Atomic Heart has been a long time coming. After its initial reveal back in 2018 and a few early trailers, things went silent. However, the wonderfully bizarre soviet-era FPS will finally land this February. And it has caught the eye of gamers everywhere. Atomic Heart is built around a unique robot-infested open world. But what makes Atomic Heart and its approach to open world special?
Before we get into that, allow me to fill you in on all the juicy details about Mundfish’s exciting new game.
Atomic Heart is an FPS action role-playing game set in 1955. Events take place in an alternate-history Soviet Union that defeated Nazi Germany in 1941 thanks to early advancements in robotics. This was made possible by a miracle piece of tech called “Polymer”, invented by Dmitry Sechenov.
Robots eventually replaced much of the USSR’s workforce and humanoid automatons became commonplace. Things advanced even further with Sechenov’s development of an AI hive-mind called “Collectiv 1.0”.
In 1955, Sechenov is planning to unveil a new version of the neural network – Collectiv 2.0, nicknamed “Thought”. Thought links humans directly to the operating systems of their robotic companions by way of an implant.
However, Atomic Heart picks up right as things start to go badly wrong thanks to an unprecedented robot uprising.
Let’s take a look at what fans can expect from Atomic Heart and its unique open world…
Where Is Atomic Heart Set & What Is It About?
As mentioned, Atomic Heart chronicles the events of an alternate history Soviet Union.
The game follows Major Nechaev, better known as “P-3”. He is Dmitry Sechenov’s personal agent.
P-3 is dispatched to deal with a bloody massacre at Facility 3826, Sechenov’s research centre in the Kazakhstan mountains. The disaster has been triggered by a bug in the “Thought” neural-network that has caused robots to turn against humans.
P-3’s mission is to stop the disaster from spreading to the wider USSR. To do this, he must combat the robotic uprising and discover what caused it.
The player can use various different firearms and melee weapons to dispatch robot enemies. They can also employ Polymer-enhanced special powers like telekinesis, electricity, and freezing.
Atomic Heart’s Open World: How It’s Different
Facility 3826 isn’t just a small laboratory. It is a sprawling, open world complex of interconnected interior and exterior locations made to facilitate Sechenov’s lofty technological ambitions.
Rather than employing a completely open world to frame Atomic Heart‘s narrative, Mundfish opted for a hybrid system.
This was done to maintain “narrative consistency” akin to linear games while allowing players to enjoy the freedoms of traditional open world games.
Game director Robert Bagratuni told IGN that they felt large, completely open worlds don’t always benefit video game stories.
“We were aiming for more narrative consistency here, but not to turn it into a huge map with points of interest where you go from one issue to the next, completely forgetting about the story,” he explained.
Instead, Atomic Heart allows players to travel (by walking, driving, or swimming) seamlessly in any direction around Facility 3826’s open world. The story then takes them into contained dungeon like environments to complete missions and progress the narrative.
“When the player exits the first underground complex, where he is just beginning to immerse in the story and understand the strengths of his character, an open world awaits them. There are many interesting territories in the open world and also carefully hidden optional locations,” Bagratuni elaborated.
In summary, Atomic Heart aims to deliver a deep narrative driven experience while giving players the agency to explore its exciting world as they see fit. This sounds similar to God of War‘s use of realms to split up its open world, which was a resounding success.
When Is Atomic Heart Coming Out?
Atomic Heart‘s long-awaited release date is set for 21 February 2023. It’s due to launch on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Xbox and PC Game Pass subscribers will be able to play Atomic Heart for free on day one.
Are you excited for Atomic Heart? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
