Atomic Heart (PlayStation 5)

Just to preface this review, I did go into this game hoping I’d enjoy it. But I was also worried it would be another Cyberpunk situation. After clearing the intro and first facility, I’m happy to say I’m really enjoying it!

The good:

– the graphics are superb. I don’t normally care too much for this (nothing will ever beat Wind Waker in my mind, so I’m always one for art style over realism), but everything looks fantastic. The set and enemy design is brilliant, and I love the built in “lore” feature so you can see the designs in more detail

– melee combat is great fun. The axe especially has some weight to it, and you can see the marks you leave on enemies, which is a great touch. Sounds quite macabre, but I think good melee in games needs dismemberment, and I’m pleased to report you can really hack things up in this.

Guns are also okay, but I wouldn’t go too far beyond that. I’ve got two types of pistol and a shotgun so far. They’re nice to use, but it’s akin to using a bow in Skyrim in terms of how it feels. There’s not a lot of weight to the aiming movement, and it doesn’t show as clear damage. I’d compare it to Prey or Dishonoured for how guns feel

– the powers are really fun too. I currently only have telekinesis and an ice power. I could have unlocked more, but I’ve been putting all the polymer (crafting part for your powers) into telekinesis. It’s incredibly fun to lift an entire room of enemies and slam them into the ground.

An honourable mention at this point as well – you can reset your skills at any point with no penalties. So if you decide you want to try a new power instead, you can reset your perks/skills and allocate them differently. I really appreciate this, because it means you don’t have to grind, and you don’t feel like you’re missing out on certain abilities. You can always try them.

The bad:

– the protagonist is not likeable. He swears for every other word, and it doesn’t feel natural at all. He’s mean to everyone else for no reason, and acts like a 14yo who thinks he’s hard because he had monster for breakfast.

Near the end of the first facility, another character does ask why he’s so unlikeable, and he explains himself somewhat well. So I at least have some hope he gets better. I don’t expect him to change that much though.

– there’s a lot of set dressing. That’s not a bad thing at first! The environments are beautifully detailed, but you can’t actually interact with most of it. e.g. you can’t whack a chair and have it break under the axe, or even pop a balloon. It’s annoying when notice it, but I’m also very thankful to say there’s not yet been an issue with environmental objects stopping me from reaching other places.

– climbing. I watched/read loads of reviews before buying this game, and I didn’t see anyone mention climbing. Jumping up and down from ledges etc is fine, but there’s a moment early on where you have to climb a pole and jump to a ledge, and it’s painful. You’ll jump, and it’s a hope and a prayer that decides if he’ll actually then *connect* with the ledge.

Thankfully ledge jumping doesn’t seem to be a common thing you do like in Tomb Raider, Hitman etc. but it still can be frustrating for that one time you do have to.

– the story. The game starts very suddenly, and names are thrown at you out of nowhere. I’ve heard the story is a bit flat and basic, but it seems like it could have used a nice intro for some key characters too.

P-3 (who you play) knows everyone from the start, and the game assumed you’ll learn as he goes. I don’t love this method, and would really have loved an intro for some of them and for the world itself. Rather than having to piece it together slowly.

The logs you find everywhere are interesting though. The only other issue is sometimes you’ll cut off dialogue by mistake when you walk into a new room, get near an item etc.

If you like Prey, Dishonoured, and didn’t hate Cyberpunk, I think you’ll like this. The game handles very similarly to them, and I think that’s a big reason why I enjoy it. The stealth is there if you want it, but forgiving. The melee and fighting is fun, and there are some great characters (depending on your taste). And the concept and design is stunning – I love retro-futurism and sci-fi, so I’m loving playing in a world that really leans into that.

Just like those games though, there are some things that feel half-baked, and the story doesn’t live up to the concept so far. If you want a fun playground to dismember robots and the occasional plant/human hybrid though, you should enjoy it.