Long before Bethesda took the reins of the series and Walton Goggins donned ghoul make-up for his captivating role in its adapted TV show, Fallout was an isometric action RPG viewed from a bird's eye perspective. The upcoming game, Survive the Fall, draws heavily from this classic style of wasteland exploration, as evidenced by the first few hours I experienced. This post-apocalyptic survival tale builds directly on the original Fallout's framework, especially through its robust camp development system. Its squad-based combat and scavenging mechanics help forge a fresh experience, though the somewhat static story presentation slightly hinders its full potential to shine through.
Unlike many other post-apocalyptic settings, the world of Survive the Fall wasn't destroyed by nuclear fallout. Instead, it was a catastrophic comet collision that decimated a significant portion of humanity, leaving behind a crater that emits a toxic mist known as Stasis. Survivors either steer clear of this deadly fog or embrace its otherworldly energy, mutating into stronger beings at the cost of their humanity. In Survive the Fall, players must forge alliances with various factions scattered across three biomes—from the Stasis-absorbing Shroomers to the enigmatic cult called the Sighted—to survive and thrive.
I quickly grew fond of Survive the Fall's squad-based mechanics as I tackled missions from numerous quest-givers. Navigating the expansive national park setting with a party of up to three survivors, I could either manually search for resources like chemical compounds and lumber, or delegate these tasks to my companions, freeing me up to focus elsewhere. This division of labor feels intuitive and speeds up the process of scavenging settlements. However, the interface can become cluttered with button prompts when interactive elements are too close together, though this was a rare occurrence.
Combat in Survive the Fall is also team-oriented. Given the scarcity of rifle and shotgun ammo in the early game, I prioritized stealth, approaching encounters with marauders and ghouls like a careful infiltration akin to Commandos: Origins. Tactics included hiding in grass, creating distractions with stones, and executing stealth kills, followed by ordering my team to dispose of the bodies. The game offers environmental hazards like explosive barrels and dangling cargo pallets that can be used strategically. However, when stealth failed and combat ensued, using a controller felt less precise than it might with a mouse and keyboard. I often relied on melee attacks and dodging to whittle down enemies, while pausing the game to direct my squad to target specific foes helped manage tougher fights.
Survive the Fall - Preview Screens
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After a day of battling mutants and gathering loot in the dangerous badlands, Survive the Fall shifts to a base-building management sim. Documents found in the wild can be researched to earn knowledge points, which players can invest in a comprehensive technology tree to unlock crafting options for bunk beds, kitchens, water filtration systems, and even an armoury. Resources such as timber can be turned into planks and used to build structures like plant boxes or defensive gates. Foraged herbs and meat from wildlife can be prepared into meals for your expedition team. The depth of the base-building system promises hours of engaging development as you transform your camp from a dilapidated site into a thriving community.
Beyond the base, the game offers a variety of intriguing areas to explore, from a repurposed crashed passenger plane to a farmstead overrun with Stasis-infected ghouls. While the detailed environments, such as the luminescent mushroom clusters in the Mycorrhiza swamplands, are visually impressive, they occasionally suffer from performance issues, including framerate drops and bugs that can force a save reload. With Survive the Fall's release date still a month away, there's time for developer Angry Bulls Studio to refine these aspects.
The game's narrative delivery, relying solely on onscreen text, can feel somewhat flat. While certain characters, like the amusing Blooper who refers to the Stasis as "fart wind," provided some humor, most interactions primarily serve to initiate new quests rather than deepen character connections. However, there's potential for these relationships to develop further over the course of the full game.
Survive the Fall is set to launch on PC in May, brimming with post-apocalyptic potential. If the developers can smooth out the current rough edges in controls and performance, this survival-based action RPG could well be worth your investment in bottlecaps.
