Robots are out of control, once-dead creatures walk again, and traps have been set to ensnare any who enter. On arrival it's clear that everything is, to put it mildly, royally fucked. You play Major Nechaev, a mentally unstable KGB special agent codenamed P-3, and the government has sent you to investigate a manufacturing facility that's fallen silent. Robots have been mass-produced to help with agriculture, defence, timber production and simple household chores-and now they're starting to rebel. all these innovations are submerged in the atmosphere of communism, confrontation with the imperialism of the West and all the other inherent political and social aspects of the time.” As Mundfish CEO Robert Bagratuni told IGN, the USSR still exists in this reality, "but a technical revolution has already taken place: robots, the Internet, holograms have already been invented. The devs say the story is a bit like an episode of Black Mirror-if the show were set in a warped version of the Soviet Union sometime between the '30s and '60s. (Image credit: Mundfish) What's the story? The premise? While we weren't hooked by what we saw of the narrative, the humor, and playstyle options in the demo, we'll see whether the remaining 90% of the game redeems its first impressions when it arrives in February. Somewhere around the "quippy protagonist and repeated robot sex jokes" level. If you were hoping the raw weirdness of Atomic Heart's trailers would translate into a game of sober, psychological introspection on the history of Soviet socialism-as you should-you might want to start setting your expectations a little lower. Our Atomic Heart preview tempered our hopesĪfter getting some hands-on Atomic Heart demo time in January, the impressions we gathered in our Atomic Heart preview weren't quite as high as we'd have liked. In revealed gameplay previews, between the maelstrom of things meeting violent ends, there are lots of combat options on display-all sorts of powers from the player's left hand, like telekinesis and ice jets, with equally varied weaponry in the right, including pistols, electrified rifles, and a pitchfork that's also apparently a big pair of scissors. Its combat is a mixture of shooting and melee with improvised weapons, and the scarcity of ammo means you'll want to sneak through some areas, too. But when something looks this good, you can’t help but wonder what’s missing.An alternate reality Soviet-era first-person combat game with killer robots, clown-themed torture chambers, and grandmas trapped in flowing molecular gloop. The logic is sound, if all criticism comes from a place of unmet expectation, that would be unfair. It has some clear strengths, like its first in class art direction and gunplay, however these are far outweighed by the game’s faults.” AusGamers was even less impressed, awarding it a 5.8 score, saying “There’s a school of thought that when it comes to a review, you should discuss the content of a game versus what it doesn’t have. Eurogamer Germany called it “a Bioshock-clone with a confusing, often unsatisfying story and many elements that seem unfinished.” Aussie outlet WellPlayed said Atomic Heart displayed “an impressive command of aesthetics and occasionally gives you the tools to enjoy its world, but an unstable console build, unsatisfying systems and complete misfire of a script prevent these atoms from achieving the necessary fusion.” Press Start gave it a rare 6.5, saying “ Atomic Heart is an exercise in excess. PCGamesN said that though the game has some “cringeworthy moments and occasional design missteps, … the way your abilities and the enemy ecosystem combine is a constant thrill.” Though Dexerto wasn’t sure the game would live long in the memory, it felt that Mundfish “executes many of its ideas very well, delivers a solid story, and actually manages to innovate in a genre where it would be easy to remain stagnant.” Aussie outlet Checkpoint Gaming gave it a 7.5, calling it “a compelling and exciting sci-fi action RPG, with a unique and well-developed setting.” The middlingĭown into the 6.5’s and below we go. The positiveįrom this rapturous applause, scores quickly descend into the 8’s and the high 7’s. And that, unfortunately, is where the most radiant praise for the game ends.
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