Atomic Heart Review

Atomic Heart is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Mundfish. The game is set in an alternate reality version of the Soviet Union in the 1950s, where advanced technology and robotics are prevalent.

Players assume the role of a Soviet KGB officer who is sent to investigate a secret facility that has gone dark. As the player progresses through the game, they encounter a variety of robotic enemies and mutated creatures and must use a combination of weapons and special abilities to defeat them.

One of the unique features of Atomic Heart is its focus on immersive storytelling, with a surreal and mysterious atmosphere that is intended to keep players engaged throughout the game. The game also features an open-world environment that allows players to explore the world at their own pace, uncovering secrets and hidden treasures along the way.

Atomic Heart is hitting on all consoles and PC on February 21, 2023. It will be available on old-gen consoles like the Xbox One, Xbox One X, and Xbox One S as well as PS4 and PS4 Pro. It will also be playable on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. The game will be available on PC via Steam and Focus Entertainment Store. 

Atomic Heart Review

Initial release date:	21 February 2023
Platforms:	PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4,  Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows
Developer:	Mundfish
Designer:	Artyom Galeev
Genres:	First-person shooter, Action role-playing game,  Adventure game, Fighting game, Adventure
Publishers:	Focus Entertainment, Mundfish, VK holding, 4Divinity

Atomic Heart Storyline and Plot

Atomic Heart is set in an alternate version of the Soviet Union in the mid-20th century, where advanced technology and robotics have taken over various industries. Players take on the role of a Soviet KGB officer who is sent to investigate a secret research facility that has gone dark. As the player progresses through the game, they uncover a surreal and mysterious world filled with robotic enemies, mutated creatures, and other strange phenomena.

The game’s plot is centered around the protagonist’s investigation of the research facility and the strange events that have occurred there. The storyline is heavily focused on immersive storytelling, with a surreal and dreamlike atmosphere that is intended to keep players engaged and curious throughout the game. The game’s plot also features elements of horror and suspense, as players encounter strange and unsettling creatures and events.

The game’s world is set in an open-world environment that allows players to explore at their own pace. The setting features a mix of retro-futuristic and Soviet-era aesthetics, with a focus on technology and robotics. The game’s world is also filled with secrets and hidden areas that players can discover as they progress through the story.

Main character and other relevant characters

The main character in Atomic Heart is a Soviet KGB officer sent to investigate a secret research facility. The character is unnamed, but the game’s trailers and promotional materials suggest that the protagonist is a skilled fighter and investigator. The player’s actions and decisions will shape the story and determine the character’s ultimate fate.

Other relevant characters in Atomic Heart have not been extensively revealed, but the game’s trailers and promotional materials suggest that there will be a variety of robotic enemies and mutated creatures for players to face. It is also possible that there will be other human characters that the player will interact with throughout the game. The developer has stated that the game’s immersive storytelling will be a central focus, which suggests that there will be a variety of characters and factions for players to encounter and interact with.

It is worth noting that the developer has been fairly tight-lipped about the game’s story and characters, preferring to keep the details under wraps until the game is released. As such, there is still much that is unknown about the game’s cast of characters, and players will have to wait until the game’s release to learn more.

Atomic Heart Gameplay

Atomic Heart is an action role-playing game with a focus on immersive storytelling and a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere. The game features an open-world environment that allows players to explore at their own pace, uncovering secrets and hidden treasures along the way. The game’s mechanics include:

1. Combat: The game features a variety of weapons and special abilities that players can use to defeat enemies, including robotic enemies and mutated creatures. Players can use a combination of melee combat, ranged weapons, and special abilities to take down enemies.
2. Crafting: Players can collect resources and materials throughout the game, which can be used to craft new weapons, items, and upgrades.
3. Dialogue choices: The game features a dialogue system that allows players to make choices that can affect the outcome of the story. These choices can have both minor and major consequences, shaping the story and determining the player’s ultimate fate.
4. Exploration: The open-world environment of the game encourages exploration and discovery, with hidden secrets and areas to uncover throughout the game.
5. Character customization: Players can customize their character’s appearance and abilities, choosing from a variety of different upgrades and specializations.
6. Upgrades and leveling: As players progress through the game, they can earn experience points and level up, unlocking new upgrades and abilities to use in combat and exploration.

An alternate history set in the wake of World War II. A technological utopia hiding terrible secrets. A square-jawed, bloodthirsty protagonist. Mick Gordon spewing fire from the speakers. You’d be forgiven for thinking Bethesda just stealth-dropped another Wolfenstein. Alas, this isn’t a new adventure for the Blazkowicz family, but it does owe a great debt to that franchise.

Finally released after a lengthy dev cycle at Mundfish, Atomic Heart is an FPS set in a scientifically superior Soviet empire. The reds have made pioneering advancements in robotics and AI thanks to scientist and industry minister Sechenov. Automatons fulfil every need of the Russian populace.

Of course, you can’t have a society filled with robots without a robot uprising, which is exactly what happens in the game’s opening minutes. Our hero P3, real name Sergei Nechaev, is sent on a routine mission by Sechenov following a parade to usher in a new golden age for the empire. When the bots run amok, he crashes on a massive airborne biome with only an axe and his AI Char-les for company. Fighting through increasingly hostile facilities, he must uncover the cause of the uprising and track down Viktor Petrov, the supposed traitor behind it.

The plot quickly thickens with mostly familiar beats, but some twists and turns occur along the way. Comparisons to Wolfenstein extend to the B-movie setup and emphasis on popcorn spectacle. P3 cracks wise like his middle name is Nukem while Char-les quips back at him constantly — it’s banter straight out of the 90s. However, the script lacks the nuance and political bite of Machine Games’ modern cycle and rarely goes for anything approaching emotional complexity.

Conversations about the intricacies of a communist state and the unifying power of scientific discovery smash headlong into crass jokes and catchphrases (P3 is constantly yelling “crispy critters”). Elsewhere, there’s a sex-crazed, murderous upgrade station that spouts filth while you browse.

It may talk like an old-school shooter, but it walks more like an immersive sim, albeit one with a mostly linear path through its 15-20 hour story. P3 comes equipped with an experimental ‘polymer glove’, affording him a selection of powers that can be freely swapped out as the situation allows. Shielding, elemental damage, speed, and machine control can be equipped and upgraded using resources scattered around the levels.

It’s this ability system — along with weapon customisation and stealth elements — that brings Atomic Heart closer to BioShock (the floating cities bear more than a passing resemblance to Columbia). Likewise, stalking around the ruined buildings of Facility 3826, seeking out cost-effective ways to navigate enemy encounters with your toolset, recalls 2017’s PREY. Weaponry is sparse at first, with only a modified axe, shotgun, and energy pistol taking you through the first few hours. Ammo is scarce so the emphasis is on melee combat.

Enemies telegraph certain attacks to allow for a well-timed dodge counter, which never quite feels smooth but is useful when mastered. Later, as your arsenal grows, that vintage shooter vibe starts to creep back in. P3 goes from sneaking around corridors filled with bots and mutated plant people to blowing mechanised behemoths to bits while bickering with his glove. The option to go quiet and tactical is always there, but you can also use resources to make ammo and try to blast a way through.

Stealth is usually recommended in the semi-open world sections that connect the story’s main facilities. P3 creeps through communities ravaged by the uprising, with cameras and hostile machines dotted around the map. Shuffling around these houses and hoovering resources with your glove’s tendrils or interrogating the memories of dead androids is a nice way of breaking up the action between the game’s main levels.

There’s a lot going on in Atomic Heart, tonally and mechanically. It’s trying to be many things at once and doesn’t fully succeed at any of them. The writing is the biggest culprit, veering wildly between genuinely engaging and cringe-inducing. In one stand-out sequence, a pair of cybernetic ballerina bodyguards conjure a blood-red polymer demon with an ethereal dance. It’s a beautifully atmospheric moment. Minutes later, we go back to expletive-filled tough-talking and hackneyed conspiracy plotting. Uncovering the rotten core at the heart of the empire and finding out just who and what P3 is can be genuinely intriguing, but it mostly feels messy and rushed.

Glove abilities and weapon mods are plentiful, creating a playground of choice reminiscent of the aforementioned titles from which Mundfish borrows. That said, combat with multiple enemies feels clunky, while boss fights are skill checks that don’t necessarily respect your choice of skills. Projectile weapons look and feel great, but melee weapons don’t pack as much of a punch as the marketing of the game has touted.

Another issue is pacing. Each of the game’s levels are distinct enough, but the fetch quest objective structure and frequent treks through the open world can get repetitive.

The ruined farmsteads of Facility 3826 look great at least, with Unreal Engine 4 rendering stunning outdoor vistas and atmospheric interiors. It’s worth noting, though, that the version we reviewed suffered some crashes, with no identifiable cause. The open world sections have infrequent checkpointing, so crashing was a bit of an annoyance during our playthrough.

Conclusion

This mashup of shooter, stealth, and RPG wears its influences proudly but rarely matches them. Its alt-history setting is interesting and there are plenty of ways to approach the robot-killing, but these elements are at odds with messy storytelling and characterisation.