"Survive the Fall: Exclusive First Look"

Long before Bethesda's stewardship and Walton Goggins' iconic ghoul portrayal in the TV adaptation, Fallout was a celebrated isometric action RPG, viewed from a bird's-eye perspective. This classic style of wasteland exploration seems to be the inspiration for the upcoming Survive the Fall, as evidenced by my initial hours with the game. This post-apocalyptic survival narrative builds upon the original Fallout's framework, particularly through its comprehensive camp development system. With squad-based combat and scavenging mechanics, Survive the Fall delivers a refreshing experience, although its somewhat static storytelling somewhat dims its vibrant personality.

Unlike many other post-apocalyptic settings, the devastated world of Survive the Fall wasn't the result of nuclear folly. Instead, a catastrophic comet strike reminiscent of the dinosaurs' demise decimated a significant portion of Earth's population. The impact left a smoldering crater that emits a toxic mist known as Stasis. Survivors either shun this mist or harness its otherworldly power, mutating into enhanced forms at the cost of their humanity. Throughout your journey in Survive the Fall, you'll lead a growing squad of scavengers, forging alliances with factions like the Stasis-embracing Shroomers and the enigmatic cult, the Sighted, across three distinct biomes to ensure survival and prosperity.

Engaging with the game's myriad quest-givers, I quickly grew fond of its squad-based dynamics. As you navigate your party of up to three survivors through the expansive national park setting, you can manually scavenge for resources or delegate tasks to your team, streamlining the process of exploring and looting settlements. This system allows for efficient task division, though occasionally, the screen can become cluttered with prompts when interactive elements are closely grouped. Fortunately, such instances are infrequent.

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 much like a careful infiltration in Commandos: Origins. Utilizing stealth tactics, environmental hazards, and squad commands, I managed to clear enemy camps effectively. However, when stealth failed, combat could feel cumbersome, particularly with a controller. The precision of mouse and keyboard might offer a smoother experience, but using the pause feature to direct squadmates mitigated some of the challenges during intense battles.

Survive the Fall - Preview Screens

14 Images

After a day spent combating mutants and gathering resources in the treacherous badlands, Survive the Fall transitions into a base-building management sim. At your camp, you can research documents to gain knowledge points, which can then be used to unlock various technologies on a comprehensive tech tree. From bunk beds and kitchens to water filtration systems and armories, the depth of customization is impressive. You can craft resources into essential building materials, construct defenses against raiders, and prepare meals from foraged goods, offering a rich layer of strategic depth to the game.

Beyond your base, the game is filled with fascinating areas to explore, from a repurposed crashed passenger plane to a farmstead infested with Stasis-infected ghouls. While the detailed environments are captivating, performance issues, such as framerate drops in areas like the Mycorrhiza swamplands, can detract from the experience. Additionally, occasional game-breaking bugs require save reloading, highlighting areas for improvement before the game's release.

Interacting with your squad and NPCs via onscreen text can feel somewhat flat, and while some characters, like the amusing Blooper, provide humorous moments, most interactions primarily serve to advance quests rather than develop deep character relationships. Hopefully, these bonds will strengthen over the course of the full game.

Survive the Fall is slated for release on PC this May and is brimming with post-apocalyptic potential. If the developers at Angry Bulls Studio can refine the controls and optimize performance, this survival-based action RPG could prove to be a worthy addition to the genre, deserving of your hard-earned bottlecaps.