Facility 3826 is a monumental achievement of design, with an outstanding representation of Stalinist Architecture and Socialist Realism. What I can say is Atomic Heart‘s narrative does not do its setting justice. He just chooses to ignore most of it because it clashes with the beliefs he already has. I thought perhaps the developers were molding him to be a dumb hero who just doesn’t absorb anything he’s told, but he’s not dumb. Not that I’m arguing his adventure should have ended with him getting a massive erection for western capitalism, but this dude straight-up waffles on basically every piece of information he gets. I actually become frustrated by his lack of growth given the many conversations he has that should have been the catalyst for some introspection. He comes into this journey as Communism Fanboy #1 and rarely ever bends. When looking at P-3, he doesn’t venture far from his initial view of the Soviet Union. While the narrative threads do touch on some interesting topics, such as how Russian robots are changing life for workers in America, it ultimately plays it rather safe with two equally unsatisfying endings. I was hoping the story would actually have something new to say, but there’s nothing here that hasn’t already been said countless times before. Once I did that, I was able to peel back the curtain on Atomic Heart‘s combat and realized it was rather elementary. It’s a sound tactic, one I was able to counter once I gathered enough Polymer to improve P-3’s speed and dodge capabilities. And it wasn’t unusual to face off against several robots at once and have one or two try to sneak their way around me when I was distracted by other enemies. You really have to be aware of your surroundings in this game because these robots enjoyed trying to take me from behind. But it was also due to just how quiet these robots can be. Part of that was me getting into the rhythm of the combat. In the early buildings of Facility 3826, I did encounter the Game Over screen more than I would have liked to, but it wasn’t an issue with the controls. That’s not to say I struggled with the game. Given that most of Atomic Heart‘s menus point to a game that was primarily optimized for a mouse and keyboard rather than a controller, the controls on the PlayStation 5 leave something to be desired. Switching between weapons is just as cumbersome on a controller as you scroll through them pushing left or right on the D-Pad. You can switch between these two skills by hitting up on the D-Pad, but I didn’t find it to be an intuitive system when trying to survive an onslaught of robots. While Shok is always equipped via the triangle button, P-3 can only equip two of his other glove skills at once, and only one of those can be used at a time. Other glove skills include a frost attack and shield, but Atomic Heart‘s choice of control scheme really limits a player’s ability to use their full suite of skills. To mitigate this disaster, Sechenov employs Major P-3, who, along with his Polymer-powered talking glove, CHAR-les, sets out to get to the bottom of this robot rampage. Robots, built with a substance known as Polymer that has been the backbone of the Soviet’s successes, have lost control and killed most of the workers at the facility. Back on the surface world, an area known as Facility 3826 is no longer operational. Its full launch is imminent, but before it can be brought online, some matters need handling. Dmitry Sechenov, arguably the most famous scientist in all of the Soviet Union, is set to unveil Kollectiv 2.0, a neural network that will connect all Soviets using a small invention known as the THOUGHT. A city, floating in the clouds, with people lining its streets and waterways conversing about how great life is under communist rule as they prepare to learn about the future of their empire. The opening moments of Atomic Heart can best be described as a Stalinist’s wet dream with how it depicts its idealized vision of the Soviet Union.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |