![]() Naturally, the game is much more forgiving on its normal difficulty, but the top-level play did expose a few challenges with its core systems. I found myself naturally moving in my chair alongside my character, making combat feel particularly physical. Timing was everything, even on the simplest encounters, as if I was playing a punishing Souls game in first-person. I’d have to do some careful juggling as I pressed B to perform a strafing dodge and follow up with a heavy strike. Equipped with only an ax and a shotgun with just a few shells early on, I had to carefully duck and weave as agile androids launched a rush of deadly kicks and punches at me. My take on the action is a little skewed, as my demo was mistakenly set to “hard.” And let me tell you: it was, indeed, hard. ![]() I can sneak up on a foe to deactivate it with a button mash, but much of my gameplay would revolve around head-on action. After getting attacked by rogue robots, I’m thrown into a dark lab and forced to sneak around corridors as I loot for materials and face robots. Its opening “dungeon” would have you thinking it’s a standard Bioshock-like. In fact, I’d barely even understand half of it until the dev team showed me an overview video after my hands-on time. While narrative is at the forefront, Atomic Heart is also an incredibly systems-heavy action game. If you need any more proof that the lines between big and mid-budget are blurring, Atomic Heart seems to offer a shining example. There are some clever load masks here or there, but my demo has me seamlessly jumping between the opening stream ride, a massive palace, that aerial tour of the world, and the dark corridors where the action begins to unfurl. More jaw-dropping, though, is that the game does not feature a single load screen. Like A Plague Tale: Requiem, its hyper-detailed visuals punch well above their weight class. That’s made all the more impressive by its tech, which seems like an astonishing feat for a first-time studio funded by a AA publisher. Everything about the art design is triumphant, from its red-soaked streets to its varied robot designs. I gaze up at hulking statues of USSR leaders, watch a massive parade move through the streets, and get a bird’s eye view of the entire city thanks to a flying jalopy. My first hour is particularly engrossing as it plays with an awe-inspiring scale. While early trailers have purely emphasized action, I got a much more story-heavy experience that really let me bask in its creative alt-history universe. ![]() Regardless of how that particular thread plays out, I already find Atomic Heart’s narrative focus compelling. “If you need any more proof that the lines between big and mid-budget are blurring, Atomic Heart seems to offer a shining example.” Publisher Focus Interactive admitted that it was initially hesitant to pick it up initially because of that aspect, but the label seems confident in where the final game landed tonally, which is encouraging. It’s unclear early on if it’s looking to make a commentary about either, or if it’s simply interested in irreverent farce a la Far Cry. It takes some clear jabs at the concept of communism but swings just as hard at capitalism. Off the bat, I’ll stress that it’s impossible to judge Atomic Heart’s political ambitions based on such a small slice. Image used with permission by copyright holder One rogue hack later, everything goes south and the machines turn into murderous monsters hellbent on killing the protagonist, an intelligence agent tasked with finding who’s responsible. After creating a wonder material called polymer, the USSR was transformed into a communist paradise full of intelligent robots that live in harmony with humans. The story takes place in an alternate version of 1955 in which the Soviet Union won World War 2 and become a technological powerhouse. You can’t play Baldur’s Gate 3 on Xbox, but you can play these 6 Game Pass RPGs The impending Xbox 360 Store closure makes me wary of Game Pass’ future You don’t need an Xbox Series X to play Starfield.
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