This upcoming 'action-survival game' looks like a cross between Stalker and an episode of your mother's favorite British detective series

Atomfall – Gamescom Trailer | Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, PS5 and PS4 – YouTube

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Have you ever wondered, “What if Stalker was extremely British?” Okay, probably not, but if you have, or are now intrigued by the suggestion, you might also be interested in Falling atomsa game that seems to fit this profile.

Developed by Sniper Elite studio Rebellion, Atomfall is a single-player “action-survival game” set in the fictional aftermath of a real-life nuclear disaster – in this case, the Wind Scale Fire The Windscale nuclear accident in 1957 was the worst in UK history. Although less devastating than the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, it lasted three days and released radioactive fallout across the UK and much of Europe.

The real-world government of the time apparently covered up much of the accident, but Atomfall imagines a different outcome: instead of trying to bury the whole thing, the authorities establish a quarantine zone around what is, for the most part, an idyllic pastoral landscape – the kind of place you’d see in a typical Midsomer Murders episode.

As usual, appearances can be deceiving: Atomfall takes place five years after the Windscale accident, and things aren’t going particularly well. Five years is a long time to be cut off from the world, and some of the townsfolk are starting to feel a little depressed. nervous. You also have to deal with military camps and the armed men who live there, abandoned underground bunkers, pagan ruins, giant robots that don’t look particularly friendly, and other “secrets buried beneath the surface” that your trusty metal detector will help you unearth.

And what’s your job in the midst of all this? Figuring out why the so-called short-term quarantine has now lasted five years and counting, I guess. “Explore the fictional quarantine zone, scavenging, crafting, bartering, fighting and conversing across a British countryside setting filled with bizarre characters, mysticism, cults and rogue government agencies,” the Steam page reads. “Unravel a tapestry of interwoven narratives through exploration, conversation, investigation and combat, where every choice you make has consequences.”

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Atomfall Screenshot — (Image credit: Rebellion)

Stalker isn’t the only post-apocalyptic comparison you could make here. The 1950s setting makes Fallout an obvious choice, and I even have a bit of trouble comparing it. Atomic Heart here and there. But for my money, Atomfall looks like Very British Stalkerand for that, yes, you can very well have my money.

Atomfall is set to release in March 2025 and is available to wishlist now Steam and the Epic Games Store.