Rebellion's upcoming survival-action game Atomfall introduces players to an alternate history of northern England, examining what might have happened if the Windscale nuclear incident from 1957 had ended differently. Using elements from numerous genres, the hype surrounding Atomfall has increased every time new information surfaces.
The Best War Games sat down with Rebellion head of design Ben Fisher to break down some of Atomfall's world and mechanics. He explained Atomfall's approach to NPCs and dialogue options, as well as some of the choices players are afforded. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
'Decide About Using Each Individual Bullet': Atomfall Dev Talks Weapons and Combat
Atomfall offers plenty of ways to engage (or not to engage) in combat, but players will want to be mindful of wasting any ammo.
Atomfall's Quarantine Zone is Filled With Mysteries to Solve
Q: Players take on the role of an amnesiac. What does this perspective offer players and the overarching story?
A: As players will discover, there are many mysteries to solve inside Atomfall’s quarantine zone, and the player’s identity is the first mystery you encounter. However, we frame this as a moral question– “What sort of person are you?” – because it touches on one of our narrative themes: It doesn’t matter who you say you are; it matters what you do. This setup also puts the player in a unique position in the game world – an uneasy balance has established itself in the Quarantine Zone, and, as an outsider, people treat you a little differently while they figure out who you are and whether they can trust you, which means that perhaps you can tip the balance in one direction or another.
How Atomfall Characterizes its NPCs
Q: How did you approach NPCs? Can you tell us about the most important NPCs players will meet?
A: We put a lot of work into the dialogue we recorded for Atomfall. Our guiding principle was to try and write them as believable, rounded characters – all doing what they consider to be the “right” thing in the face of overwhelming circumstances. We then designed conversations so that there is a natural forward momentum for them and that you open or close topics depending on how smart you are about talking to them (like a real conversation).
You may come across characters who are more influential in the world of Atomfall, as well as those who may be more responsible for what happened. Who is the most important will depend on your choices. Among the first you might meet is Nat Buckshaw, who you find playing his guitar in the ruins of an old house. He is very talkative and more than happy to give away everything he knows... But you will need to decide whether he is trustworthy!
Q: Overall, what was your approach to characterization in Atomfall? Are characters supposed to be realistic, or maybe more absurd, like Fallout?
A: We tend to use the phrases ‘quirky’ and ‘eccentric’ when speaking about Atomfall’s cast of characters. Importantly, these people have been cut off from the outside world for five years and left to their own endeavors. We’ve really tried to think about how that isolation might affect them, and it’s fair to say that it’s gone a bit Lord of the Flies in places. This matches the tone of the British fiction we used as inspiration – realistic, if a little odd!
Atomfall's Factions Explained
Q: Can you tell us about some of the “factions” players will meet and fight? How did you approach designing Atomfall’s mutated creatures, cultists, rogue military agents, and robots?
A: One of the factions you will meet early on is Protocol. This was the initial government-backed response force tasked with keeping people safe. But after five years, their outlook has soured, and they have become increasingly authoritarian in their attempt to govern the inhabitants of the quarantine zone. When designing the different characters and factions, we really went back to our influences.
Protocol reflects the Cold War espionage and government oversight that was deeply rooted in British society during the 50s and 60s. Similarly, a group of druids is inspired not only by folk horror but also by ancient Greek and Roman writings on the druidic history of Britain. Beyond this, our creature designs are inspired strongly by things like early Doctor Who or The Quatermass Experiment – grounded but exaggerated, otherworldly but with a plausible scientific grounding.
Q: What can you tell us about Oberon, if anything? Who or what are they?
A: Well, that would be telling! It will be down to the player to find out who (or what) Oberon is.
Q: What is the British Atomic Research Division, and how does it impact and influence the story?
A: B.A.R.D. Is the organization that operated the Windscale nuclear plant before the incident. They have become a bit fragmented since then. Some you will find working alongside Protocol to try and keep up their research while maintaining order within the quarantine zone. But the event has affected other B.A.R.D. Members in different ways, and they are seeking their truth as to what happened. It will be down to the player to decide whom they trust and choose to work with.
How Atomfall Handles Dialogue and Choice
Q: What is the goal of Atomfall’s dialogue options? How much does choice in dialogue and beyond impact the story?
A: Engaging in conversation with Atomfall’s characters is central to tracking down the leads that you will discover, but you will need to determine if you can trust the information you’re being given during a conversation. Two characters may have wildly different versions of events and try to persuade you that their version is the truth. This goes for the person you chat with in the pub, as well as a mysterious voice down the end of a phone.
Q: What impacts dialogue options? We’ve seen different tones, like friendly, threatening, and desperate. Are those the three core options available for the entire game, or will certain quests or actions offer more?
A: The tones are inspired by the fact that, in typical conversation systems, it’s possible to choose an option that triggers an unexpected reaction because the way you read the line doesn’t match the way the writer intended. Given that our conversations are high stakes, we wanted to help players make predictable choices. The tones available vary wildly from conversation to conversation – we have always tried to make sure there’s a range of available tones to adopt, but they are always relevant as responses to what the other person has said.
One way to look at it is that the other person is trying to get something out of the conversation, too, and the tones cover all the ways you’d expect to reply. There is no hard and fast rule we set ourselves, no “friendly meter” that ticks up to change a general friendliness score or anything like that. You have to use your intuition.
Atomfall Lets You Kill Anyone, But 'If You Kill Absolutely Everyone, There's Still a Mysterious Voice on the Phone Line'
The Best War Games speaks with head of design at Rebellion Ben Fisher about how Atomfall overcomes the creative challenge of letting players kill any NPC.
Atomfall's Core Story Themes Explained
Q: Overall, what are the core themes of Atomfall’s story?
A: Atomfall is a mystery that sets you the task of seeking to uncover the truth of what happened with our version of the Windscale Incident. Central to this is the question of how you show people who you are and how you make sense of the world around you. It is a story about making the best out of a difficult situation with no right answers, only consequences.
Q: Are there multiple endings to Atomfall?
A: Yes, there are multiple endings that will depend on the choices you make. Players will need multiple playthroughs to experience them all because the choices that lead to certain routes through the game close off others. All the leads connect to one another, giving the feeling of one flowing story from start to finish.
How the 1960s Influenced Atomfall
Q: The 1960s were also an interesting time for thematic exploration. How would you say the 1960s influenced the story themes, characters, and setting?
A: The pulp culture of the 1950s and 1960s was a major influence on Atomfall. In particular, players can expect to feel the influence of sci-fi from this era, like Day of the Triffids, Doctor Who, and The Quatermass Experiment. The fiction of the era explored themes of paranoia, unease, distrust of the government, uncertainty about urbanization, loss of tradition, and keeping calm in the face of grand threats. All of this filtered into the world of Atomfall.
Q: How did you approach creating this quarantine zone to also represent the UK at a time?
A: We wanted the quarantine zone to encapsulate what people would find should they travel to Cumbria in England. Therefore, Atomfall’s terrain comprises open moorland, dense woodland, rocky crags, and, of course, picturesque English villages, among others.
Atomfall's Map and Biomes Explained
Q: What can you tell us about your interconnected map design philosophy at large? How does it serve Atomfall?
A: Rebellion games all build upon an “observe, plan, execute” philosophy – we want to give the player an overall objective and then freedom within a densely connected sandbox to play how they like and express their own story through gameplay. We doubled down on this with Atomfall, amplifying our learnings from the Sniper Elite series and making the philosophy of a sniper mission apply to the entire game.
Q: What can you tell us about the biomes across its smaller maps? Given the rolling green fields of the UK, how did you ensure each biome remained distinct?
A: As players will see, each biome has a different look and feel and is also inhabited by different enemies, factions, and creatures. This allows us to create different areas that feel distinct and have their own character. For example, open spaces have become populated by roving gangs and invoke a sense of post-apocalyptic survival. Whereas in the more isolated areas like Casterfell Woods, we’ve really leaned into folk horror elements that dial up the eeriness.
Q: What can you tell us about Wyndham Village? What should players expect from this town?
A: Wyndham Village embodies that ‘keep calm and carry on’ British mentality; despite being cut off from the outside for five years, these people are determined to live a ‘normal’ life. But, as you explore and speak to people in the pub after a pint or two, you will realize that there is more going on beneath the surface in this picture-perfect setting. When you visit Wyndham, be sure to visit the church!
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Atomfall
- Released
- March 27, 2025
- ESRB
- Teen // Blood, Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Rebellion Developments
- Publisher(s)
- Rebellion Developments
- Number of Players
- 1
