Sci-fi horror-action-RPG Atomic Heart has drawn attention for its innovative and bizarre premise since its reveal back in 2018. Taking place in an alternate universe where advanced robotics and technology are already in the hands of the USSR, Atomic Heart’s BioShock style world is filled with both wonders and horrors. The game’s plot is rather hazy, but developer Mundfish offered this: “The game kicks off when robots start attacking people. P-3 will have to investigate what has caused all these events and deal with what (or who?) is behind all of this.”
While Atomic Heart has already been confirmed to be releasing on both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (as well as Steam), its newest trailer confirmed plans to bring the title to the next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles, allowing the game’s performance to reach the next level.
“Our game will have no loading screens due to [the] fast SSD,” Mundfish told IGN. “Next-gen hardware also provides an exclusive opportunity to fulfill our artistic vision and deliver our game with stunning visuals with no downgrading, which was absolutely essential for current-gen.” Loading screens are notorious for being immersion-breaking in most games and downright excessive in some, so seeing that next-gen consoles give developers the power to phase them out completely is definitely a promising feat.
Speaking of promising, it seems that Mundfish isn’t slouching on the game’s soundtrack either – the endlessly talented Mick Gordon (composer for games like DOOM, Wolfenstein, and Killer Instinct) will be composing Atomic Heart’s soundtrack. “He is taking part in music production along with our in-house sound team,” said Mundfish. “You will have an opportunity to experience both recognizable Mick Gordon’s sound and the initial vision of our team we have started with.”
While a project this ambitious could easily prove quite a challenge to develop in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mundfish seems optimistic about the game’s future.
“We’ve had our part of issues with COVID, but that just made us stronger in the end. We’re in active development,” said Mundfish.