Atomic Wilds by Klastor Games
Atomic Wilds is a post-apocalyptic adventure game built around the exploration-focused chassis of the original Legend of Zelda.
All the staples of the classic are here: scrolling screens filled with respawning critters, a series of dungeons hidden across the world, and blocked routes that can only be accessed with specific equipment or upgrades. All of this is rolled into a post-apocalyptic setting ruled over by a malevolent AI.
Rad Max
When I began Atomic Wilds I was expecting the post-apocalyptic flavor to be a little jarring when combined with the whimsical style of Zelda, but Atomic Wilds manages to inject a playful tone into its setting, and the feel of the game doesn’t lean into a grim and grungy vibe. The tile-based exploration still wields a charm not found elsewhere, and the world is split across 80 such sections.
Combat is where Atomic Wilds veers away from its Zelda-inspired roots, equipping its protagonist with a short-range rapid-fire energy weapon. This can be upgraded with various modifiers, such as the ability to fire explosive shots more slowly, and it relies on a limited but rapidly regenerating energy meter for its ammunition.
There’s plenty of other equipment to play around with, too, such as a hook-shot-style tool that can latch onto objects to traverse pits.
The action itself is surprisingly punchy, with a variety of well-designed enemies that provide plenty of different challenges.
I particularly like the gelatinous cubes that leave trails of damaging slime behind them and split into smaller cubes on death; this quickly turns into a kind of reverse Snake experience as the cubes rapidly fill an area with barriers of dangerous terrain.
Barring a few enemies that feel a bit like bullet sponges, the many foes in Atomic Wilds generally offer a great range of tactical challenges to unpick.
It’s Dangerous to Go Alone
Exploration will be a nostalgic experience for anyone who’s played The Legend of Zelda. It doesn’t take very long to range across the majority of the world, but finding all the hidden caves and dungeons is another matter, and the constant threat of enemies in each zone keeps things engaging.
While this style of adventuring has aged surprisingly well the menu could definitely use a little modern elegance: it takes too long to open, navigate to the desired tab, and then exit back out (especially when switching weapon mods or checking the map).
Atomic Wilds is aesthetically very simple, using the classic top-down perspective and an assortment of charmingly retro designs for its characters and enemies.
The music is similarly basic, straddling the line between catchy and repetitive as it provides an ominous backdrop for the titular wilds or a punchy beat for the more dangerous dungeons. The color palette is pleasingly varied and avoids falling into the trap of an endless brown wasteland common to post-apocalyptic settings.
The Verdict
Atomic Wilds is a robust adventure game that successfully breathes new life into the tile-based world design of early entries in the genre. Nothing here is especially revolutionary, but it provides a great exploration experience, and the combat is surprisingly engaging.
Anyone looking for a sometimes-challenging RPG adventure experience that evokes classic Zelda will find something to love in Atomic Wilds.
Atomic Wilds is available via Steam.
Watch the trailer for Atomic Wilds below:
