Can upcoming FPS/RPG Atomic Heart live up to its hype?

Originally announced in 2017, Atomic Heart is an upcoming first-person action-RPG from Mundfish Games. The sci-fi take on an alternate-Soviet timeline set in 1955 has fans eagerly anticipating the Russian studio's upcoming project.

The game recently received a brand new trailer, showcasing in-engine footage and cutscenes. Additionally, the release window has also been revealed to be a Q4 2022 launch.

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Atomic Heart boasts a surreal artstyle and gripping action

The brand new trailer delves into the setting, particularly highlighting NPCs and background. As it is already known, Atomic Heart's plot sees Russia win World War 2 after a boom in robotic advancement, but that progress also comes at a cost of human life.

By 1955, most of the USSR's workforce is manned by mechanical intelligence. This is where the protagonist P-3 comes into the picture; as a KGB agent, he is tasked with infiltrating a manufacturing factory that has fallen off the radar - only to find out that the robots there have somehow become hostile.

New gameplay snippets depict some powerups in action, like levitating foes -slamming them to the ground and slowing down oncoming attacks by freezing the assailant.

Enemy variety seems decent too, ranging from humanoid robots and organic mutants to freakish-looking mechanical beasts right out of sci-fi horror flicks.

The world design is certainly the most eye-catching element of the game. Aesthetically and mechanically, Atomic Heart is like a combination of Prey (2017) and 3D Fallout games with a bit of modern Deus Ex thrown in. In fact, there will even be crafting and hacking mechanics.

Gameplay sees P-3 traverse various abandoned facilities and outdoor environments while armed with melee weapons, firearms and a "polymer glove" that grants him various abilities, like healing or electrocuting enemies.

The Unreal Engine 4 tech is also in full effect and Atomic Heart will have ray-tracing as well. To top it all off, the soundtrack is being composed by none other than the legendary Mick Gordon of Killer Instinct (2013) and DOOM (2016) fame.

Atomic Heart saw a decent amount of attention back during the announcement, after which things quietened down a bit as the game geared into serious development.

However, back in 2019 there were rumors of the game staff being laid off due to incompetence, which likely affected the game too - and this allegedly resulted in a complete development reboot, with a new direction.

But if all goes well, there is a chance of it being one of the more standout titles this year. Here's hoping both the studio and the project will see a positive turnout, what with the ongoing troubles in the studio's home country. It is planned for a release on PC, PS4, XB1, PS5 and XSX|S.