Browse Categories
Atomic Heart Review: Red Alert In Commie Utopia
Credit: @Mundfish/Focus Entertainment/4Divinity
Atomic Heart has been at the heart (bad pun intended) of many controversies, and it’s the hottest game right now, both in terms of sales and with the whole Russian situation. Ukraine wants the game banned, and shill media are in full red alert to bring the game back to the gulag.
However, we’re not the type to judge a game based on the country of origin of its developers, so let’s find out what Atomic Heart is, and if you should give it a try.
What is Atomic Heart About?
Atomic Heart is set in a utopia where Communist Russia has discovered a new resource, which allowed it to create incredibly advanced technology, including floating cities, flying cars, and robots to work in their place. From the opening, the game offers something we haven’t seen enough in our fictions, an alternative past set in something else than America.
The game gives out Bioshock vibes from a visual standpoint, with this 1960s retrofuturistic style that we’ve seen countless times ever since, but the Russian twist, just makes it more refreshing. However, the comparison with Bioshock ends there, and Atomic Heart delivers a completely different experience.
Credit: @Mundfish/Focus Entertainment/4Divinity
Atomic Heart’s Gameplay: Loot, Shoot, and Loot Again, COmrade!
Open-Ended Motherland
Atomic Heart’s gameplay is not what you may expect from the trailer, and this has led to many let-downs from what we’ve seen with the Steam reviews. The game has an open-endedness to it, yet it’s not an absolute open-world like Far Cry. The game mixes many influences. It kicks off a bit like Dead Island with mostly hand-to-hand combat when the androids rebel, until you get your first guns. Still, in the beginning, it will be better to use your baseball bat (Did they play baseball in USSR?) to take down weaker enemies.
After the introduction sequence, the map is revealed to you, and you can roam around with what some may call a car, while we prefer to call it a tuna can. Then, it gets more akin to Fallout with enemies you can fight or not depending on your resources, and a lock picking system to open closed houses and get more loot.
Innovative Loot System
The looting system of Atomic Heart is something worth mentioning, since it addresses issues we’ve all been faced with in modern RPGs like Skyrim or The Witcher. In those games, your inventory tends to fill up quickly, forcing you to go back and forth to sell unwanted items and deposit other items in a sort of vault. Atomic Heart does things differently.
You’ll have a glove with little metal tentacles that can vacuum all the loot in your inventory without having to open every drawer individually. Not only does it save time, but it’s oddly satisfying. Furthermore, the game lets you transfer your inventory from your vault in the menu, so no walking back to the other side of the map to deposit a cup.
Overall, the gameplay is pleasant, with weapons and powers you’ll upgrade to take down large and larger robots. However, it feels more like an action RPG focused more on offering bombastic sequences than something like Bioshock.
Credit: @Mundfish/Focus Entertainment/4Divinity
Graphically Late & Some Imperfections
Atomic Heart is not a next gen game, it runs on Unreal Engine 4 and given the small team behind it, it’s a technical achievement, still it’s not as good-looking as what we can witness today like the Dead Space remake. However, the game compensates with the fun it provides.
Still, the game is far from perfect. As you progress, you begin to unlock new abilities and weapons, which are increasingly powerful. It’s all conventional and functional, but past a certain point, you’ll find your groove, and you won’t feel the need to upgrade. That’s because the enemies don’t really get more menacing, and you’ll just wipe the floor with them. Paradoxically, what some may consider an issue, also compensates for this lack of variety. The main storyline is short, and you can finish the entire thing in 13 to 15h.
Your character also loves to talk with his glove, which is a sort of Jarvis-type AI. It’s fine to explain the world and new mechanics, but it goes overboard with too many unfunny quips. Moreover, you can get taken out of the universe of the game, when the characters talk casually, while you’re fighting for your life in an absolute mayhem.
Credit: @CNN/MyTechPiece
Should You Play Atomic Heart?
Atomic Heart is far from a perfect game, it’s graphically late, and some aspects of it lack polish. However, it’s a fun game offering a refreshing universe, and if you’re still on the fence, we honestly recommend giving it a try if you’re looking for an action-packed FPS with mindless fun, and plenty of ways to approach combat situations.
More Articles
