At first glance, you might mistake Atomfall for a Fallout-style game, perhaps even an actual Fallout game set in a post-apocalyptic England rather than America. Atomfall is a first-person, post-nuclear game with an alternate history design, much like the iconic Fallout series. However, Ryan Greene, the art director at developer Rebellion, fully understands and anticipated these comparisons from the outset.
"Once you play the game, you realize it's not Fallout, but yes, we knew," Greene told IGN. He further noted that one of Rebellion's owners, Jason Kingsley, is a big Fallout fan, which naturally led to some parallels. "And those guys are great at what they do. And that's cool," Greene added, acknowledging the skill of the Fallout developers.
Yet, Atomfall isn’t just another Fallout clone. IGN highlighted this distinction in August last year, suggesting that Atomfall offers a unique experience set in a British post-apocalyptic world. Greene himself warned that the Fallout comparison is misleading. "Once you play it for a bit, you're like, oh, this is its own thing for sure," he explained. Rebellion, the independently owned British studio behind the Sniper Elite franchise, has crafted an ambitious game that stands apart from the vast worlds of Elder Scrolls or Fallout.
"The reality is, here’s this very successful franchise and we're version 1.0," Greene said, expressing gratitude for being compared to such a skillful team. Atomfall, while ambitious, is a distinct project for Rebellion.
Atomfall Screenshots
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An average playthrough of Atomfall, according to Greene, lasts about 25 hours, though completionists can extend this duration significantly. To understand the gameplay better, check out IGN's latest hands-on preview where Simon Cardy explored the game's mechanics by adopting a rather violent approach, killing everyone in his path.
Greene confirmed that players have the freedom to kill anyone or everyone if they choose. "That's fine. We have multiple finishes to the game, so some of those would shut down if you were supposed to work with them throughout, but you'll find multiple other routes to finish the game and achieve a result," he explained. This flexibility means that players can experience various endings based on their actions.
AnswerSee ResultsUnlike traditional RPGs, Atomfall doesn't feature main or side quests in the conventional sense. Instead, Greene describes it as "a spider web of connected story." This means that even if you cut off one narrative thread, you can typically find another that leads you back to the overarching mystery.
For those who prefer a non-violent approach, Greene believes it's possible to play through Atomfall without killing anyone. "I've made it about nine hours in, probably close to halfway running at a pretty fast dev play speed and killed no one," he shared. "I'm fairly certain you can do it and there's no gating of having to kill anyone ever."
