Gameplay

gen ATLAS is a single-player, open-world action-adventure played from a third-person perspective. It balances human-scale action with the scale of colossal machines.

Combat

The human-scale protagonist fights using firearms, blasting enemies in third-person shooter combat, a notable departure for the studio. It is the first of the director's games to feature firearms, a choice he has said fits the sci-fi setting rather than a deliberate break from his earlier work. Enemies shown include hordes of smaller machines as well as towering ancient robots. When in control of a giant machine, the player can battle other colossal foes directly.

Not a Shooter

Despite the shooting, the director has been clear that gen ATLAS is not a shooter. Firearms are not the only way to make progress, and the game does not reward racking up kills with higher scores. The gun is there to help the player overcome specific challenges and obstacles in the moment, an efficient option for getting through a sequence rather than the focus of play. How much it is used is left up to the player.

Scale and Discovery

The game moves between intimate, human-scale moments and vast, machine-scale spectacle. In keeping with the studio's approach, exploration centers on reaching places that first appear out of reach, with the colossal robot opening new paths. See Traversal and Exploration for movement.

Communication

Because the player is paired with a robot rather than a silent companion, gen ATLAS carries more on-screen text than the director's earlier games. He has said the sci-fi setting naturally supports a conversation log that records exchanges as the player moves through the world, so communication is felt more directly than the near-wordless bonds of his previous titles.