Long before Bethesda took over the Fallout series and Walton Goggins donned his ghoul make-up for the captivating TV adaptation, Fallout was an isometric action RPG seen from a bird's-eye view. It's this classic style of wasteland exploration that the upcoming game Survive the Fall seems to emulate, as evidenced by the first few hours I experienced. This post-apocalyptic survival tale builds on the original Fallout's framework, particularly in its robust camp development system, and its squad-based combat and scavenging mechanics offer a fresh take, though the somewhat static storytelling holds back its full personality from shining through.
Unlike many other post-apocalyptic narratives, the world of *Survive the Fall* didn't fall to nuclear folly. Instead, a catastrophic comet strike reminiscent of the event that led to the dinosaurs' extinction decimated the population and left behind a toxic mist known as Stasis. Survivors either shun this mist or harness its power, mutating into stronger beings at the cost of their humanity. In *Survive the Fall*, your squad of scavengers must forge alliances with various factions scattered across three biomes to survive, from the Stasis-addicted Shroomers to the enigmatic cult called the Sighted.As I embarked on the numerous quests in Survive the Fall, I quickly grew fond of its squad-based system. Navigating a sprawling national park at the game's outset, you can manually search for resources or delegate tasks to your team members, streamlining the process of scavenging each settlement. This division of labor feels intuitive and accelerates exploration, though occasionally the screen can become cluttered with button prompts when interactive elements are too close together.
Combat in Survive the Fall also emphasizes teamwork. Given the scarcity of rifle and shotgun ammo early on, I approached encounters with stealth, akin to the strategy in Commandos: Origins. This involved sneaking through enemy camps, using distractions like thrown stones, and carefully navigating around enemy sightlines before silently taking down foes and ordering my squad to dispose of the bodies. The game offers environmental hazards to exploit, such as explosive barrels and cargo pallets that can be dropped on unsuspecting guards.
Survive the Fall - Preview Screens
14 Images
Clearing out enemy groups felt rewarding, but when my stealth failed and combat ensued, the controls could become cumbersome with a controller. Aiming with the lasersight was tricky, often leading me to resort to melee attacks and dodging in close combat. Fortunately, the ability to pause and direct squadmates to target specific enemies, similar to systems in Wasteland or Mutant Year Zero, helped manage tougher fights.
After a day of scavenging and battling in Survive the Fall's dangerous wastelands, the game shifts to a base-building management sim. Documents found during exploration can be researched to earn knowledge points, which unlock a wide range of technologies from bunk beds to water filtration systems. Resources are transformed into building materials, and food from foraged or hunted goods supports your expeditions. The depth of this system promises hours of engagement, turning your camp from a heap of rubble into a thriving community.
Beyond your base, Survive the Fall offers diverse exploration opportunities, from a converted enemy fort in a crashed plane to a ghoul-infested farmstead. The detailed environments, like the luminescent mushroom clusters in the Mycorrhiza swamplands, are visually striking but can occasionally suffer from performance issues and bugs that might require a save reload. With a release date set for May, developer Angry Bulls Studio has some time to refine these aspects.
While Survive the Fall offers rich environments and engaging mechanics, its narrative delivery through text-only interactions feels somewhat flat. Characters like Blooper, with his humorous references to the Stasis as "fart wind," provide some entertainment, but the dialogue often feels like a means to prompt the next quest rather than deepening faction relationships.
The potential for Survive the Fall is evident, and with the full release on PC in May, it could become a compelling survival-based action RPG, provided the control and performance issues are addressed.
