Like one time, where there's this translucent polymer tunnel you're able to swim upwards through (because science) - except that it's just out of reach. It's a shame, then, that only at rare moments do the game's environmental puzzles align with your character's abilities in clever ways. Look, I'm not asking for Arkane's architectural brilliance here, but rooms and corridors in Atomic Heart, while pretty, just aren't built for the sort of stealth that seems required to survive. This sounds like standard stealth sim stuff, but the thing is that, in practise, the enemies are so sensitive to your movements that they'll immediately twig you from all manner of angles anyway. Take stealth, which encourages you to pick up objects with your glove and chuck them to distract enemy security cameras. He's counterbalanced a bit by your glove, who's also an AI companion, but I worry that character growth could be off the cards for ol' Nechaev. Occasionally he'd grumble at the objective set out before him, as if him being annoyed at collecting some orbs to open a door would make the experience more enjoyable for the player. For all of the demo, he made it clear he was more of a crass dude than an insightful hero, having called a robot a "fucking bitch" or shouted things like, "What in the sweaty hell is going on here?!". The game's main protagonist also has a habit of bulldozing through any ambience, or at least preventing it from building in the first place. Maybe you'll see her later too? When there's an opportunity to give the player some information, or just a chat with a friendly face, why not take it? Maybe you'll reunite later? I met a doctor tending to some wounded, so I helped her out. Then without so much as a natter, we parted ways. I met a hilarious granny who armed herself with a bazooka and blasted some malicious mechs from the sky. While perhaps not quite as atmospheric as say, Half Life, each level certainly compels you to push onwards and uncover its secrets.Īs I pushed on, though, it struck me that much of what I'd experienced so far felt oddly abrupt or half-formed, particularly when it came to sudden encounters. The early portions of the facility are wonderfully realised, as you tour the dishevelled offices of former workers or enter research zones home to a mechanical worm that's carved a network of tunnels through them. Confetti rains over vast crowds, a quaint river glistens, and there's one grand marble floor that's so spectacularly ray-traced, I'm convinced I saw our hardware editor James smiling back at me in its reflection. Developers Mundfish certainly spent some time polishing up the visuals, because Atomic Heart looks phenomenal. So, on you go, bashing bots as you move steadily into a darker, greyer, abode. Combat is difficult, if a touch stiff, as you must time your hits and dodge at the right moment. A fire axe helps you fend off lairy crash test dummies, with the usual light and heavy attacks, except the heft behind all of your swings adds a nice clunk to your smacks. After being attacked by a rogue bot, you're left stranded outside the facility and must figure out why the AI's gone haywire. There's no doubt the game takes inspiration from BioShock Infinite's first stroll through Columbia, as it's all candyfloss stands manned by floating iron spheres and giant holograms beamed into a clear blue sky you know it's just a matter of time before this sickly-sweet theme park will come crashing down.Įventually – after what becomes an overindulgent intro that begins to drag – a robot lifts you to a manufacturing facility that's gone quiet, at which point everything does, in fact, come crashing down. Congrats! You can scan the environment for stuff and shoot electricity from your palms. These people can control machines with their minds! An upbeat robotic attendant who sounds like an auto-tuned Taylor Swift hands you a special glove, as if to hammer home their technological prowess. Thanks to their magnificent leader, they've embraced technologies that could've booted Siri into the sun or made Freeview look about as advanced as a manhole cover. Atomic Heart's opening moments are easily its most impressive, as you, Major Nechaev, are ushered along the sunny streets of a USSR whose residents brim with positivity and cheer.
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