Long before Bethesda took over the series and Walton Goggins donned ghoul makeup for the captivating TV adaptation, Fallout was an isometric action RPG with a bird's-eye view. The upcoming game, Survive the Fall, seems to draw inspiration from this classic style of wasteland exploration, as evidenced by my initial hours with the game. This post-apocalyptic survival tale builds directly on the original Fallout's framework, particularly through its comprehensive camp development system. The game's squad-based combat and scavenging mechanics offer a fresh experience, though the somewhat static storytelling somewhat hinders its full personality from shining through.

I quickly grew fond of Survive the Fall's squad-based mechanics as I completed quests from the numerous task-givers. Navigating the expansive national park that serves as the game's initial setting, you can manually search for resources or delegate tasks to your team members, enhancing the efficiency of scavenging across settlements. The only minor issue was occasional clutter from button prompts when interactive elements were closely packed, but such instances were infrequent.

Combat in Survive the Fall is also team-oriented. Given the scarcity of rifle and shotgun ammo in the early stages, I favored stealth approaches, treating each enemy camp infiltration like a strategic mission akin to Commandos: Origins. I utilized stealth tactics such as hiding in tall grass, throwing stones for distractions, and silently eliminating enemies before ordering my team to dispose of the bodies. Environmental hazards like explosive barrels and precariously positioned cargo pallets added to the tactical depth.

Survive the Fall - Preview Screens

14 ImagesClearing out groups of cultists was satisfying, though combat became somewhat cumbersome when stealth failed and firearms were needed. While a mouse and keyboard might offer more precision, using a controller made aiming with the lasersight challenging, leading me to rely more on melee attacks and dodging. Fortunately, the ability to pause and direct squadmates to target specific enemies, similar to systems in Wasteland or Mutant Year Zero, allowed me to manage encounters effectively.

After a day of battling mutants and gathering resources in the dangerous badlands, Survive the Fall transitions into a base-building management sim. Researching documents found in the wild yields knowledge points that can be spent on a vast tech tree, unlocking the construction of bunk beds, kitchens, water filtration systems, and even an armory. Resources like timber can be transformed into planks for building structures such as plant boxes or defensive gates, while foraged herbs and meat can be turned into meals for your expedition team. The depth of this system suggests I could spend considerable time turning my settlement from a pile of rubble into a comfortable haven.

Beyond my base, the game offered a variety of intriguing areas to explore, from a repurposed crashed passenger plane to a ghoul-infested farmstead. While the detailed environments, like the luminescent mushroom clusters in the Mycorrhiza swamplands, were visually impressive, they occasionally caused performance issues, such as framerate drops. I also encountered game-breaking bugs a few times, necessitating a save reload. Thankfully, with Survive the Fall's release still a month away, Angry Bulls Studio has time to refine the game's performance.

Interacting with the squad and NPCs through onscreen text felt somewhat flat, missing the depth that voice acting could provide. However, some characters, like Blooper who humorously called the Stasis smog "fart wind," added light-hearted moments. Conversations often felt more like cues for the next quest rather than opportunities to build meaningful connections with faction members.

As Survive the Fall is set to launch on PC this May, it holds great potential for fans of post-apocalyptic action RPGs. If the developers can smooth out the rough edges in controls and performance, this could become a worthwhile addition to the genre, earning its place among other beloved survival games.