I've been mainlining video games like it's my job (who am I kidding, it basically is), and recently stumbled upon something wild while juggling Obsidian's Avowed and Rebellion's Atomfall. At first glance, they seem like distant cousins at best – one's a dark fantasy RPG with magic swords, the other's a retro sci-fi horror fest with atomic batteries. But dig deeper? Boom 💥! These 2025 releases are practically twins separated at birth, both whispering cosmic horror secrets through radioactive mushrooms and dream-plagues. And no, this isn't just the late-night energy drinks talking – though they definitely helped me connect the dots between psychic meteorites and imprisoned gods!
Let's unpack Atomfall first, shall we? Picture this: me creeping through radioactive English countryside where everything's gone sideways after Windscale's nuclear meltdown. Except – plot twist! – it wasn't just human error. Nope, turns out scientists poked a 17th-century meteorite called Oberon 🪐 like it was a piñata full of candy. Big mistake. That space rock birthed autonomous robots but also woke up a hive-mind entity that turned the whole zone into a fungal nightmare buffet. The vibes? Peak British folk horror meets Chernobyl fanfiction, complete with:
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Mutated villagers who'd give David Cronenberg nightmares
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Glowing spore-clouds that make everything look like a bad acid trip
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That constant itch to scrub imaginary radiation off my controller
Meanwhile, over in Avowed's Living Lands (which I've affectionately nicknamed "Fungus Wonderland"), things get equally trippy. I'm playing as the Envoy, strutting through psychedelic jungles where Sapadal – an OG god locked up by new deities – is throwing a tantrum via Dreamscourge. This divine hissy fit warps plants and animals into something from a Dali painting 🎨. The parallels hit me like a brick:
| Feature | Atomfall (Sci-Fi) | Avowed (Fantasy) |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmic Entity | Oberon (Meteorite Alien) | Sapadal (Imprisoned God) |
| Environmental Mess | Radioactive Fungal Blooms | Dreamscourge Mutations |
| Victims | Thralls (Feral Humans) | Thralls (Mind-Slaved Beasts) |
| Communication | Telepathic Whispers | Dream Visions |
Here’s where my sleep-deprived gamer brain went 🤯: both entities aren't mustache-twirling villains! Oberon just got rudely awakened by drill-happy scientists ignoring warnings like they were Terms & Conditions. Sapadal? Just a celestial dude fighting jailbreak charges after centuries in divine timeout. Their "corruption" feels more like cosmic collateral damage than evil schemes. And honestly? Relatable – I too lash out when someone disturbs my gaming marathon.
The visual poetry connects them too. Whether I'm dodging neon spores in Atomfall's quarantined villages or sidestepping bioluminescent mushrooms in Avowed's ruins, the palettes scream "Toxic Wonderland Chic." Both games use color like psychological warfare – those electric greens and violets aren't just pretty; they're warning signs screaming "Don't touch the glowy thing!" (Spoiler: I always touch the glowy thing 🔮).
Philosophy alert! Underneath the gunplay and spell-slinging, these twins share DNA about humanity's hubris. Atomfall shows us meddling with forces we don't understand (looking at you, BARD scientists 👨🔬), while Avowed explores divine oppression cycles. Both left me staring at my screen post-credits wondering: "Are WE the thralls?" before my cat demanded dinner and broke the existential spell.
So yeah, what seemed like random 2025 releases – fantasy RPG and sci-fi shooter – turned out to be two sides of the same mutated coin. Whether I'm restoring Sapadal or containing Oberon's fallout, the message echoes: don't mess with ancient powers unless you fancy becoming a mushroom-zombie thrall. Pass the energy drinks – I'm diving back in to see if radioactive tea tastes better than mana potions! ☢️🍵✨
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