Surreal, whimsical, often thought-provoking, and always engaging. I think the game achieves what it set out to do. This isn't much of a "game" in the traditional sense - I would consider it a visual novel primarily, with RPG elements. There is extremely little combat - there is no "combat system", the rare violent encounters are handled through the dialogue and skill check system. You aren't overcoming foes (unless you choose to rail against the player character's own self-destructive lifestyle itself, I suppose, or coming up with particularly clever repartee by passing a skill check) or being the Chosen Hero (unless you choose to give in to the player character's own delusions). You're a sad, tired, and sick middle-aged man in the midst of a mental breakdown, and everyone can see it as plain as the inflamed, rosacea-ridden nose on your face. The pathos of this creates a heroic image in itself of the player character as he struggles to do the right thing and solve the case... or you can just become a gloriously psychotic mess and stumble your way from fuck-up to fuck-up and enjoy the results. The skill checks play into the role-playing - failing skill checks regularly is an expected part of the game. Even failed skill checks provide you with funny or expository dialogue. However, over-extending yourself can lead to failed skill checks physically damaging you through stress or injury - you still need to be wise about which checks you feel like attempting. The writing is very enjoyable, and the characters are full of life and interesting. The quality of the English used, considering this is from an Estonian studio, is excellent and matches the command of a native speaker, aside from rare very minor proof-reading issues (switched letters, typos, etc.). I could ramble on for a long while, but suffice it to say I would strongly recommend this game if you're looking for something different in an RPG. Highly unique and unfailingly interesting, if nothing else.
I've played Fallout 1 and 2 to death, and this game is clearly... let's say, heavily inspired by them. However, it feels like the developers were more concerned with creating a 1:1 reconstruction of classic Fallout mechanics than creating a game that can stand on its own merits. Nearly everything that isn't borrowed whole-cloth from the Interplay Productions RPGs has the air of an afterthought and is implemented in a clunky fashion. The crafting system appears to be largely for flavour, the hunger system is mildly annoying more than anything, the fishing system actually crashes the game now and then (to be fair, these were the only crashes I got)... the follower AI is also just as irritatingly stupid as in the classic Fallout games, so well done on nailing that detail. There's a distinct lack of the "fun" elements that Fallout had. Atom RPG takes itself seriously. Laser guns, Bloody Mess, handheld chainsaws and giant robots are not on the menu. There are no critical death animations, which I didn't realise I'd miss so much until they were gone. The translation isn't bad enough to be funny... but it's certainly imprecise enough to be lacking any wit the original Russian had, making reading the mountains of dialogue a chore, and it's sometimes simply confusing or misleading. The story has failed to capture my attention in my fifteen hours playing. I really, really tried to enjoy this game, but it just made me want to play Fallout 2 again. Two stars because I have absolutely played worse games. I would not recommend buying Atom RPG and I won't be finishing it.
