It feels like only yesterday that we were graced with Atomfall. With the release back in March, I didn’t think we’d be seeing a DLC story add-on this soon. Having enjoyed playing the base game I was intrigued to see what Wicked Isle has to offer. The lovely people over at Rebellion Developments were kind enough also to throw a DLC code my way so that I could dive back into the radioactive quarantine zone of the alternative history of 1960s northwest England.
About the DLC
A quick synopsis of the DLC. Surround by murky and perilous waters lies a wicked isle. A new region that is ready to explore nestled off the Cumberland coastline. With the rumour of a creepy old fishing village, you use the ferryman at Wyndham Village who is the only one brave enough to ferry you to the new shore, to find out what hidden mysteries, supplies, and possibilities await you.
It is worth noting now that the Wicked Isle is a story expansion pack that comes with a new location, enemies, quests, characters, items, weapons, and more! Shrouded by dense fog this strange isle is full of secrets that you get to uncover and expands on the story of Atomfall’s narrative. Just like in the main game exploration is highly recommended as there is plenty for you to stumble across. Not to mention new enemies and another deranged druid cult.
Is it worth it?
Wicked Isle is a moderately sized expansion, that is accompanied by new weapons such as the blunderbuss shogun, and cutlass as well as new enemies. It does a brilliant job at complementing the base game as it can be accessed at any point Wyndham Village is one of the earlier places you visit in the main game which allows you to access the DLC. All you have to do is speak to the new NPC at the port.
With the Isle being located away from the mainland you will sadly find yourself having to travel to and from the Isle which can be frustrating at times, even more so when a lot of the quests are fetch quests and forces you to go back and forth. Even though this new DLC is a new location you do find yourself still spending a lot of time in the base game locations which is quite weird as you would have thought they would try and glorify the new location rather than just having it as a side bit.
You can compare the size of the new location to that of Casterfall Woods which is found in the main game, so it’s a decent-sized map addition. After a few hours into the DLC, though I quickly realised that most of it was just reskins and rehashed material that we already have in the base game, there isn’t anything groundbreaking mechanics-wise or anything majorly new that I can honestly get behind.
A lot of the enemies played similar to the ones in the main game and the new mermen looked cool but didn’t offer anything new other than their design. As mentioned above there are new weapons, skill sets, and new characters to interact with but it doesn’t add a huge amount to what we have already seen. That doesn’t go without saying that there are plenty of side quests, collectibles, and characters to interact with as well as a possible new ending if you respond to dialogue in a particular way, this also ties in with the main game’s storyline which is pretty neat.
One thing that is noticeable and I miss is the ability to use the interchange to get around, I don’t understand why this wasn’t implemented into the DLC in some way. It makes using your Storage Tube frustrating as you have low inventory space anyway and if you want to keep the new items you have to keep going back and forth using the ferrymen rather than the interchange.
One of the quests that annoyed me was the Abby Crypt Key quest as this saw you having to backtrack to the base game locations and spend a huge chunk of the DLC story doing so. This again takes you away from the new elements that the DLC offers.
Conclusion
All in all, the Atomfall Wicked Isle DLC pack didn’t land the same enjoyment and wow factor that the base game did. It’s a nice addition don’t get me wrong but for an asking price of £14.99 I’d like to have seen a bit more in terms of gameplay mechanics, features, and selling the new location. If you loved the base game then you will enjoy this DLC but I honestly don’t think you’ll get blown away.
With the frustrating lack of the interchange, the back-and-forth gameplay via the ferry takes you away from taking in all that the Wicked Isle truly has to offer. If you just explore the Isle then you will find a side quest and loveable character but that doesn’t warrant a full DLC pack release as it could have been pushed through an update. For these reasons, I’m sadly giving the first DLC pack for Atomfall a 6 out of 10 for bringing more Atomfall to the players but not as exciting and brilliant as the main game.
Atomfall Wicked Isle DLC Trailer
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The code was provided by the distributor.