Ukraine/Russia controversy aside, Mundfish Interactive has a curious beast with Atomic Heart. It’s a game that has all the elements in place to be the next Bioshock Infinite, yet certain limitations keep it from reaching that level. Still, it’s one of those games that you can’t step away from, if only because curiosity has you shaken up for the better.
There are aspects of the game that work really well, like the combat and somewhat over- dramatic boss battles that really drive the point home. But then there’s the awkward storytelling, the somewhat average voice acting and…whatever it is those twin synthetics are doing.
It’s definitely a weird one, to be sure. But if it’s creativity you’re after and you don’t mind spending a few hours in a weird little world, Atomic Heart could be just the ticket you’re looking for.

Welcome To an Alternate World
As if the Wolfenstein games didn’t already nail down the point of alternate history, Atomic Heart presents a nouveau 1950s world, with Soviet-based themes. Of course, it’s this background setting that has a few up in arms over the game, wondering if it’s actually funding any pro-Russian groups. But we won’t get into politics here.
Anyway, things get a little awkward with your synthetic buddies, and it’s up to you, a soldier named Major P-3, to try and turn the tables.
The general length of the game is about four to five hours, so Atomic Heart doesn’t really overstay its welcome. That said, the storytelling can be a bit rough to follow. There are times certain character decisions make sense, and when the easiest ending to the game is the shortest one, it might feel like you’re coming up a little short.

Still, the action is the thing, and Atomic Heart is pretty good. It’s cool to get into enemy skirmishes and crush robot heads into powder. The boss battles, though, are where it’s at. They really deliver a pounding in some cases, forcing you to think quickly and shoot back even quicker.
That said, I do wish the tutorials did a little more to get you into the swing of things. I kind of learned over the course of the game, and to some newbies, it can be slightly frustrating.
Perhaps an update that clarifies this a bit further would provide some relief.
At least the weapon upgrades make up for it, where you can really pack a punch against some foes. That doesn’t mean you’re invincible, but you get more power on your side, and that’s not a bad thing.
Overall, though, not bad for a first real go-around for Mundfish. Kind of makes me wonder where they can take a more established shooter formula.

Mostly a Mixed Bag On Presentation, But the Visuals Knock It Out of the Park At Times
Atomic Heart does show its moments where the polish is lacking. You might’ve seen the updates the game went through to fix some of these problems (hence the slight delay in our review). Still, you may run into a bug or two, which can be a problem for dedicated players. Otherwise, the graphics really deliver here. Mundfish has done a superb job putting together this world. In fact, maybe too good. It can take a while to get from place to place. Still, the imaginative design is hard to ignore; and some of the enemies look outstanding, especially the weird bosses and…well, those twin characters. You’ll see.

On the flip side of that, however, is the audio. The music choices are top-notch, and legendary Doom composer Mick Gordon did a fantastic job with some of the themes here. However, the voice acting comes up short in places, thanks to localization that didn’t quite take the best step forward. At times, Major P-3 comes across as more of a selfish guy than I thought he’d be, mainly due to the tone of voice. Otherwise, the sound effects are good, and most of the synthetics sound about on point. That is, not like a jerk. This area could’ve used a bit more balance.

This Heart Is Beating
Is Atomic Heart for everyone? Not quite. The gameplay does its job, but it takes a bit to get from place to place; and its short length keep it from reaching the heights of other story based shooter. There’s also something to be said about its story and somewhat weak voice acting.
That said, there’s still a bunch of goodness here, particularly with the visuals (when they don’t bug out), the gameplay, the Mick Gordon songs and the imaginative design. If you can overlook political themes and just want to check out something a bit off the map,
Atomic Heart is worth a look. Don’t expect perfection, however – that’s still Comstock territory.

The Bottom Line:
Atomic Heart isn’t a bad little first-time effort for Mundfish. There’s stuff to improve upon, but it’s worth the journey just to see what weird things are waiting for you.