Rebellion Developments is renowned for its Sniper Elite franchise, offering a realistic sandbox for players to snipe targets during World War 2. However, its next big release, Atomfall, is something entirely different. As a post-nuclear survival sandbox title in first-person, its more focused on the narrative and decision-making in a world of mystery.Its ambitious in many ways, but I came away impressed after spending some hands-on time. Here are 15 things you should know about Atomfall before it launches on March 27th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Xbox One alongside Game Pass.SettingSet in Northern England five years after the Windscale fire of 1957, Atomfall is about you, but who you are is the big question. Awakening with no memories, you wander across the landscape, trying to piece together what happened. What is the strange pillar of light emitting from the Windscale site? Who is the voice on the phone telling you to kill Oberon? How do you escape this quarantine zone? Its up to you to solve these mysteries.Complete Freedom of ChoiceAlternatively, dont. Answering a random call from a phone booth out in the wilderness (inspired by a similar incident that Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley faced in the past)? Its insane, but thats one of the cooler parts of Atomfall. I could follow that random note telling me to locate Mother Jago at the Old Mining Site or walk right through the door of the Druid camp and raise hell. I could investigate the old dam, try to find Joyce Tanner or sneak into the Protocol soldiers watch tower (which goes wrong). Youre not on a fixed path but not left to your own devices either.No Quests, Following Leads InsteadRather than a traditional questing structure, Atomfall provides Leads. Think of them as suggestions rather than instructions with clues to investigate or watch out for. The Lead to find Mother Jago led to another where she asked if I could retrieve her herbalism book from the druids, but this isnt a fixed course, and Im not on the clock.The same goes for finding Joyce she provides the coordinates, but its ultimately up to me to locate her bunker and decide whether to follow her Leads. Its very engrossing, encouraging exploration while facilitating the nonlinear storytelling that Rebellion is after.LocationsMy playthrough started several hours into the game and offered a variety of locations. Two were notable The Old Mine, where Mother Jago took refuge and the dam. Otherwise, theres no indication of anything else I discovered the druids camp purely by accident (or by murdering way too many druids on the way, but in my defense, they started it).Some are discovered by walking around, like the random radio tower where I found Joyces message and coordinates or a helicopter crash site. Though the entire scale of the map is unknown, the locations felt naturally spaced out like I was exploring the actual countryside, albeit with much more danger.Dialogue ChoicesFallout fans will be familiar with dialogue choices, especially those requiring skill checks and whatnot. Atomfall offers the same, but your responses also have helpful tags to indicate your nature. For example, when I met Billy Gorse, a traveling merchant who was clearly infected (but not fully mutated), I could react with shock, saying his appearance bothered me.I could also go with indifference or wariness, leading to other choices (including impatience with all the questioning). While the consequences of these choices werent obvious, they made me consider my interactions all the more. This was especially so when speaking to Mother Jago, measuring the need to pry versus giving away too much information or deciding whether I should convince Joyce to trust me.Kill EveryoneThough the inner murder hobo didnt activate against the more amicable lot, I still found myself leaping into combat with the druids, outlaws and Ferals dotting the landscape. You dont have a choice in many circumstances, though in many others, its possible to back away before combat starts or scare enemies with a gun. However, Rebellion confirms that you can kill just about any enemy and NPC (or none at all). The choice, once again, is ultimately yours, but the consequences are a different story.Enemy TypesI was admittedly skeptical about the kinds of enemies that Atomfall would present, but even among the human types, theres some strong variety. Outlaws usually had firearms and felt more armored, making it riskier to barge into fights. On the other hand, druids will rely on bows, arrows, knives, and even Molotov cocktails to kill you.I was also surprised to find mutated plants that spit poisonous projectiles when infiltrating the druids camp. Then you have the Ferals, mutated humans that will charge with abandon and can infect you with their hits. Other notable threats include the Protocol soldiers (if you get on their bad side), the B.A.R.D. robots and even mutated rats attacking in swarms.CombatDefending yourself is easy enough with various melee weapons like the trusty cricket bat and axe, each with their own properties. You can execute the standard combos or even throw weapons, which is ideal when carrying multiple hatchets and knives. Firearms like rifles, shotguns, revolvers, and handguns are also available, though the scarce ammo meant considering which ones I should have at the ready.A full suite of firearms and explosives in case things go loud? Or perhaps using a bow for an initially stealthy approach and a cricket bat for more close encounters? Either way, it encouraged thinking about engagements and planning on the fly.Pneumatic CacheYoure limited in the amount of items that can be carried, but Atomfall has somewhat of a solution to this with the Pneumatic Cache. When discovered, you can shove any desired items like bandages, food, explosives, and whatnot and retrieve them at another location. The catch is that youre not sure, at least from the outset, if a Pneumatic Cache station is present, adding to the risk. Marking their locations on the map is yet another key facet of survival.SkillsAs you progress, new skills become available, allowing you to lean into melee combat, survival, ranged combat, and conditioning. Kill Momentum will grant a buff to melee damage, while Quiet Movement reduces the sound of your footsteps. Taking down enemies can be noisy, but thankfully, theres a skill for muffling it. You can even disarm traps and harvest their materials.CraftingThe world of Atomfall isnt littered with junk to collect by the truckload, but you will find cloth, scrap, gunpowder and other materials that can come in handy. Bandages are cheap to make, and on top of recovering health over time, they cure bleeding and temporarily provide resistance to its build-up. Youll discover or sometimes have to barter for recipes to be able to craft antidotes, Explosive Lures, and whatnot, but they could come in handy when you least expect it.Bonkers Choices to Influence Enemy PopulationBy head of design Ben Fishers own admission, Atomfall features some experimental stuff that wouldnt be attempted anywhere else because you cant guarantee a result. Theres some bonkers stuff in Atomfall, he told VideoGamer. There are events the player can trigger or completely miss that can have a huge influence on the enemy population in the game world and stuff like that. While he noted that it might or might not work, hes looking forward to finding out.Callbacks to other Rebellion GamesDuring a recent Q&A, the development team was asked if there were any nods to Sniper Elite to discover in Atomfall, to which it enthusiastically replied, Yes, followed by, No, were not going to tell you. Regardless, players can find lots of fun things, including references to other Rebellion titles and even British media (including the BBC).Story ExpansionAlongside three days of early access, the Deluxe Edition also includes a Story Expansion Pack. There isnt much information, aside from not launching on day one, and Rebellion has remained tight-lipped on what it could offer. Well have to wait for more details.PlaytimeWith all these different choices and paths, how long will it take to beat Atomfall? In the same Q&A, Fisher said a full playthrough could take 15, 20, or even 25 hours, though it depends on how you play. Another team member commented how they had a playthrough of 20-odd hours and still hadnt ventured into some parts of the woodlands or conversed with half the cast. Fisher promises a single meaningful narrative experience but also that you can revisit it for something completely different.