It’s like TV series: during the first season, actors are still getting to know their character, so the show really kicks into gear only from season 2. Same thing here: original Atom RPG was still searching for its identity, but Trudograd shows that it was finally found, and now Atom is a franchise of its own. [Issue#256, p.60]
Trudograd is not as varied and expansive as I expected, but, all in all, it’s a very decent role-playing game and a notable improvement over the original Atom RPG.
I am pissed at ATOM RPG Trudograd, as it is made with love and competence in every feature, but it neglects and trivializes the fighting too much, which instead should be a big part of Fallout's legacy. The result is still a great game with excellent writing and dozens of side quests, but when a shootout feels like a bothersome interruption, something is amiss.
The follow-up to ATOM RPG has the same quality writing and polish, alongside improvements to the graphics and mechanics. Despite suffering from some of the same issues, this makes ATOM RPG: Trudograd a strict upgrade to its predecessor and a must play for lovers of cRPGs.
The game is okay, but nothing more. It simply has too many shortcomings to be considered a successor to Fallout 1/2. Technically, Trudograd is far ahead of the aforementioned titles, but not in terms of gameplay or atmosphere. The Soviet setting seems like a good idea, but is completely destroyed by the imposed and artificial humor. The game tries hard to be funny, but it comes across rather silly instead. I clicked through most of the dialog because it didn't appeal to me and I couldn't care less about the characters. Just like in Fallout, the game consists of a lot of individual, small maps separated by a travel system that triggers random encounters. With today's technical capabilities, something larger could have been built. The flow of the game is completely lost this way, as virtually no quest can be completed without visiting at least two maps. This means that you have to constantly travel back and forth, which quickly becomes annoying due to the increasingly frequent and difficult random encounters. Independent exploration is neither encouraged nor rewarded, and there are hardly any interesting locations. The quests are unbalanced and the combat system feels even clunkier than in Fallout 1. At some point, the game became too tiring for me and I put it down. My recommendation: Go play the Olympus 2207 total conversion mod for Fallout 2 instead if you haven't already.
SummaryAtom RPG: Trudograd is a turn-based post-apocalyptic roleplaying game, which continues the story of Atom RPG as a stand-alone sequel/expansion, and follows the traditions set by classic cRPGs such as the early Fallout and Wasteland titles.