Summary
Atomfall, Rebellion Developments' latest entry, is a bit of a departure from the studio’s storiedSniper Elitefranchise. Whereas the latter is a series of more realistically grounded third-person shooters set during World War II,Atomfallis a sci-fi/horror FPS survival title with RPG elements and a deep narrative-based journey. Taking players to an alternate history set in coastal England during the 1960s, and based on the aftermath of the real-life Windscale nuclear fire,Atomfall’s world is equally intriguing and intimidating.
On the surface,Atomfallis set up as an intense experience, tasking fans with managing a number of gameplay elements while solving the mystery of the story. But looking more closely under the hood,Atomfallalso contains an extensive range ofdifficulty optionsand related settings that serve to give players the tools to tailor their playthroughs precisely to their liking.
Atomfall Lets Players Tackle it at Their Own Pace
Robust Accessibility Options Are on the Rise
While the discussion over the merits ofintentionally hard gamessuch asDark Soulsas the “intended experience” may persist in some circles, a number of developers have nevertheless included more options in this area throughout the recent generation. As player bases have expanded and games reach a larger audience of varying skill levels and preferences, a growing number of titles have featured an increasingly wide range of difficulty sliders. Even notable series with a history of catering to audiences with more “hardcore” tastes, likeDoom: The Dark Ages, are adding in new accessibility options, and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Atomfall Features One of the Most Extensive and Welcome Accessibility Suites Yet
The three main pillars ofAtomfall’s gameplay looprest upon combat, exploration, and survival, which will likely be familiar to many fans of the genre. But even when selecting a playstyle to start, it’s apparent that Rebellion has thoughtfully integrated these. Instead of the normal “easy, medium, hard,” these presets cater to specific focuses and inclinations, like “Investigator” or “Brawler.”
Atomfall’s difficulty optionsthen take this a few steps further. Players are free to mix and match settings to fully customize their experience. Within the three core pillars, there are four settings that can be adjusted to further refine them. In ascending order of difficulty, these include:
These modifiers can be applied to a deeper scope of items related to the central trio; ones like enemy aggression, awareness, loot drop frequency, amount of health restored by curatives, value of trade items, and many more. This is to say nothing of the range of other adjustable factors that aren’t directly related to gameplay but apply to things likeUI readabilityand its display detail. The level of granularity is impressive, and ensures that, no matter their preference or skill level, players can tweakAtomfallto get the most of their time with it.
Atomfallhas multiple endingsas well, and once fans complete their first playthrough, they may wish to try different routes. After becoming acclimated to its mechanics and levels, players might decide to turn up the difficulty to test their skills against a tougher setup in the quarantine zone. All settings can also be changed at any time and don’t impact achievements or trophies. This can be an added boon for completionists and speedrunners, since there’s one requiring completing the game within a tight time limit.
Overall, though, Atomfallis incredibly welcoming regarding the degree it lets players alter so many elements to find their personal sweet spot and enjoy the experience on their own terms.Games with great accessibility settingsare likely to only continue, andAtomfall’s embracing of an array of options in this way contributes positively to the trend, and hopefully future titles take note of how it incorporated them.
