This upcoming “survival action game” looks like a cross between Stalker and an episode of your mother’s favorite British crime series
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Have you ever wondered, “What if Stalker was extremely British?” Okay, probably not, but if so – or if you’re now intrigued by the idea – then you might also be interested in: Nuclear casea game that seems to meet exactly these requirements.
Developed by Sniper Elite Studio Rebellion, Atomfall is a single-player “survival action game” set in the fictional aftermath of a real nuclear disaster – in this case the Windscale Fire In 1957, it was the largest nuclear accident in Britain’s history. Although nowhere near as devastating as the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, the Windscale fire raged for three days, releasing radioactive fallout across Britain and much of Europe.
The real-world government of the time appears to have largely covered up the accident, but Atomfall imagines a different outcome: Rather than trying to sweep the whole thing under the rug, authorities set up a quarantine zone around a largely idyllic, rural landscape—the kind of place you’d see in a typical episode of Inspector Barnaby.
As always, appearances can be deceptive: Atomfall is set five years after the Windscale accident, and things are not going particularly well. Five years is a long time to be cut off from the world, and some of the locals are starting to get a little nervous. You’ll also have to deal with military camps and the gun-toting guys who live in them, abandoned underground bunkers, pagan ruins, giant robots that don’t look particularly friendly, and other “secrets buried beneath the surface” that you can dig up with your trusty metal detector.
And what’s your job in the midst of all this? To figure out why the supposed short-term quarantine has been going on for five years now, I suppose. “Explore the fictional quarantine zone, loot, craft, trade, fight and talk your way through a British countryside filled with bizarre characters, mysticism, cults and renegade government agencies,” the Steam page says. “Through exploration, conversation, investigation and combat, unravel a web of interwoven narratives where every decision you make has consequences.”
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Stalker isn’t the only post-apocalyptic comparison that could be drawn here. The 1950s setting makes Fallout an obvious choice, and I even get a bit of a Atomic Heart atmosphere here and there. But for my money, Atomfall looks like Very British Stalkerand for that, yes, you can certainly have my money.
Atomfall is scheduled to be released in March 2025 and is now available for your wishlist at steam and the Epic Games Store.
