Atomic Heart is a retrofuturistic shooter set in the USSR, where you take on the role of Major Sergey Nechaev as you face a seemingly utopian world that is about to be flipped on its head.
This game generated a lot of hype since it was first announced in 2018, and it sold almost 200,000 copies in its first week on Steam. In this time, it also generated some controversy, due to its setting and alleged associations with the Russian government. You may be wondering if it’s worth exploring this Soviet world of robots, mystery, and explosions, so we break everything down for you here.
Review
Atomic Heart is a decent title that has had a very lukewarm critical reception, in large part due to its English translation lacking some heart (no pun intended) and its overall vibe paling in comparison to its clear spiritual successors of the BioShock series. It’s no secret that TheGamer hasn’t found much love for the game, with our editor Issy van der Velde rating the game a merely passable 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Atomic Heart is the result of 15 years of thoughtful world-building and storytelling, but fails to live up to any of it. Individual parts work well, and would fair far better if the padding was stripped away, but those who enjoy combat for its own sake will be happy with the amount on offer… [It] is three times too big and beats erratically, but its more confident components prevent it from flatlining.
While Issy praises the game's gorgeous cutscenes and captivating score and music choices, he also cannot overlook the predictable story, cringe dialogue, and bloated gameplay. He notes that the beautiful environments are quite a marvel to see, but are eventually easy to get sick of because of the many fetch quests and respawning enemies that make the whole journey a slog.
Overall, this is a game that doesn’t quite reach its lofty goals but still offers a fun enough experience for those that are looking for combat and robots.
In the same vein, lead features editor Jade King urges developers to stop trying to be the next BioShock, with the likes of Atomic Heart being “basically a lot like BioShock but also worse in nearly every way.”
The sentiment is further echoed by editor James Troughton, who feels that bad spiritual successors need to be laid to rest. James laments how games like Atomic Heart and Back 4 Blood are just some of the most recent in a line of titles that add “mechanics just to be different from the original… often ripping away what made them so special in the first place.”
Finally, it's worth noting that the controversy surrounding the game is due to its reported connections to the Russian government. While developer Mundfish has said that the game isn't political, Ukraine has asked for a ban on the game due to alleged funding from Russian enterprises and concern over game profits bankrolling Russia's war efforts.
Time Expenditure
It shouldn’t take you too long to beat Atomic Heart, even with the many sidequests and padding included in the large game. If you only care about the main storyline, you should be able to finish the game in around 15 hours.
Should you seek out a completionist route and dive into every side quest possible, you’ll have upwards of 30 hours of playtime ahead of you. This is largely due to the plentiful side content available in an open-world setting, with quest lines like Brave New World having puzzles, multiple points of interest to explore, and bosses lying in wait.
Of course, developer Mundfish has announced their intent to release extra downloadable content in the future. While there is still no confirmation on the length of these DLC and whether they will be full questlines, they will likely add more to the overall playtime.
Cost
Atomic Heart is currently $59.99 for the base game alone. You can also purchase the Atomic Pass for $39.99, which includes the base game, the unique Mida Glove skin, and access to upcoming DLC that will have new weapons, enemies, bosses, skins, and areas to explore.
You can also get the Gold Edition of Atomic Heart for $89.99, which already includes the game and the Atomic Pass. The priciest offer is the Premium Edition at $99.99, which comes with the game, Atomic Pass, a digital artbook, and the Golden Age Weapon Skin Pack.
Those that pre-ordered the game got access to the Labor & Science Weapon Skin Pack, but new players can purchase it for $4.99.
What Players Are Saying
More Like Atomic Heartbreak - Joe Parlock
I was so excited for Atomic Heart, and had been ever since the first concept trailers years ago. Unfortunately, I ended up dropping the final game pretty quickly, thanks to a combination of poor checkpointing, unsatisfying combat, and easily the worst-written protagonist in recent memory. Just go play BioShock again, that's still great.
True To Their Inspirations - Branden Lizardi
There's no secret to what kind of games inspired Atomic Heart. From BioShock to Fallout, you'll feel the influence in everything from the world and narrative, to the upgrades and combat. It doesn't do it perfectly, but it does it well enough to keep things engaging and satisfying. If you're a fan of the adventure shooter games of the mid-to-late 2000s, then it's worth playing.
If You Really Want To, Play It On Game Pass - Sachi Go
You’ll see lots of players urging you to play Atomic Heart in Russian. Listen to them. Within the first fifteen minutes of gameplay in English, I found myself wondering why I should care about the insufferable character I must play and hoping he’ll eventually shut up. If you don’t like subtitles, just reinstall BioShock.
This truly goes to show how powerful dialogue and characterization are in contributing to the entire experience because the game is otherwise a decent adventure that has beautiful visuals and interesting world-building that just might be enough to help you look past its flaws. These pitfalls are also way less bothersome if you play it on Game Pass instead of paying full price.