REVIEW : ATOM RPG Trudograd (PC)

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REVIEW : ATOM RPG Trudograd (PC)

REVIEW : ATOM RPG Trudograd (PC)

ATOM RPG is without a doubt one of the best RPG surprises of recent years. It may have been unfairly given the excessively simplified label of “Fallout in Russia,” as the game appeared to directly duplicate a lot of the gameplay components of the original two Fallout games.

REVIEW : ATOM RPG Trudograd (PC)

Beyond this apparent resemblance, though, the game managed to be a fantastic old-school RPG in its own right, with Falloutian mechanics skillfully blended with a fascinating, well-written, and… extremely Soviet environment. Given the preceding, it’s no wonder that the revelation of a standalone ATOM expansion named Trudograd two years ago piqued fans’ interest in the original game. The expansion was first launched in Early Access on Steam in May 2020, followed by a full release last month.

REVIEW : ATOM RPG Trudograd (PC)

The events of this expansion occur two years after the events of the ATOM RPG’s main plot. Following the game’s atmospheric live-action intro, we are given a briefing informing us that our character must travel to Trudograd to locate a scientist whose research may be able to prevent a disaster, the nature of which I will not reveal to avoid spoilers, as it pertains to the plot and conclusion of the original ATOM.

Focusing the action primarily on a city and its immediate surroundings, rather than the much larger universe of ATOM RPG, allows for a much deeper exploration of the Lore that defines the city and its sub-areas. As a result, each district of Trudograd and its suburbs has its distinct character and inhabitants, elements that both underpin the game’s broader narrative guidelines: on the one hand, the struggle between Trudograd’s corrupt ruling class and a burgeoning “revolution” that threatens to drown the bourgeoisie in its blood, and on the other, a vague threat from “the Peoples of the North,” who are rumoured to be about to attack the city

REVIEW : ATOM RPG Trudograd (PC)

Into this mix of class struggle and an invisible, impending threat (which in turn produces other side-effects inside the game’s world, such as racism against the inhabitants of northern descent for “acting as spies for the rumoured invading army”), we add our character’s mission. The result is a highly interesting RPG cocktail of choices and consequences within the post-Soviet and post-apocalyptic world we encountered in the original ATOM.

Because Trudograd is a standalone expansion, it can be purchased and played without having previously owned (or even played) ATOM RPG. Completing the previous game provides several advantages, such as the ability to directly import our ATOM character into Trudograd (a process that transfers our character’s stats and perks and the world state of the imported save but not our Inventory or weapons). Even if you start the expansion having no idea what happened in the previous game, you can still make a new character and answer a series of in-game questions regarding the main ATOM locales. These responses are the cornerstones of the World State.

Trudograd’s qualities and the additions/improvements it offers to ATOM’s core concept become immediately obvious from the first moments of play. These improvements are technical in forms, such as notably better graphics (which significantly improve the atmosphere in Trudograd’s cold landscapes) and purely gameplay. The revised Option Tree (with Perks collected in a new Perk Wheel), the improved Inventory (which finally breaks away from Fallout standards and “expands” to resemble more of a Grid than a list), and the ability to Mod/Upgrade our weapons are all examples of the latter.

The preceding, of course, adds to the game’s basis, which is nothing less than dependably outstanding writing. Apart from the exceptionally well-written implementation of the narrative’s fundamental pillars, the game’s quests are unique in idea and maybe progress and solved in various ways (and with the use of various possible skill checks). The discussions with the countless NPCs, on the other hand, are just as witty and well-written (and, in parts, simply hilarious). It’s also worth mentioning how the dialogues are differentiated and optimized. Someone who does not wish to read all of the writings and avoid lore dumps might concentrate on the plot-critical questions that advance their quests.

In terms of the mandatory listing of any “negatives,”… The only defects I can find in the game are little details that may irritate some players. Minor bugs that are gradually fixed with the release of patches, various “inconveniences” caused by the old-school UI design that we don’t see in more modern games (such as having to go into the Inventory and place a Lockpick into one of the character’s active item slots if you want to use it in an occasion)

REVIEW : ATOM RPG Trudograd (PC)

But there’s also the somewhat awful decision to have the title’s small voice-overs performed by a single guy who can alter his voice tone at will.

Trudograd’s total game length is nearly half that of ATOM, i.e., around 30-40 hours for a full playthrough, with the necessity for at least one additional session to explore all possible possibilities in the main and secondary quests. This, I suppose, validates the game’s authors’ decision to convert it into a fully standalone game rather than a “simple” ATOM extension.

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review-atom-rpg-trudograd-pcTo summarise, anyone who enjoyed ATOM has no reason not to enjoy Trudograd, which may be regarded as a "slightly enhanced portion of the ATOM experience." In terms of "the others," the conclusions stated at the end of the ATOM review still hold: people who like the essence of the first Fallout and inXile's Wasteland games, as well as the gameplay that distinguishes them, will not be disappointed if they give Trudograd (and ATOM) a try.

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