It’s a gorgeous game packed with lush forests, eye-catching architecture, and all manner of bonkers-looking machinery. One of the first things that struck me about Atomic Heart is its thoroughly distinctive art style. Atomic Heart isn’t reinventing the wheel in this regard but definitely adds its own flair into the mix.

You battle through sections patrolled by rogue AI units before facing off against a challenging boss. These dungeons are where the majority of main missions lie and comprise of learning more about the facility, the people behind it, and what exactly has gone wrong there. The scope of Atomic Heart is impressive, and seemingly unfolds and builds as you make your way through its many distinct and large sci-fi complexes over the course of its 20-hour-plus campaign.Ītomic Heart’s closest analogue structurally would likely be Halo Infinite - an open world littered with mobs of enemies and linear story dungeons to dip in and out of. It’s not the straight-up corridor shooter some may envisage, nor a sprawling open-world full of nooks to explore, or a puzzle-filled brainteaser. From there I’ve jumped around to several different points in Atomic Heart to get a proper feel of what it has to offer, consistently being surprised by what came next. The calm is short-lived, however, as – inevitably – the AI turns not so friendly and the game begins in earnest. Thanks to the big brains at the fictional Facility 3826, robots have been integrated into society and help relieve the public from everyday stresses and labour. Its opening takes obvious cues from Bioshock Infinite’s masterful introduction to Columbia as you take a leisurely trip through a peaceful alternate-history Soviet city. Atomic Heart lulls you into familiar territory straight off the bat, albeit in a very unfamiliar world.

Atomic heart game preview