Atomic Heart Reviews
And no matter how good it looks, it doesn't make up for the bland characters, the annoying world design with a useless map I didn't mention, the immature and ridiculous script, the odd sexism and the sense that you're playing something you'll likely regret.
Atomic Heart is a fun game showing a fascinating, well-built, visually impressive alternate world that handles everything it needs to do well. The action passages are significant, the abilities, weapons, and their use are fun, the difficulty is balanced, and it has excellent optimization so you can enjoy it smoothly even on older machines; the Russian dub is delightful, the English dub a little less so but still good, and Mick Gordon's impeccable soundtrack gets your adrenaline pumping whenever you need it. It's just a great action FPS with RPG elements. On the other hand, some animations and models are weaker, the picture tutorials are annoying, and the story is cliché. It's the first Bioshock, almost one-to-one, just in a Russian setting. However, this is balanced out by the awe-inspiring world it takes place in, which makes it sufficiently novel and original.
Review in Czech | Read full review
I'd be hard-pressed to say Atomic Heart is an outright bad game, and despite featuring some awful elements, there's clear quality in its gameplay mechanics, art direction, and encounters that highlight Mundfish's talent. Stories from before release painted the development as largely directionless, causing them to have to fashion it into something playable and structured near the end, and this seems evident in the final product. Mundfish bit off more than it could chew, leading to a lot of half-baked ideas that should have been scrapped and reigned in. It makes the game's greatest moments ultimately bittersweet, as deep down there is potential for something excellent.
Atomic Heart aims high and, even if it doesn't quite pull it off, is a decent shooter in an exceptionally realised setting.
Atomic Heart nails the art design and core gameplay loops but loses focus due to its vast array of game mechanics and untailored open-world segments. Inconsistent writing quality and inaccessible game design will likely frustrate many players, but Atomic Heart can still manage to be an incredibly fun adventure.
Atomic Heart is a good game on its own merits. The fun and frantic gunplay, outstanding visual design, and intricate level of detail in its world amount to an experience worth your time. On the other hand, it could have been so much more. The story and characters simply don’t do justice to the game’s thought-provoking premise, and some better writing would have done wonders. Despite that, Atomic Heart is still an exciting and memorable first outing from Mundfish.
Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.
Setting aside the game’s pervasive Soviet imagery in these complicated times, Atomic Heart is an often impressive game with too many systems and not enough connective tissue between them. Combat and other mechanics veer between janky, confounding moments and an exhilarating flow as the complex narrative tone swerves between disparate lanes. Atomic Heart can wow you, confuse you, and frustrate you in the span of a few minutes. Atomic Heart has the feel of a classic obscured by too many ideas that never quite harmonize.
It’s flawed, but there’s still a LOT I liked about the game. The combat is slick, the world design and visuals are fantastic, and the story definitely kept me intrigued right until the very end. It could have just done with trimming a bit of its filler, whilst a bit more development time could have seen the more obvious technical hindrances ironed out.
The mix of highbrow story concept and complex first person combat is certainly reminiscent of Bioshock, but this churlish homage has nowhere near the same nuance in terms of either plot or gameplay.
Atomic Heart has been steadily building up steam for the longest time now, but the final product hasn’t quite matched up to the hype.
Atomic Heart is a good game that buries itself in the shadow of great games. There's a lot of creativity, flair and intriguing design, but the game seems to lack confidence. This leaves the plot feeling a little halfhearted and some gameplay features feeling like they were there to check a box rather than actually add anything to the game. When Atomic Heart is on, it is on, but it spends too much time in the doldrums to keep it from truly reaching excellence.
Atomic Heart's fascinating settings and story, even combat systems are enough to attract worldwide gamers. However, be careful since the empty, lifeless open world is packed with bugs that hinder proceeding. Even the unfriendly UX is taking part in fading the charm of its strengths, the actual gameplay.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Atomic Heart has a lot going for it, but with everything compounded into one cumbersome campaign thus far, it may have been better buried beneath Facility 3826.
Things go horribly wrong and fall apart.
Atomic Heart has 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.
Teething issues aside, Atomic Heart is a remarkable achievement which I personally think is easily as good as the Bioshock games they so clearly draw inspiration from.
So far, Atomic Heart is a solid spin on the BioShock formula though it does seem to be a little lacking in cohesion. I'm not quite sure whether a more open-world approach really suits this style of gameplay and I'm not quite sold on the combat or the way it's been implemented. That being said, I'm still enjoying it and am looking forward to finishing it, so that's always a good sign. Stay tuned as we update our review and give Atomic Heart a final score over the next couple of days.
Atomic Heart is an ambitious game that has a lot going for it. Its unique world, stunning visuals, and exciting combat make it an experience worth playing.
Its plot is quite atrocious, and much of the exploration aspect feels tacked on without adding anything. The larger length than most games of its type doesn’t help it hold up, either. While the heart inside Atomic Heart beats, it’s more often than not with a very weak pulse.