Atomic Heart Review (PS5) | Push Square

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An alternate history set in the wake of World War II. A technological utopia hiding terrible secrets. A square-jawed, bloodthirsty protagonist. Mick Gordon spewing fire from the speakers. You'd be forgiven for thinking Bethesda just stealth-dropped another Wolfenstein. Alas, this isn't a new adventure for the Blazkowicz family, but it does owe a great debt to that franchise.

Finally released after a lengthy dev cycle at Mundfish, Atomic Heart is an FPS set in a scientifically superior Soviet empire. The reds have made pioneering advancements in robotics and AI thanks to scientist and industry minister Sechenov. Automatons fulfil every need of the Russian populace.

Of course, you can't have a society filled with robots without a robot uprising, which is exactly what happens in the game's opening minutes. Our hero P3, real name Sergei Nechaev, is sent on a routine mission by Sechenov following a parade to usher in a new golden age for the empire. When the bots run amok, he crashes on a massive airborne biome with only an axe and his AI Char-les for company. Fighting through increasingly hostile facilities, he must uncover the cause of the uprising and track down Viktor Petrov, the supposed traitor behind it.

The plot quickly thickens with mostly familiar beats, but some twists and turns occur along the way. Comparisons to Wolfenstein extend to the B-movie setup and emphasis on popcorn spectacle. P3 cracks wise like his middle name is Nukem while Char-les quips back at him constantly — it's banter straight out of the 90s. However, the script lacks the nuance and political bite of Machine Games' modern cycle and rarely goes for anything approaching emotional complexity.

Conversations about the intricacies of a communist