Atomic Heart - Review

Gameluster checked out Atomic Heart:

Review: Atomic Heart – Crispy Critters, Comrade!

Let it be known that if I have to hear the words ‘crispy’ and ‘critters’ in the same sentence again I may just begin my own communist revolution wherein I outlaw these words all together.

Of course I’m being facetious (possibly), but this grating phrase is uttered by the protagonist of Atomic Heart, Major Sergey Nechayev, far more often than one would hope. It’s a saying that’s repeated so often, and sounds so comically – for the lack of a better word – American, something right out of the mouth of a stereotypical hillbilly, that it almost feels like Russian game developer Mundfish were trying to make it a phrase that would be iconized by American audiences. ‘Trying’ being the operative word here. It’s confusing at best, given how Mundfish have been accused by the Ukrainian government for ‘romanticising communist ideology and the Soviet Union,’ though at the same time chose to tell a story (badly) whose crux actively juxtaposes with its pro-communist visuals. Apologies, I’m getting ahead of myself.

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Atomic Heart’s narrative lacks the gall to tackle any of its ideas thoroughly, and is made worse by having to endure it through the eyes of a tremendously unlikeable protagonist. Its moment-to-moment gameplay is passable at best, and a chore the rest. Though visually the game is beautiful, it’s not enough to distract from an otherwise hollow experience.

4/10: CLOUDY - SHAZ DOESN’T RECOMMEND