Crispy Critters

It has been a long time coming. Atomic Heart is a game that we have known about for nearly a decade. Developer Mundfish has been working on it for nearly three console generations. Now it is finally here and after this long anyone familiar with industry would fully expect it to be a mess. Atomic Heart bucks the trend and instead delivers on nearly all of its promises. This sci-fi tale creates a world that is full of wonder and interesting mechanics while managing to run extremely well on top of looking absolutely stunning. Combine all that with the fact that it launches directly into Game Pass and this is one game that truly everyone should check out.

The game feels very akin to something like a BioShock. The story takes place in an alternate Soviet Union where the country has become the world’s dominant superpower after World War II thanks to their advances in technology at Facility 3826. The opening of the game kicks off with some truly impressive visuals and world building as our character Agent P-3 makes his way to his boss’ office to take on his latest mission. Things go awry quickly as the robots flooding the facility all of a sudden go on a murdering rampage and thus our story begins.

MSRP: $69.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $69.99

The story is interesting most of the time. The main character is extremely eclectic at times with his goofy one liners and careless attitude. Once things pick up though and he discovers what is actually happening, it gets a lot more interesting. The voice work is decent for the most part, but the writing is downright ridiculous at times. There is a very horny robot that serves as an upgrade station that is downright embarrassing. The lines that are delivered here are full of cringe and I was always happy when the upgrade station I found was not named Nora.

The core game is a mix of combat and puzzle solving while traversing the world of Facility 3826. What I found interesting about Atomic Heart’s structure is that while it has an open world, it feels more like a secondary function to the game. The core aspects take place in various facilities scattered across the complex. The world feels more like in between missions where players can explore and find weapon blueprints and upgrades. I spent far less time in these areas and more time traversing the dungeons.

The combat is a mix of melee and standard shooting. Players will find traditional items like a shotgun or pistol in addition to more unique weapons such as a rail gun. Each item has a blueprint to find before it can be crafted and killing enemies and pillaging areas are how the crafting items are found. It is a relatively simple system that is not as intuitive as it should be. The menus where items can be built are buggy and the inventory management doesn’t do a good job of explaining what all the pieces are unless I dug really deep.

Combat itself is a mixed bag with melee feeling very satisfying when the hits land. Ammo is scarce so it is best to dispose of enemies with melee when I can. Animation takes priority when battling the baddies of Facility 3826. They can stun and knock P-3 down. Everything has weight to it and it takes a bit to get used to, especially when the game throws a ton of enemies at the player. It can be overwhelming for sure. When it clicks though and the music kicks in it is a visceral experience that feels fantastic. I admit I leaned heavily into a few weapons and spent most of my upgrades on those as they seemed to tackle enemies the best. I loved the MP40 pistol and the shotgun for most situations.

Atomic Heart is full of puzzles and areas that have the player going through each area figuring out what to do. These puzzles feel from a past era and I loved it. Each thing I had to do was different from the last and when I figured them out I always had that “aha” moment. Each area is also unique which can be both a blessing and a curse. One minute I am taking down this giant tree that is spawning saplings while the next I am in a boiler room cooling down furnaces. It truly is a diverse set of activities the game wants to throw at the player.

Not all is great with Atomic Heart though. There are some weird UI issues that caused pick up notifications to stay on screen until I reset the game. I was also super disappointed the game didn’t warn me before the final stretch so I could explore the world before finishing it. There is also no new game plus currently, which I hope they add in at some point.

From the minute the game starts one thing is perfectly clear, Atomic Heart is gorgeous. I was fully expecting this game to have loads of issues and framerate problems. Surprisingly this is one of the best-looking and best running games I have ever seen. The art direction is simple jaw dropping. It is one of the few games where I walked slowly through sequences just to take it all in. The world they have created is simply stunning. On Series X the game also runs at a nearly locked 60fps and just looks amazing. There is so much detail and so many assets used in this game that it is no wonder it took as long as it did to manifest. It feels like each area is packed with entirely unique assets and it is a joy to explore.

The enemy variety is also great with dystopian creations running around everywhere. There is a genuinely creepy vibe to the humanoid robots and NPCs are as well detailed as the world around them. This game feels like an adventure. The music is also outstanding with a soundtrack provided by Mick Gordon alongside some familiar tunes and plenty of set piece tracks. The whole package just comes together to create a world and it is fun to be in.

Atomic Heart is a game I was excited to finally play, but went in with low expectations considering how long it was in the oven. The end result is easily one of the best games I have played this year and an experience I recommend everyone dig into. It won’t be for everyone, but for those that it is for it will be an amazing experience. There is just so much to this world and I had a blast exploring the world of Facility 3826. I am still digging into the side content and hope they continue to iron out its issues as time goes on. I cannot wait to see what is next from Mundfish, I just hope I don’t have to wait another decade to see it.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.