Review: ATOM, Trudograd RPGs

Zdravstvuyte!

Do you miss the days of Fallout 1 & 2, bunkie? Isometric turn-based post-apocalyptic wandering, digging through the scraps of a fallen civilization while fighting off your fellow looters? Fondly recalling the glory days of the socialist world, joyously working with your komrades to free humanity from the chains of capitalist oppression?

Wait, what?

Maybe it’s a weapons shop?

That’s what I said. The ATOM RPG, and its sequel Trudograd, will thrill you as you try to read the Cyrillic signs on the ruins of the mighty buildings of the USSR. Which building to enter? Why not leave it up to chance? Assume that your character is illiterate!

It may be propaganda art, but it’s our propaganda art!

Just a note here; a quick google might give you the impression that the game is in Russian. While you could get it in Russian, you can certainly get it in English. The in-game art won’t change though, thus the store fronts being in Cyrillic.

Of course, statues of Lenin have survived.

The ATOM Team of developers is composed of folks from Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Latvia. With tongue firmly in cheek, they created an homage to Fallout with a twist that keeps things fresh and interesting. You could very well be handing out leaflets and debating politics with your fellow survivors of those pesky Western ICBMs, and then blasting them to bits with your AK-47 after having swilled a few bottles of pre-war vodka together.

“Heavy boots of lead, Fills his victims full of dread.” They must listen to Ozzy in the USSR, right?

Or perhaps you’d prefer to stomp around old bunkers in a mighty suit of power armor emblazoned with a big red star? Hope you can find enough diesel fuel to keep it running.

Those are communist mutated spiders!

Hey, at least the mutants are good ol’ communist mutants!

But lets get down to brass tacks (which are not in these games). First of all, both installments are essentially two chapters of the same game. There are story connections, the look’s the same, and mechanically everything works the same. You spend the first game hearing about Trudograd, the “big city” of the soviet wasteland. In the second game you’re there for a mission.

Hmm, the lights are on. Go figure.

Yes, a mission. You are an agent of a secret government organization called ATOM (as opposed to a vault dweller). You have objectives which you can always choose to ignore if that’s your thing. There are plenty of other quests as you wander around, and they interrelate to one extent or another.

Just a word to the wise. NPCs are not particularly “good.” Prepare to pay exorbitant bribes, and to be cheated. Oh, and if your righteous wrath results in your wasting these ne’er do wells, be prepared for entire populations to go aggro on you. I have been forced to go back to a prior saved game and keep my temper reined in. Still I enjoyed the catharsis of blowing some jerk’s head off.

In addition to raising stats, you get to raise abilities.

There’s lots of detail on your character and developing him as you gain experience is reminiscent of Fallout. You can pick up followers who are amusing and aren’t too annoying in combat. Speaking of combat, it’s turn-based and you can take aimed shots. Be careful with areas of effect. There is sneaking and locks to pick. You can try various alternate means of persuasion. Gear can give nice satisfying bonuses (I especially enjoyed switching hats for different circumstances.)

Soviet Science

The look is reminiscent of the isometric Fallout games. There is some voice acting but it’s not too good. Neither is the soundtrack, so I played without sound for most of the time (and played Kidney Thieves in the background). But the writing is good, and interacting with NPCs can give you a few laughs. I may not always have agreed with how the writers thought things should go, but there wasn’t anything that made me bitter or consider quitting (as has happened to me with other games). In fact, I’d play another sequel from the ATOM team at the drop of a ushanka.

Take me to your daddy’s farm.

So there you have it, the USSR waits for you. Come and keep your komrade warm!

You know you want that power armor!