If some people may have forgotten about Atomic Heart, we wouldn’t blame them. Initially announced in 2018, the Russian-developed sci-fi title was pretty much swept under the rug. Most people forgot about the game as it was quietly undergoing development. Unfortunately, rumors and various accusations started to appear online that tarnished the game’s and Mundfish’s (the development studio) reputation, though the company refuted the claims in statements.
Fast forward to today, and it seems that Atomic Heart is still alive and kicking, albeit still in development. The information comes from a Russian gaming service YouTube channel 4game which has released a 44 minute video about Atomic Heart. Although the video is fully in Russian, there are English sub-titles so that those who do not speak the language can keep up with the video and understand what is being presented to them.
Video presenter Alexey Makarenkov discusses and talks about his four-hour presentation of Atomic Heart, packed with additional information and gameplay footage. Makarenkov does state that he wasn’t allowed to record any of his gameplay as he wanted to. The reasoning for that is because when the trailer was revealed, the developers showcased some of the best bits of the game (at the time), and set the bar too high for themselves. As such, any shown gameplay would have to reflect that. Ultimately, Makarenkov explains that most of the footage was recorded by the developers themselves, or taken from trailers.
In regards to the gameplay, Makarenkov says that he played across five different areas and talks about each of the areas in a bit more detail. One thing to note is that enemies in each area form their own ecosystems with players to engage with. One example deals with a bee-like security camera system. Specifically, the “bees” live in a hive-like system and if a player gets spotted by an enemy or a security system, the bees will be released and hunt down the player. However, if the bees do not find the player, they will go out into the level and start repairing destroyed enemies. It is possible to shut down the hive, thus limiting the number of bees.
All in all, Atomic Heart looks like a promising title that may remind players of Fallout and Bioshock, but with its own unique twist. Hopefully, the game undergoes smooth development and will essentially release despite rumors.
Source: PCGamer, Push Square
