Idle Atomic

About

Idle Atomic is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Checkbox Entertainment and was released on July 15, 2021. It received neutral reviews from players.

Idle Wasteland is an Incremental Idle RPG in a post-apocalyptic world. Level up skills, refine your salvaged materials and hunt mutant creatures to survive!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

58%

Audience ScoreBased on 288 reviews

gameplay11 positive mentions

grinding13 negative mentions

The game features a unique post-apocalyptic theme with engaging pixel art and a variety of systems to manage, making it visually appealing and interesting.
It offers a good balance of active gameplay and idle mechanics, allowing players to engage with the game while also having the option to let it run in the background.
Many players find the game addictive and enjoyable, with a sense of progression and numerous upgrades to work towards.

The game suffers from significant technical issues, including frequent crashes and a lack of a reliable save system, leading to lost progress and frustration.
It is not truly an idle game, as it requires constant active engagement and clicking, which can feel tedious and counter to the genre's expectations.
The monetization model is heavily criticized, with many features locked behind paywalls and a perceived lack of value for free-to-play players.

gameplay
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
66%
7%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a blend of idle mechanics and strategic resource management, creating an addictive loop typical of idle games. However, it suffers from a lack of innovation, unclear UI elements, and heavy reliance on microtransactions, which detracts from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the engaging mechanics and art style, many criticize the tediousness and lack of depth, leading to mixed feelings about its overall execution.
- “Idle Atomic is an idle/clicker game that blends simple interaction mechanics with a strategic layer focused on resource management and continuous upgrades.”
- “The gameplay centers on resource allocation decisions, upgrades, and unlocking new technologies, creating an addictive 'invest to grow' loop typical of idle games.”
- “Very enjoyable and fun gameplay.”
- “Firstly, it has several non-obvious UI elements, but there are no tooltips - so staying on top of increasingly complex mechanics is a no-go.”
- “The gameplay loop is non-existent.”
- “Everything in the mechanics is tailored to push you toward microtransactions, and even then, should you put money on them, they would only marginally boost your progression.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the charming retro pixel art and nostalgic aesthetic that evokes an old-school vibe. While some players appreciate the artwork and its fit within the game's concept, others criticize it as poorly executed and reminiscent of outdated designs. Overall, the visuals are seen as a highlight for fans of the genre, despite some detractors finding them lacking.
- “The post-apocalyptic setting with pixel graphics is nice too.”
- “Great aesthetic.”
- “The artwork is on point, and the game does what it wants to.”
- “The developers weren't able to arrange proper graphics and/or couldn't afford to hire anyone who could, so they tried to use ugly retro pixel 'art' to cover up their inadequacy.”
- “As a result, this looks terrible, like a reject from the 1990's, but with worse graphics.”
- “[b]graphics:[/b] charming at first, giving you an old school MS-DOS vibe, especially with the music.”
grinding
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely noted as tedious and time-consuming, with players reporting significant hours spent to reach end-game content. While some find it manageable and enjoyable, especially in the context of idle games, others criticize the small text and the reliance on grinding for upgrades and resources. Overall, the game is characterized as very grindy, with mixed feelings about its balance between fun and tedium.
- “It is an almost ludicrous amount of grinding, but it gets slightly offset by the auto offline scrapper.”
- “Having used a memory hack to punch through the tedious 'idle' mechanics, I managed to get my character to the highest level of armor in about 2 days, playing only a few hours every day.”
- “Notice: this game is grindy and not a true idle game, but in itself fun to play and manageable without any in-app purchases.”
monetization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn mixed reviews, with some players viewing it as a blatant cash grab from its mobile origins, featuring overpriced microtransactions that significantly impact progression. While there are no ads on Steam and some free items are available, many feel that the game is designed to push players towards spending money, making it a "pay-to-win" experience. Overall, the monetization approach is seen as predatory, with a focus on encouraging spending rather than providing a balanced gameplay experience.
- “While it does have microtransactions, they do not feel like a forced paywall and genuinely just seem to be a way for less patient folk to speed up their progress.”
- “No ads.”
- “- no pressure on you regarding microtransactions”
- “Cash grab on in-game progression items.”
- “In its current state, this is nothing more than an obvious attempt to cash grab from mobile to PC by these developers.”
- “Everything in the mechanics is tailored to push you toward microtransactions, and even then, should you put money on them, they would only marginally boost your progression.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its nostalgic charm while others criticize its repetitiveness and lack of variety, noting that there is only one song throughout the game. While the soundtrack may initially be enjoyable, many users recommend turning it off due to its monotonous nature and the lack of engaging sound design. Overall, the music seems to serve as a background element rather than a highlight of the gaming experience.
- “Really likes the music and the art style.”
- “The song is cool when you hear it the first few times.”
- “I guess the Chrono Trigger knockoff music is decent and it's okay to look at if you're not trying to read anything.”
- “The sound design is lackluster, particularly in the music department. The fact there's only one song throughout the game should be a warning sign to anyone to, if not avoid this game, make sure you turn it off.”
- “Turn off the music and you should be okay to hear the same 'thunk' for hours on end.”
- “I think the only way someone would enjoy this is if they're just mindlessly clicking and leaving it run in the background listening to the music.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
30%
The game's story is largely absent, with players noting a lack of narrative depth or meaningful context for missions and tasks. While there are regular interactions and activities to engage in, they feel disconnected from any overarching storyline, leaving players wanting more substance and coherence in the game's world. Overall, the experience is more focused on completing tasks than on storytelling.
- “But it could use some story for the world.”
- “No matter how much I advanced in the game, a story never made itself evident, so as far as I can tell, there is none.”
- “You collect artifacts, which boost this or that stat, but their implication story-wise does not exist.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report experiencing significant stability issues, with glitches occurring after extended playtime and recurring problems upon returning to the game after a long hiatus.
- “After a few hundred hours, the game glitches out, and then going back to it years later results in a similar issue.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “I experienced constant lag and frame drops, which ruined the overall experience.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is distinguished by its unique atomic-themed setting, which creates an engaging and immersive experience for players.
- “What sets it apart is its atomic-themed setting, which provides a unique and engaging atmosphere.”
- “Unique atomic theme with engaging atmosphere”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Idle Atomic is praised for its excellent optimization, running smoothly on a variety of platforms with minimal bugs and smooth transitions. Its lightweight performance allows it to function effectively even on simpler devices, ensuring an uninterrupted user experience.
- “From a technical standpoint, Idle Atomic runs smoothly on almost any platform, featuring smooth transitions and minimal bugs, contributing to an uninterrupted user experience.”
- “Lightweight performance, runs well on simple devices.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is criticized for lacking replayability, as players feel it has no definitive ending, which diminishes the incentive to revisit it. Despite extensive playtime, the absence of new challenges or goals contributes to a sense of stagnation.
- “No replay value.”
- “I have almost 5000 hours free-to-play in this idle game on mobile, but in my opinion, this game has no reachable ending and therefore no replayability, which I believe is the biggest factor in whether I would recommend an idle game.”