Video Games

Atomic Heart: Our Questions Answered – IGN First

After spending a month covering Atomic Heart as part of IGN First, I still had a lot of questions about upcoming shooters. So the game director asked Robert Bagratuni just a few of the many remaining questions and learned many interesting new details.

A lot of close combat. Is this by design or are resources like ammo limited?

Mr Mundfish said: “All games need balance, and Atomic Heart is no exception. Melee combat helps conserve ammo, as there are many enemies and it is unlikely that you will always have enough ammo to kill them all, so there is a special mechanism that allows you to accumulate energy in melee combat. , which can later be used to shoot special energy weapons.”

Many upgraded melee weapons also have special attacks that give them advantages that ranged weapons never get. Combining weapon types and tactics is important, as some battles require you to deal with many types of enemies at once.

What difficulty options are there and what do you recommend?

Atomic Heart has three difficulty options as Bagratuni details. People who want to focus on the story, people who want to complete the game the way they want, people who are fearless in the world and have strong nerves. Difficulty doesn’t affect the story, so it’s up to the player to relax or work up a sweat.

Are there any elemental attacks other than lightning and ice?

Atomic Heart has many other abilities. Among them is the Polymer Bomb skill, which allows you to cover your opponent with a polymer substance that is highly reactive to lighting, freezing, and fire. If attacking isn’t your approach, take a polymer shield and then Freeze.Shield yourself from attacks, freeze your opponents at the right time, Destroy it safely and quietly.”

Mundfish confirmed that the game has no fire skills, but can use a special weapon attachment that makes bullets incendiary. Therefore, these skills and mechanics can be combined to create unique in-game effects such as rings of fire, electrification or freeze traps.

Are there stealth games?

“It depends on how you play and what weapons you prefer,” said the director. “The game has mechanics that allow you to silently take out both organic and mechanical enemies without attracting your attention. There is also an alarm system that summons more robots, but it also There are actions that help avoid unnecessary attention – a large facility ecosystem that links all robots into a single communication network with many nodes.”

he continues. He can greatly reduce enemy numbers, is cautious, does not raise alarms, and can use tactics both in combat and in exploring the world. But you have to fight. “

What does Mick Gordon’s music bring to Atomic Heart?

The team said it was a pleasure working with Gordon. His music abounds in the open world. Literally full of Mick. His music is the kind of thing that matches the high-paced combat you find in open worlds, sets the mood and emotion, and tells you what to do next. “

A fusion of Soviet-style pop and juicy doom-esque remixes.


“But apart from Mick’s work, you can find many other works from the last century, from the 50s to the 80s,” continues Baglatuni. “Music is very important to immersion. Especially in our case, when we create a retro-futuristic world where history has taken a different path, the great musicians of the past are still writing songs. Soviet Style pop meets a juicy doom-style remix, and it’s very impressive.”

How much driving does Atomic Heart have?

There is only one car model that you can drive directly, reflecting the lack of options that existed in the real Soviet Union. Regarding its use, the director said, “It’s very useful when you need to run away from a large number of enemies while crushing a few robots. Or when you don’t want to spend a lot of time exploring an area on foot. Of course. , It’s not a game about everyday life in a big city where you have to drive from point A to point B, but the world is big and cars are useful.In DLC, we may add vehicles such as buses and tractors, That’s not what this game is about, it’s just for fun.”

Is the world fully open from the start? how big is that?

The developer said, “The world of Atomic Heart is quite large, but creating a completely open world doesn’t always work. It wasn’t my intention to completely forget about and turn it into a giant map with interesting points of interest moving from one problem to the next.”

“More than that, I wanted to recreate the atmosphere of a ‘closed secret facility’ with well-guarded entrances. If you can imagine this world, it most resembles a mushroom tree, branching out in all directions.”

Bagratuni continues: There are many interesting areas in the open world, as well as carefully hidden optional locations. Currently, only one of them is shown. There are quite a few such places, but you’ll have to work hard to find them.

“Apart from that, you can walk, swim, drive in all directions, seek out secluded places where you can find things of value, collect stories from the inhabitants of the world, and gain a deeper understanding of the plot. There’s a lot to do in the world of Atomic Heart, and most importantly, the journey through the world of Atomic is seamless and there are no loading screens. .”

Are there environmental story objects to find?

As Mundfish explains, Atomic Heart is a story-driven game. The story is told through both the environment and copious amounts of dialogue between the main characters. This includes general reasoning about what is happening, getting tasks, relationships between characters, and numerous cutscenes that allow you to immerse yourself in the game world and events. “

In Bagratuni’s opinion, Atomic Heart’s story is “the strongest aspect of the game”. On influences, he says, “I am influenced by many dystopian novels from the ’30s to the ’80s, as well as the great masters of sci-fi. there is.”

What is the balance between combat, story, and puzzles?

Bagratuni wants players to be able to guess throughout Atomic Heart. It’s like an emotional roller coaster. Everything is bright and fun at first, but it’s a terrifying fear to take a step forward. And when you get stronger and understand how it all works, the pace of the game changes and you can face new opponents and events. “

We always wanted to create a game that will surprise you.


“The player’s experience depends on what’s more interesting to them. Some spend long hours in a robot-destroying open world building new super-powered guns for themselves. Someone puzzles all the options.” and some rare and valuable rewards await you, and some follow the story without being distracted by the battle.”

What’s your favorite build/loadout?

Baglatuni said his perfect equipment is “telekinesis and polymer bomb skills, a pashted melee weapon with a flying blade special attack, and an electro gun.” He prefers to use freeze rounds for close quarters combat and ranged rounds for ranged combat. “Combined with polymer bombs and telekinesis, it’s a versatile set that can be used dynamically in combat. You can also create different traps for your enemies by creating polymer stops in front of them and giving them elemental properties. You can also.”

“Honestly, everyone on our team plays differently, some running through, others more cautious, choosing a strategy with shields and enemy control. I really love seeing how people play the game differently and use cool combinations of never-before-seen weapons, skills and upgrades.”

We hope that after this you will have a deeper understanding of Atomic Heart and all of Atomic Heart’s IGN First features. If you missed anything, check out the game’s alternate Soviet world history, or an exclusive hands-on preview.

Simon Cardy thinks we should stop trying to build robots that might turn their backs on us.Follow him on Twitter. @CardySimon.

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