After finishing the incredible Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty campaign, I’ve been craving for a good FPS. And that’s when I came across Atomic Heart.
Atomic Heart is one of the weirdest games I’ve played in a while but in a good way. Since there was a new DLC out, I wanted to try out the game and see what it’s all about.
If you’re also thinking about finally getting the game and wondering if Atomic Heart is worth playing this year, here’s the answer —Yes!
Atomic Heart is definitely worth trying out, especially if you grab it on a sale. The Trapped in Limbo DLC, well, not so much!
Let’s dive in and find out why.
It’s Not An Ordinary FPS
Atomic Heart received some criticism at launch saying it promotes Russian propaganda. Yes, the game does take place in a futuristic Russia in a dystopian world. But it has nothing to do with the things happening in our real world.
This game takes place in a fictitious world and instead of using the overly cliche “USA good, Russia Bad” storyline, Atomic Heart does things differently. And I didn’t see anything bad about it.
All the politics aside, Atomic Heart is an entertaining and difficult first-person shooter. But it’s more than just an ordinary FPS, it’s a puzzle FPS.
Solving puzzles is a huge part of this game, which I was not expecting at all. When marketing this game, there’s little to no mention of how big the puzzles are in this game. However, those puzzles make the game less repetitive and more engaging at the same time.
My Experience
Unlike most other FPS games, Atomic Heart just drops you into the game.
There are no long cut-scenes or story explainers in the beginning, you start in a weird mechanical boat and listen to a conversation between your character and some scientist while you enjoy the scenery.
This was a refreshing change of pace for me. And I enjoyed the tutorial structure of this game. It wasn’t boring like most other games.
After going through a few initial tutorial-like missions, you get to dive into the main story. This is where things get interesting. I was hoping to go guns blazing with an AK-47 and blast through enemies. But, No! That’s not how this game works.
Stunning Visuals
I was able to push my new PC to the limits with Atomic Heat by using max graphic settings. And it was stunning.
In the opening mission of the game, I was in awe of the game design and the beautiful visuals were mesmerizing.
Despite being a visual-heavy game, it ran perfectly well on my machine. But the game did freeze once and I also had to restart from a save a couple of times during a mission.
Other than that, it ran smoothly.
Puzzle Variety Is Incredible
When the game introduced me to a cool lockpicking mini-game, I got so excited. I thought it was very cool and different from other games.
Then there were other puzzles for me to solve. Unlock doors. Carry around glowing orbs, find the batteries, arrange the right slots, etc.
That’s when I realized that Atomic Heart is not a shoot-em-up-style FPS. It’s a puzzle FPS game!
Some puzzles were fun to solve while a few were frustrating. But they all fit in perfectly into the game to make it enjoyable and not repetitive.
I also dealt with weird enemies figuring out how to defeat them. And learning to use different powers and weapon combinations to take them down quickly.
Combat Feels Engaging
You are given a slow-swinging axe at the beginning of the game and that’s your main weapon. You also get to craft other weapons like shotguns and machine guns, but you’ll have limited ammo. I mostly ended up using the axe.
Your character has a weird mechanical glove on their hand and this hand can talk.
You can upgrade this hand to give it powers and that makes combat interesting. As you unlock weapons and skills, you get to use them together to take down enemies.
Like blasting robots with ice to freeze them in place and chopping them down with the axe.
Every swing of the axe and every shot out of a weapon feels satisfying. I could feel the weight of the action.
The Horniness
Truth be told, I was surprised by how horny this game really was.
Many parts of the game were designed to attract a particular part of the audience. The skill and weapon upgrade machine in particular was extra horny all the time.
I’m not saying it’s bad though.
Trapped In Limbo DLC
As much as I enjoyed Atomic Heart, I could not bring myself to enjoy the Trapped In Limbo DLC.
When you get dropped into Trapped In Limbo after playing the main campaign, it feels like switching to Fortnite after playing Call of Duty.
This DLC features an entirely different art style from the base game and uses vivid colors and graphics that I’ve only seen in games made for children.
As the name suggests, Trapped in Limbo, picks up from where it left off in the main story and drops you into a dream world. In the main campaign, you do get to visit this world for a short mission but in this DLC, it’s blown out of proportion.
Everything in this world is made out of sweets. Even the weapons, enemies, buildings, and structures are all made out of candy and cakes. It’s the weirdest experience I’ve ever had playing an FPS.
There is some frustratingly weird platformer-style gameplay in this DLC where it forces you to go through seemingly endless slide missions that reminded me of mobile games like Subway Surfers.
You do get to unlock and upgrade weapons. But you don’t get to use them much as most of this DLC consists of very few enemies and lots of jumping puzzles, sliding roads, and annoying missions that don’t quite fit into the style of the overall game experience.
In all honesty, I could not bring myself to finish the DLC. After playing it for a couple of hours I felt nauseated by all the vibrant colors and weird graphics. And I felt sick.
Should You Buy Atomic Heart?
Atomic Heart is one of the best Puzzle/FPS games I’ve played in a long time. It offers replay value as you can try out different build varieties and approach missions in different ways. And the campaign and the story also kept me hooked from the beginning as well.
All the controversies aside, I’d recommend Atomic Heart to anyone who enjoyed games like Bioshock and Fallout.
However, I can’t recommend the Trapped in Limbo DLC as it doesn’t really fit well into the main game’s aesthetics and vibe.
Wait for a sale and grab Atomic Heart. Finish the game and then grab the season pass if you can get a good deal on it. The Annihilation Instinct DLC is pretty good and worth trying out if you enjoyed the base game.