Atomic Heart has been an anticipated game for years, coming from new developers ‘Mundfish’. The USSR- inspired game has been in development for the last half decade and has finally been released this February. Right off the bat, I must say that the game is not for the faintest of Atomic Heart.
The fictional world is set in an alternate history of the 20th century, where the Soviet Union is miles ahead of the world. The radical development was a result of the findings of Dmitry Sechenov, a scientist who in 1936 developed a liquidised programmable module called the ‘Polymer’,which sparked massive breakthroughs in the realms of energy and robotics in the USSR.
You start the game as a Russian WWII veteran with memory issues, Sergei Nechayev, who goes by the name Agent P-3. The year is 1955 and you are accompanied by a talking glove, an AI named CHAR-les. Sechenov tasks you to assist in the rollout of a new invention at Facility 3826, a scientific research hub. However, when P-3 reaches the facility, he finds nothing but confusion and chaos ensuing, you have to find the cause of all this madness.
Atomic Heart has been intricately designed, the graphics are otherworldly with lots of attention to detail. The developers have excelled in creating the atmosphere of an alternate Soviet Union. The devs have taken much inspiration from Soviet propaganda, songs, movies and the culture of the time to create a futuristic imagining of the USSR.
The re-imagining carries over into the soundtrack, which is comprised mainly of electronic metal alongside soviet songs played either in their original form or with a modern take. This background music accompanies combat sequences extremely well, especially the original soviet songs which are more light-hearted, which contrast the hard metal-clunking sounds made in heated combat.
The gameplay is complicated, but at a good level, fighting is pretty hardcore and you have to perfectly time yourself when switching between weapons. At the same time you have to manage your energy bar during combat against unforgiving robots. Guns slightly ruin the gameplay for me, as it takes away the joy of the mechanics of melee fighting. However they do have very limited ammo, forcing you to switch to melee. One cannot cruise through the game, it needs constant focus and hand-eye coordination as combat can be difficult to get right even in the lowest difficulty setting.
Atomic Heart’s main story is set in the facility, though beyond it is an open world for exploration and looting, which, unlike many, I found enjoyable. The open world is a good buffer between main-plot buildings, and works well as a break from the intense gameplay. Loot chests are littered all over and you can find parts for upgrades. I will say, however, that the open world does come with its fair share of annoyances. You could be taking a stroll admiring the Izba’s and suddenly a hoard of killer robots come at you. Inside the facility however, the encounters are paced really well, as puzzles and storytelling fill up the spaces in between feeling like a deserving break from the combat madness. It’s a perfect balance.
The storyline is interesting and engaging, and always keeps you hungry for more! I do recommend playing the game with the original Russian voiceover if you want the whole experience to be perfect, as the English dub doesn’t feel authentic and sometimes gets cringey. However, if you aren’t fluent in Russian, you might find it slightly gruelling to read the confusing amount of subtitles, but only in the beginning.
Also, due to the game being relatively new, it’s slightly buggy and you may encounter texture problems where something in-game is not rendered, or experience annoying crashes. Overall, I had a great experience with Atomic Heart’s immersive worldbuilding and game mechanics.
Totally recommend, a solid 4/5
Atomic Heart released last month with people accusing the developers of financially helping Russia in the ongoing war against Ukraine. If you would like to read more about the controversy you can read our article here: