Many video game narratives venture into twisted versions of reality, andAtomic Heartis no different. Developer Mundfish isn’t really shying away from its inspirations, for better or worse, although there are quite a few specific comparisons being made with its recent launch. As a story-driven FPS, some believe it takes cues from popular settings by building a world that seems doomed by design. Like theBioShockfranchise,Atomic Heartputs players at the center of an unraveling society, and much of the action also assumes an interactive, first-person perspective with hostile environments and role-playing elements.
The connections between Mundfish’s release andBioShockare not exact, even if it does indicate a shared interest in games that embrace immersive forms of alternate history. Fans may recognize a formula that’s inspired by other atmospheric shooters, but ultimately, the fiction is key. Setting itself apart,Atomic Heartprimarily revolves around cultural motifs from the time of the Soviet Union. The title has a retrofuturistic flair that technicallymakes it a game likeBioShock, yet its theme is one where questions of labor, technology, and power collide with disastrous results.
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BioShock and Atomic Heart Deconstruct Utopian Themes
Atomic Heart’s opening sequence transports players into an alternate 1950s with humans and machines living together in harmony. The peace does not last long, however, and this sets the stage for a conspiracy where technology has gone haywire. WhileBioShock’s Rapture was a utopian paradiseundone by its powerful Plasmids,Atomic Hearthas the Polymer - an artificial substance that brought about a scientific revolution in the years preceding the main story. This premise has deep implications for humanity’s future, leaving players vulnerable to all sorts of dangers as they progress.
BioShockshifted the conversation of games as art, and it did so through storytelling that was directly intertwined with gameplay. The beginnings ofAtomic HeartandBioShockoffer tours of their respective settings before chaos ensues, just as players realize things are taking a turn for the worse. Taking an even closer look at 2K’s franchise,BioShock Infinite’s flying city of Columbia could be another slight reference for the introductory Chelomey Complex which hovers above the research facilities below. There are thematic differences over the course of each game, nevertheless,Atomic Heart’s missions guide protagonist P-3 to similarly dystopian discoveries.
Whereas Rapture and its founder Andrew Ryan were based on an elitist form of Objectivism, Mundfish’s setting grapples with Soviet-era communism as a way to contextualize its characters' motivations. Both games portray visionaries who serve as archetypal characters in the universe - Andrew Ryan as the individualist tycoon, and Dr. Sechenov as the collectivist scientist. Those roles embody ideologies that are very much opposed to one another, but they carry equal significance even when their stories differ drastically. Players can also expect to find audio logs throughoutAtomic Heart’s Facility 3826in addition to experimental atrocities that exemplify the unbridled ambitions of the Kollective AI architecture.
Atomic Heart’s Fusion of First-Person Gunplay and Abilities
Rather than relying solely on weaponry,Atomic Heartprovides players with superhuman abilities akin toBioShock’s elemental Plasmids. Functionally, the Polymer-infused glove levels the playing field mid-battle, and upgrades further strengthen their defensive capabilities with telekinesis, electricity, and frost. Besides the aforementioned powers, it is also possible to mod equipment in between battles, and resource collection plays an important part in that process. Progression indeed differs from theBioShockgames overall, but there are safe rooms containing save stations and vending kiosks that are reminiscent of the Vita-Chamber checkpoints in Rapture.
Atomic Heartis designed to offer a bit more fluidity by chaining attacks with evasive actions, though it might be fair to say that this comes with the benefit of being a new title.BioShock Infinitealso impressed a feeling of intensity with its Sky-Hook device, letting players soar across Columbia while simultaneously fending off attackers, soAtomic Heartis not entirely revolutionary in this respect. Still, given the contrasting settings, Mundfish could have enough of its own non-linear tricks to stand out among otherterrifying utopian games.
Atomic Heartis available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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