Survive the Fall: Initial Preview Released

Long before Bethesda took the reins of the series and Walton Goggins smeared on the ghoul make-up for his spellbinding turn in its adapted TV show, Fallout was an isometric action RPG viewed from a bird’s eye perspective. It’s that classic style of wasteland-wandering that the upcoming Survive the Fall appears to be using as its reference point, at least if the first few hours of the game I got my hands on are anything to go by. This deadly post-apocalyptic tale of survival builds on the original Fallout’s template – quite literally in the case of its robust camp development system – and its squad-based combat and scavenging help it craft an experience that feels fresh, even if the somewhat static story presentation prevents its personality from totally shining through.

Unlike many other post-apocalyptic settings, *Survive the Fall* presents a ruined world not caused by nuclear negligence but by a catastrophic comet collision. This disaster wiped out a significant portion of the world’s population and left a smoldering crater that emits a toxic mist called Stasis. Survivors either avoid this deadly fog or embrace its otherworldly power, mutating into stronger forms at the cost of their humanity. Throughout *Survive the Fall*, your growing squad of scavengers must build bonds with various factions scattered across three biomes to survive and thrive, from the Stasis-huffing Shroomers to the enigmatic cult known as the Sighted.

As I undertook each new task from Survive the Fall’s numerous quest-givers, I took an instant liking to its squad-based setup. Navigating your party of up to three survivors through the expansive national park that sets the stage for the story's beginning, you can either manually search through abandoned chests for chemical compounds or chop down trees for lumber, or simply delegate these tasks to your cohorts by tapping a button. This division of labor feels more natural and accelerates the process of scavenging each settlement. The only downside is the occasional clutter of button prompts when interactive elements are too close together, but these instances were rare.

Combat in Survive the Fall is also team-oriented. Given the scarcity of rifle and shotgun ammunition in the early stages, I prioritized stealth, approaching each encounter with marauders and ghouls with caution. I treated infiltrating enemy camps much like navigating the recent Commandos: Origins – hiding in long grass, throwing stones to distract, crouch-walking past enemy vision cones, and quietly eliminating foes before ordering my companions to hide the bodies. Environmental hazards like explosive barrels and dangling cargo pallets add satisfying tactical options, such as dropping a pallet onto an unsuspecting guard with a well-timed shot.

Survive the Fall - Preview Screens

14 ImagesClearing out clusters of cultists felt rewarding, but when stealth failed and combat ensued, the experience became slightly cumbersome with a controller. I suspect using a mouse and keyboard might offer more precision, but with a controller, aiming with the lasersight was challenging, leading me to rely more on melee attacks and dodging. Fortunately, the ability to pause and direct squadmates to focus on specific targets – similar to systems in Wasteland or Mutant Year Zero – helped manage encounters effectively, allowing my team to tackle tougher foes while I dealt with their support units.

After a day of battling mutants and gathering loot in the deadly badlands, Survive the Fall transitions into a base-building management sim at your camp. Documents found in the wild can be researched to earn knowledge points, which you can then invest in a comprehensive technology tree. This tree unlocks the crafting of various items, from bunk beds and kitchens to water filtration systems and armories. Resources like timber can be transformed into planks for constructing structures such as plant boxes or defensive gates, while foraged herbs and salvaged meat can be prepared into meals for your expedition teams. The depth of the system suggests I'll spend considerable time transforming my settlement from a heap of rubble into a cozy haven in the full game.

Beyond my base, Survive the Fall offers intriguing areas to explore. From a crashed passenger plane turned enemy fort to a farmstead overrun with Stasis-infected ghouls, the game rewards exploration in every direction. The detailed environments, like the luminescent mushroom clusters in the Mycorrhiza swamplands, are impressive but can lead to performance issues, such as a volatile framerate. Additionally, occasional game-breaking bugs forced me to quit and reload my save, though there's still time before the game's release for developer Angry Bulls Studio to optimize performance.

Survive the Fall promises distinct locales wherever you venture, yet the lack of voice-acted dialogue somewhat flattens interactions with your squad and NPCs. While some characters, like the quirky Blooper who humorously refers to Stasis smog as "fart wind," provided laughs, many conversations felt more like setup for the next fetch quest than opportunities to deepen character connections.

As Survive the Fall is set to release on PC this May, it holds great post-apocalyptic potential. With some polish on its controls and performance, it could become a compelling survival-based action RPG worthy of your hard-earned bottlecaps.