Atomic Heart
Atomic Heart | |
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Developer(s) | Mundfish |
Publisher(s) |
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Director(s) | Robert Bagratuni |
Producer(s) | Oleg Gorodishenin |
Designer(s) | Maxim Kolesnikov |
Artist(s) | Artem Galeev |
Writer(s) |
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Composer(s) | |
Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
Platform(s) | |
Release | February 21, 2023 |
Genre(s) | Action role-playing, first-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Atomic Heart is a FPS action role-playing video game developed by Mundfish and published by Focus Entertainment and 4Divinity. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on February 21, 2023.[3]
Gameplay
This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2022) |
Atomic Heart is an FPS video game with action role-playing elements.[4] The combat in the game consists of shooting and slashing with improvised weapons. A wide variety of enemies are featured, which may be mechanical, biomechanical, biological, and some of which are airborne. There is a crafting system where the weapons can be pieced together from metal parts that can be detached from robots or taken from household appliances. Weapons can also be upgraded via a mechanic called "casettes.” Ammo in the game is scarce, and there is a stealth option. Quick-time events are also featured in the game.[5] The player wears a special glove, the Polymer Glove, which grants him powers such as telekinesis, freezing, and electricity to defeat his foes. Its powers can be combined with both melee and ranged weapons.
Ammunition can also be upgraded with various elemental effects using canisters. These canisters can be looted and crafted, and then equipped by the player on both melee- and ranged weapons. If the canister depletes, it is discarded from the player's inventory.
Plot
Setting
Atomic Heart takes place in Facility 3826, the Soviet Union's foremost scientific research hub in an alternate 1955.[6] In the 1930s, scientist Dmitry Sechenov develops a liquidized programmable module called the Polymer, sparking massive technological breakthroughs in the fields of energy and robotics in the USSR and freeing much of the populace from manual labor. These breakthroughs include a networked artificial intelligence called the "Kollektiv" linking these robots together.
Sechenov also develops a device called "Thought" to integrate Polymer into the human body, allowing remote neural interfacing with the robots as part of an improved Kollektiv 2.0.[7] However, its official launch on 13 June 1955 goes awry, plunging Facility 3826 into chaos.
Synopsis
The main protagonist is a mentally unstable Major officer named Sergei Nechaev (nicknamed P-3), sent by Sechenov to keep the situation at facility 3826 from deteriorating. P-3 is challenged with combating robots that went haywire, failed biomechanical experiments and his own, ever-deteriorating mental state.[8]
Development and release
Atomic Heart is developed by Mundfish, an international studio headquartered on Cyprus.[9] The team has previously developed the VR game Soviet Lunapark, but ceased development and delisted the game in late 2018 to focus on Atomic Heart.[10] The studio uses Unreal Engine 4 and implements Nvidia RTX and DLSS technologies in the GeForce RTX graphics cards.[11]
In February 2022 a story trailer showed that Atomic Heart will launch in "#######BER", suggesting the game's release some time in Q4 2022.[12] However, later in November, it was announced that the game will be released on February 21, 2023, self-published by Mundfish in the CIS, co-published by 4Divinity in Asia, and published by French-based company Focus Entertainment elsewhere.[13]
Controversy
Mundfish has been accused of harvesting users' data and providing it to Russia's security services.[14] The developer denied the allegations.
The game has also become subject of significant controversy due in part of its anticipated release date, which nearly coincides with the first year anniversary of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Critics had questioned the timing of the release of a game featuring Soviet and Russian military themes. In response, Mundfish claimed that the company is neutral in world affairs and "do not comment on politics or religion".[15]
The response from the company generated even further criticism, prompting the game's music composer Mick Gordon to release a statement condemning the war while also donating his fee from the project to the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis appeal.[16]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | (PC) 78/100[17] (PS5) 74/100[18] (XSXS) 72/100[19] |
Publication | Score |
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GameSpot | 6/10[20] |
GamesRadar+ | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Hardcore Gamer | 4.5/5[22] |
IGN | 8/10[23] |
NME | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
PCGamesN | 8/10[25] |
Push Square | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Shacknews | 9/10[27] |
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2023) |
Atomic Heart received "generally favorable" reviews for the PC version,[17] while the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[18][19]
References
- ^ a b c "Atomic Heart Credits 4K". YouTube. GamersPrey. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ a b c Mundfish (February 21, 2023). Atomic Heart (Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S). Focus Entertainment. Scene: Ending credits.
- ^ West, Josh (February 13, 2023). "GamesRadar's most-anticipated games of 2023". GamesRadar+. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ "What do we know about Atomic Heart?". medium.com. March 19, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
- ^ Horti, Samuel; Prescott, Shaun (November 1, 2022). "Everything we know about Atomic Heart". PC Gamer.
- ^ NikiStudio (March 22, 2020). "Поиграли в Atomic Heart. Впечатления от визита к Mundfish (+ текст)". DTF (in Russian). Archived from the original on May 12, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ "Lore". Mundfish. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
- ^ "P-3". mundfish.com. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ Palumbo, Alessio (January 2, 2023). "Atomic Heart Final Q&A Part I – Mundfish Head Talks About DLCs, Delays, and Team Geographical Distribution". wccftech.com. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
- ^ Feltham, Jamie (December 17, 2018). "Soviet Lunapark VR Cancelled As Dev Doubles Down On Atomic Heart". UploadVR.
- ^ Palumbo, Alessio (January 14, 2019). "Atomic Heart Developer Q&A on NVIDIA RTX/DLSS, PvP Regions, Simultaneous Console Release and DLC". wccftech.com. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
- ^ Warner, Noelle (February 10, 2022). "BioShock-inspired shooter Atomic Heart gets a new trailer, release window". Destructoid. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- ^ Romano, Sal (November 2, 2022). "Atomic Heart launches February 21, 2023". Gematsu. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ Karpenko, Olha (January 25, 2023). "Russian developers of Atomic Heart collect gamers' data for the FSB via its website". AIN.Capital. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ Bevan, Rhiannon (January 16, 2023). "Atomic Heart Dev Won't 'Comment On Politics' Following Criticism Over Ukraine War Stance". The Gamer. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ^ Jiang, Sisi (February 15, 2023). "Doom Composer Donates His Atomic Heart Fee To Ukraine After Russia Controversy". Kotaku. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ^ a b "Atomic Heart for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ a b "Atomic Heart for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ a b "Atomic Heart for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Ramée, Jordan (February 20, 2023). "Atomic Heart Review - Crispy Critters". GameSpot. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ West, Josh (February 20, 2023). "Atomic Heart review: "A messy game with big ideas that are in desperate need of refinement"". GamesRadar+. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Cunningham, James (February 20, 2023). "Review: Atomic Heart". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Reilly, Luke (February 20, 2023). "Atomic Heart Review". IGN. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Bindloss, Will (February 20, 2023). "'Atomic Heart' review: back in the USSR". NME. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Iwaniuk, Phil (February 20, 2023). "Atomic Heart review – hand in glove". PCGamesN. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Talbot, Ken (February 20, 2023). "Atomic Heart Review (PS5)". Push Square. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Erskine, Donovan (February 20, 2023). "Atomic Heart review: Rage against the machines". Shacknews. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
External links
- 2023 video games
- Action role-playing video games
- Alternate history video games
- Communism in fiction
- Dystopian video games
- First-person shooters
- Focus Entertainment games
- Open-world video games
- PlayStation 4 games
- PlayStation 5 games
- Retrofuturistic video games
- Science fiction games
- Single-player video games
- Unreal Engine games
- Video game controversies
- Video games developed in Russia
- Video games scored by Mick Gordon
- Video games set in 1955
- Video games set in the Soviet Union
- Windows games
- Xbox One games
- Xbox Series X and Series S games