a clearer quest marker, because I was stumped.

Other than that, everything worked for me. I didn’t get too much story from the preview, so I can’t really speak to that. And I imagine Rebellion wants to keep that information close for now. But I’m excited to learn more lore, investigate the village of Wyndham itself, and reunite with my friend Mr. Cricket Bat.

Atomfall arrives on March 27th for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.