Atomfall is undeniably one of 2025's most unique RPGs. Its greater focus on mystery and non-linear storytelling, as well as its smattering of survival mechanics, make it a tense, action-packed, and player-led experience from start to finish. There is a lot to love about Atomfall - especially its phenomenally well-realized setting of the British Lake District - but there are also some issues with it, namely in the technical and visual departments.

Atomfall's mixed reviews largely point to a game that feels positively last-gen, something that is best experienced by actually playing it and not viewing it through its trailers and compressed YouTube gameplay footage. However, as disappointing as that may seem to some, it isn't perhaps as big of an issue in this case as many are making it out to be. Nevertheless, it does reveal a glaring issue with current-gen systems, especially the powerful PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Atomfall's Visuals Are Last-Gen

Low-Quality Resolutions & Poor Anti-Aliasing Bring The Visuals Down

According to the ever-reliable 2025's best RPGs that is let down by a myriad of visual inconsistencies. It notes the low-quality resolution textures, poor anti-aliasing causing the image to flicker and appear blurry, and inconsistent screen space reflections that see water flicker also.

All of this led to Digital Foundry labeling Atomfall as "distractingly last-gen", a fairly scathing critique of a game that released in 2025, a whole five years into both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S's lifespan. With talk of the PS6 and other next-gen consoles being in development circulating online, it can seem quite disappointing that games releasing toward the potential end of their life look more akin to a PS4 game. Of course, as much as Atomfall looks last-gen, it is largely saved by its phenomenal art direction and setting.

Atomfall's Art Direction Saves Its Visuals

It Still Looks Incredible, Despite Its Technical Shortcomings

It must be noted that Atomfall is a cross-gen release, something that may be hard to fathom in 2025. It is releasing across all currently available platforms, including PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. As a result, it had to make important sacrifices in order to run across all platforms, which, in turn, resulted in great performance but poor visual quality. There's even a good chance that its technical shortcomings will also help it get onto the Nintendo Switch 2 when it releases, potentially even serving as a Switch 2 third-party launch title.

The gorgeous flora-filled rolling hills and dense forests of the Lake District, crumbling idyllic village, and terrifyingly tense bunkers all work in conjunction to make Atomfall look incredible, despite the objective technical flaws.

However, none of this really matters as, unlike some modern last-gen-looking games, Atomfall largely gets by thanks to its great art direction. The gorgeous flora-filled rolling hills and dense forests of the Lake District, crumbling idyllic village, and terrifyingly tense bunkers all work in conjunction to make Atomfall look incredible, despite the objective technical flaws. While the screen does flicker and distant objects can look blurry, much like the visually inconsistent FF7 Rebirth, you don't really notice it in Atomfall as you're so taken in by the gorgeous scenery.

Next-Gen Games Often Don't Look Better Than Last-Gen Ones

We're Stuck In The Past

Atomfall isn't the only example of next-gen games looking "last-gen". Starfield stands out as a notable example, a game that not only looks like it could run perfectly fine on an Xbox One but also plays like a game from that era with its endlessly maligned loading screens and barren environments. Similarly, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was a cross-platform release, with its disastrous last-gen ports revealing that it is absolutely time developers move away from ing consoles that should have died five years ago.

A big reason for these positively last-gen-looking games is that, to a degree, the gap in visual fidelity between this generation and its predecessor isn't nearly as great as it was between the PS3 and PS4. Of course, there have been significant technological advancements, and there are a plethora of behind-the-scenes technological miracles that are allowing games like Space Marine 2 to look as good as they do. But when you're just playing the majority of next-gen games, unless you have them side by side with a direct last-gen competitor, it can often be hard to discern a noticeable difference.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2, for example, is definitely more technologically advanced than its predecessor and definitely looks better, but in motion, it can be hard to really tell that. The same can be said of God of War Ragnarök or really most PlayStation first-party games. That isn't a slight against them or any current-gen AAA game, but rather recognizing the eventual ceiling for discernible visual improvements between generations. That's why art direction is so important in a video game, as it can mask a lot of that, and Atomfall proves that without a shadow of a doubt.

Source: Eurogamer, Digital Foundry/YouTube