Long before Bethesda took the reins of the series and Walton Goggins donned the ghoul makeup for his captivating role in its TV adaptation, Fallout was an isometric action RPG viewed from a bird's-eye perspective. The upcoming game, Survive the Fall, draws inspiration from this classic style, as evident from the first few hours I experienced. This deadly post-apocalyptic survival tale builds on the original Fallout's template, especially in its robust camp development system. Its squad-based combat and scavenging elements craft a fresh experience, despite a somewhat static story presentation that keeps its personality from fully shining through.

Unlike many other post-apocalyptic settings, the ruined world of Survive the Fall wasn't caused by human nuclear negligence. Instead, a comet collision reminiscent of the event that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs decimated a significant portion of Earth's population. This disaster left behind a smoldering crater that emits a toxic mist called Stasis. Survivors either avoid this deadly fog or harness its power, mutating into stronger forms at the cost of their humanity. In Survive the Fall, your growing squad of scavengers must forge alliances with various factions scattered across three biomes to survive and thrive, from the Stasis-huffing Shroomers to the enigmatic cult, the Sighted.

As I embarked on various quests, I quickly grew fond of Survive the Fall's squad-based system. Navigating a party of up to three survivors through the expansive national park setting, I could manually search for resources or delegate tasks to my AI companions, streamlining the scavenging process. This approach felt more natural and efficient, although the screen occasionally became cluttered with button prompts when interactive elements were too close together.

Combat in Survive the Fall is also team-oriented. Given the scarcity of rifle and shotgun ammunition in the early game, I prioritized stealth, approaching enemy camps with tactics akin to those in Commandos: Origins. I utilized stealth techniques such as hiding in tall grass, creating distractions with stones, and carefully navigating enemy vision cones before silently taking them down. Environmental hazards, such as explosive barrels and dangling cargo pallets, added satisfying strategic options.

Survive the Fall - Preview Screens

14 ImagesClearing out enemy clusters was rewarding, but when stealth failed, combat with firearms became somewhat cumbersome on a controller. I found it challenging to aim precisely with the lasersight, often resorting to melee attacks and dodging to whittle down enemy health. Fortunately, the ability to pause and direct my squadmates to focus on specific targets, similar to systems in Wasteland or Mutant Year Zero, helped manage encounters effectively.

After a day of battling mutants and gathering resources, Survive the Fall transitions into a base-building management sim. Documents found in the world can be researched to earn knowledge points, which unlock a vast technology tree. This allows crafting everything from bunk beds and kitchens to water filtration systems and armories. Resources like timber can be transformed into planks for constructing new structures such as plant boxes or defensive gates, while foraged herbs and salvaged meat can be prepared into meals for your expedition team. The depth of this system promises hours of engaging base development.

Exploring beyond my base, I encountered diverse and intriguing areas, from a converted enemy fort in a crashed passenger plane to a farmstead overrun with Stasis-infected ghouls. While the detailed environments, like the luminescent mushroom clusters in the Mycorrhiza swamplands, were visually impressive, they occasionally led to performance issues, such as a volatile framerate. Additionally, I encountered game-breaking bugs that required me to reload my save, though there's still time before Survive the Fall's release for Angry Bulls Studio to optimize performance.

Survive the Fall's dialogue is delivered through onscreen text, which can feel somewhat flat. While some characters, like the quirky Blooper who humorously refers to the Stasis smog as "fart wind," provided moments of levity, most interactions primarily served to advance the next quest rather than deepen character connections.

As Survive the Fall is set to release on PC this May, it holds significant post-apocalyptic potential. If the developers can smooth out the rough edges in controls and performance, this survival-based action RPG could well be worth your hard-earned bottlecaps.