Chris InglisSurvive the Fall is a post-apocalyptic survival game developed by Angry Bulls Studio and published by Toplitz Productions. The game launched on May 23, 2025 and attempts to carve its own niche by emphasising the collective struggle for survival as a community. Starting with some initial survivors, you eventually come to a settlement that you need to turn into a safe haven for more survivors, and you put them to work clearing debris and erecting buildings and machinery to research new gear and continue to survive.
From the game’s Steam page, the story is about a meteor strike that has brought an end to civilization as we knew it. Humanity is on the brink of extinction. However, after years of uncertainty, sudden climate changes, extreme temperatures and other catastrophes, conditions seem to have improved to a point that it is possible to explore and re-populate this post-apocalyptic Earth.
The game is advertised as open world, and at first it seemed I was being sent out on linear missions to progress the story and find loot that you can bring back to build and research more back at base. However, I learned there are obstacles in your way such as requiring a rope, torch, or lockpicks that will then enable access to explore further. This meant the explorable areas became much more open and exciting to see what else I could find the further I branched out.
The core loop of mission gameplay is familiar to survival games – explore derelict ruins, scavenge for vital resources, track animal or monster movements, defeat enemies, return to and construct a defensible base, and craft the tools necessary to endure. There is much more depth available as you unlock new tech and explore more areas.
When on-mission, you control up to three characters and when faced with an option to search for loot or to attack an enemy, you can assign survivors to these tasks with Q and E, or perform the action yourself with the character you are controlling by pressing F. You can also see the view arc of enemy creatures, combined with crouching for cover, allows you to plan out stealth attacks when required. Inventory is limited though, so once full you need to decide whether to throw away valuable resources to continue searching, or fast travel out with what you’ve found that will definitely help the settlement.
Armed with melee or ranged weapon options, and utilising tactical pause, you can plan out your movements and attacks with precision. Sound also must be taken into consideration. When looting, you have the option to speed up the search however this will make louder sounds in your immediate vicinity, so you must be aware of what’s around you at the time. Similarly, if you are facing overwhelming numbers of enemies, creating a sound distraction might peel away some of them so you can thin the herd. Pressing X will highlight footprints of foes that have walked the same path, adding some immersion and intrigue of the unknown habitants ahead.
Once back at base, Survive the Fall adds a significant emphasis on managing a growing community. This isn’t just about keeping yourself alive; it’s about ensuring the well-being of your recruited survivors, each with their own needs and skills. In the bottom left corner of the UI you can see all survivors’ statistics from health, hunger and tiredness, and send them within the settlement to have those needs met. You can only spend a single day at the settlement before the next mission, with time indicated in the top right of the UI. You need to make your time count and can pause or speed up time to think about and complete tasks.
Each survivor also has useful perks that can help in areas of the settlement such as talented builder, scavenger, trapper, and more specific skills. This dynamic adds some strategic depth in terms of who you task to complete activities and who you send on successive missions, knowing some are going to get hurt or corrupted, and how you deal with them being out of action. You can also automate food consumption at the settlement such as eating and resting, however you will want to ensure your stockpile of food and other items is sufficient.
The crafting system is great, offering a satisfying sense of progression from making standard tools to researching advanced technologies. Similarly, the base-building mechanics gives you the freedom to plan and create sprawling and strategically sound settlements. Resource scarcity and relentless enemy encounters in the early missions can be a challenging learning experience for some. Structures in the settlement also suffer from wear and tear and you will need to use resources to repair them along the way.
Visually the game paints a bleak and atmospheric picture of a world in ruins. While the environmental detail and creature design are decent enough for the isometric viewpoint, the overall graphical fidelity might not stand toe-to-toe with comparative AAA games. The game performed well on my ageing system and the music added to the game’s overall atmosphere.
Overall, Survive the Fall is an exciting and engaging survival experience once you have unlocked technologies and started to map out the explorable lands. Its focus on community and settlement management offers a unique twist on the genre, demanding a more strategic approach to survival than simply surviving alone. There is a good mix of exploration, combat and story intrigue to keep you invested along the way and is well worth checking out.
This review utilised a key provided by Games Branding and Survive the Fall is out now on Steam, GOG and Epic Games Store.
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