Atomfall Devs Expected Fallout Comparisons, 25-Hour Playthrough

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 first-person, post-nuclear, and features an alt-history design, much like the iconic Fallout series. However, Ryan Greene, the art director at developer Rebellion, acknowledges the inevitable comparisons while emphasizing Atomfall's unique identity.

"Once you play the game, you realize it's not Fallout, but yes, we knew," Greene told IGN. Rebellion's owner, Jason Kingsley, being a big Fallout fan, naturally influenced some parallels. "And those guys are great at what they do. And that's cool," Greene added, appreciating the craftsmanship behind Fallout.

But Atomfall isn't just another British Fallout. IGN noted this distinction last August, describing Atomfall as something much more intriguing. Greene himself cautioned that the Fallout comparison can be "misleading." "Once you play it for a bit, you're like, oh, this is its own thing for sure," he said. As an independently owned British studio known for the Sniper Elite franchise, Rebellion has crafted an ambitious game, though not on the scale of Elder Scrolls or Fallout. "The reality is, here’s this very successful franchise and we're version 1.0," Greene remarked, expressing gratitude for the comparisons while highlighting Atomfall's distinctiveness.

Atomfall Screenshots

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Greene estimates an average playthrough of Atomfall to be around "25-ish hours," with completionists able to extend their experience significantly. For a detailed look at gameplay, check out IGN's recent hands-on preview, where Simon Cardy explored a more violent path, killing everyone during his playthrough.

Interestingly, Atomfall accommodates various playstyles. "You can kill anyone or everyone if you choose," Greene confirmed. "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."

Atomfall doesn't follow the traditional RPG structure of main and side quests. Instead, Greene describes it as "a spider web of connected story." "So even if you sever one thread, you can usually find another thread that leads you back to the overall mystery," he explained.

Conversely, players can opt for a non-violent approach. Greene is "fairly certain" it's possible to complete the game 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 said. "I'm fairly certain you can do it and there's no gating of having to kill anyone ever."