ATOMIC HEART Developer Confirms The Surreal Horror Is Also An Open-World Game Inspired By The Work Of Lem

The first trailer for Atomic Heart has sparked many discussions among players. The announcement video not only looked pretty good, but also remained us about the Bioshock and Deus Ex series, and just like in these games, fighting is not the only "right" way to beat the game, and nothing stops you from avoiding combat staying in the shadows. Developer Mundfish is finally ready to talk about Heart.

PC Gamer recently had a chance to speak to the Russian developer and asked Mundfish CEO Robert Bagratuni about the FPS set in an alternate universe during the high noon of the Soviet Union. "Atomic Heart was conceived as an open-world game," said Bagratuni. "We want to enable players to choose the sequence of actions themselves instead of limiting them to a linear path. The world of the game is in fact the entire Soviet Union—a vast circle, the borders of which reach the Arctic in the north, Altai mountain in the south, and with plains, lakes and much more in the middle. At the same time, the huge infrastructure of Plant 3826 and its underground facilities are spread all over the map. The key infrastructure elements are connected by railways."

The CEO confirmed that Heart will feature some FPS mechanisms, "As for whether this is a shooter: in some places it is, it depends where you can find ammo." The developer also explained why comparing the game to Metro, Bioshock, and Fallout may not be the best idea as in his opinion, Heart is mostly inspired by "the atmosphere from our childhood, from books we grew up on. Strugatsky, Lem, Harrison. That fantasy had a special place in the life of a Soviet citizen. And when all this is merged with the internet, robotics, the Soviet Union and food coupons, you get Atomic Heart."

When it comes to these deadly robots, they were created as a cheap help for farmers, but their AI eventually went mad trying to kill every living organism, but they are not the only mad force in Atomic Heart's universe. "The main character's weapon is made in a post-apocalyptic manner," Bagratuni said. "He is crazy but he is not a fool. He can solder and work with technology. Weapons are assembled from various metal parts, detached from robots or taken from the household appliances or fragments obtained during the game. Almost everything on your path can be used as a murder weapon. The approach to close-range weaponry is the same: you use whatever you can find." 
 
The premise of this horror survival game sounds extremely weird and it's really hard to not marvel at Mundfish's creativity. Considering that Metro Exodus has been delayed, a journey into the colorful, strange, and dangerous world of Atomic Heart might be a very good alternative for the players.