Atomfall: PS5 Review

Developed by Rebellion
Published by Rebellion
Platform: PS5

Iconic 2000AD publisher Rebellion has always had an eye for the slightly skewed way of doing things - and their latest game, Atomfall, is no different.

Set in alternate Britain, where nuclear fallout covered parts of the Lake District in the UK, it's a first-person survival game that builds heavily on the likes of Fallout, but spins its own unique web of gaming difference.

From using resources to craft weapons and fighting enemies, this is a game that feels familiar, yet also somehow different as it spins its tale. With mutated creatures, a mysterious cult and your own amnesia to deal with, there's plenty to keep your gaming senses engaged throughout.

But what's different here is the methods used to pull your story together. Leads are deployed throughout, like a series of clues aimed at producing a cohesive theory as to what's going on - it's a clever way to encourage exploration while simultaneously ensuring that players are dripfed enough information to be kept engaged as you try and leave the quarantine zone. Regions open up as the clues are revealed and the game becomes deeper the more you put into it.

It means earlier parts of Atomfall are frustrating to say the least, but once it truly kicks into gear, the game has a way of gripping you more than you'd expect.

Perhaps the only downside of Atomfall is how little the survival elements are thrown in - you're never low on bullets, health or other issues that regularly form part of the genre. It's almost as if Rebellion didn't quite want to fully dive into that world.

Innately British in its outlook and humour, Atomfall is a resolutely clever entry into the genre - it shows Rebellion is casting its net a bit wider and leaning into its 2000AD anthology ethic, and the results are immersive and compelling.