DaRmaZat As part of our #PCGamePassPartner collaboration with Xbox, we received a free PC Game Pass code — so we played Atomfall, a recent and talked-about release on the service.
A post-nuclear dread in a twisted countryside
Developed and published by Rebellion, Atomfall is a narrative-driven survival-action game set in an alternate version of post-disaster Britain. Inspired by the real-world Windscale nuclear accident of 1957, the game takes place five years later in a fictional quarantine zone. With a heavy dose of British folk horror, Cold War paranoia, and sci-fi elements, Atomfall invites players to uncover the dark truth behind a mysterious facility.
You begin deep underground, where a modified keycard quickly becomes your ticket to the outside world. After learning the basics of crafting and defending yourself against ever-whistling outlaw gangs, you emerge into the eerie air of Slaten Dale. A ringing phone in an old red call box simply whispers, “Oberon must die.” And with that, the mystery begins.
From sinister mine tunnels to the charmingly desolate village of Wyndham, you piece together fragments of the story through conversations with locals like Reg and Molly. Hushed rumors of government cover-ups, forbidden territories, and secret research operations point you toward the central enigma: The Interchange. As you push further into the world, things grow increasingly surreal—encounters with ancient druidic cults, bullet-spongey Thralls and spore-infected Ferals that speak directly into your mind, and grotesque remnants of experiments gone terribly wrong.
Fetch quests, fistfights, and… British tea
Atomfall’s gameplay revolves around a familiar loop of investigation, scavenging, and dialogue. You’ll frequently chase leads: locating someone’s last known whereabouts, restoring power to gated zones, searching for keycards or documents, or decoding the breadcrumbs left in scattered notes and overheard whispers. Most NPCs dole out basic quid pro quo fetch quests—retrieve this, deliver that, gather those—which sometimes enrich the world, but often feel like busywork.
That feeling is only heightened by the heart rate system, which replaces traditional stamina. Overexert yourself, and you’ll breathe louder, shoot less accurately, and see your vision narrow into a stressful tunnel. Healing is resource-based—if you’re out of bandages or medkits, a hot cup of tea might just save your life. With no fast travel and frequent enemy respawns when backtracking, even well-trodden paths can feel like drawn-out slogs rather than shortcuts. Enemies hunt in groups, and while one-on-one fights are manageable, getting swarmed is a real threat, while combat is scrappy and often frantic. You’ll rely on scavenged weapons like revolvers, shotguns, bows, and blunt melee tools. Ammo is scarce, making melee or stealth almost a necessity.
On a related note, there’s no currency in the quarantine zone—trading is done strictly item-for-item, which can be satisfying when it clicks or aggravating when you’re short on essentials. Crafting special items—like bombs, antidotes, or bandages—can give you a vital edge, but it’s all locked behind recipe books and manuals that require both discovery and proper training. It’s a clunky progression system that feels more like an administrative chore than meaningful development.
Rich in visuals, empty in sound
To its credit, the landscape of Atomfall delivers a stunning visual experience: rolling green hills dotted with wildflowers, nuclear reactors looming against a brooding sky, candle-lit caves where bats swoop too close for comfort, and tight-knit village lanes that evoke a post-disaster Britain that’s as beautiful as it is unsettling.
And yet, while the setting is thick with atmosphere and genuinely haunted, it’s occasionally undercut by visual oddities. Largely, it’s the villagers’ recycled models and uncanny stares that constantly undercut the illusion of a living world. Yes, Atomfall’s mini-universe looks fantastic but at times, it feels more staged than alive. Luckily, performance is smooth and consistent on PC—thank you, Asura Engine—and the lighting work adds a somber richness to the surroundings.
However, Atomfall’s sound design feels strangely hollow. There’s a surprising lack of background music, sometimes even during high-tension sequences, which leaves those dramatic moments feeling oddly flat. Voice performances, much like the NPCs themselves, are passable but not remarkable, and the lip-syncing struggles to sell emotional weight during key scenes.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Atomfall is a compelling but uneven experience. There’s a richly conceived world here—but only a handful of regions to explore, each separated by frequent and immersion-breaking loading screens. The game flirts with the illusion of deep branching paths and player-driven outcomes, but in practice, many systems lack depth—writing, dialogue, inventory management, skill trees, and especially combat all feel like scaled-down versions of mechanics found in larger RPGs. However, what hurts most is the pacing. With backtracking baked into the core structure and minimal fast travel options, even small objectives can start to feel tedious. There’s ambition in Atomfall, and the atmosphere lingers—but the gameplay loop often feels padded and fragmented.
Additional Information
Release Date: March 27, 2025
Reviewed On: Xbox PC Game Pass
Developer: Rebellion
Publisher: Rebellion
Official Website: https://atomfall.com
Relevant links: Atomfall on Xbox Game Pass
