Devs of post-apocalyptic open-world survival game aren't afraid to experiment. Some decisions are set to alter gameplay in Atomfall
Atomfall may turn out to be a survival game full of experimental solutions. The game's Lead Designer, Ben Fisher, underlines that work on the game is taking place in an atmosphere of creative freedom.
Rebellion Studio has decided to introduce some experimental solutions to their upcoming game, Atomfall, which could have a huge impact on the course of gameplay. As revealed by the title's Lead Designer, Ben Fisher, players can expect hidden events that dynamically change the state of the world. For example, these events can significantly affect the number of enemies on the map. "It might work, it might not… I'm looking forward to finding out," Fisher admitted in an interview with VideoGamer. The dev clearly praises his creative freedom:
We took the creative pillars we were aiming for and just ran with them, so there’s some experimental stuff you wouldn’t try somewhere else because you can’t guarantee a result. (...) There's events the player can trigger or completely miss that can have a huge influence on enemy population in the game world, and stuff like that…
Such a system reminds of the plans that Techland had when creating Dying Light 2, where the player's decisions were intended to influence, among other things, the dominance of individual factions in the game world (as well as zombies), affecting their distribution on the map. Ultimately, however, this mechanic was limited in the final version of the game. Atomfall may be the next, and this time successful, attempt to introduce this type of dynamic change in the open world.
Fisher also underlined that Rebellion focused on a demanding experience, in which exploration is of key importance. The quest system won't explicitly point out the next objectives, and players should immerse themselves in the role of a detective. The fact that an independent studio "could go all out," and the game is being developed in an atmosphere of creative freedom, should probably fill us with optimism.
Atomfall will be released on March 27 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. On day one, the game will also hit Game Pass.
