Why Is Atomic Heart So DIVISIVE AMONG GAMERS?

A point of comparison for this game I have raised multiple times has been STALKER. It’s funny, because vanilla STALKER had a lot of issues as well - it wasn't always a beloved classic or a stalwart of the genre. A dedicated fan community on PC spent years fixing the game with mods, ironing out its problems, and helping it blossom to its full potential.

Certainly, on PC at least, Atomic Heart could end up similarly motivating a cavalcade of fans to stick with it and iron out its problems, and help it achieve its potential. But STALKER’s issues were mostly all mechanical and relating to polish - that’s something mods can fix. Atomic Heart has those problems, but out also fails singularly hard on the whole story and setting front, which, as mentioned, can be a critical part of the genre’s experience to many, many players. It’s unclear whether those problems will be fixed by the fan community, it’s unclear whether they can be fixed.

Even if they can’t be, at its beat, Atomic Heart seems to deliver an experience good enough that it has a legion of fans who do love it, warts and all (and after all, janky and flawed games is almost as much a hallmark of the genre itself). While it has proven to be more divisive than the games in whose footsteps it seeks to follow were, and while that may never change, if you are among those who can put up with its rough edges, you may end up being one of the many who did fall in love with the game.

If, however, the issues sound too much for you to bear, my recommendation would be to hold off on Atomic Heart for now – it’s not like we don’t have other titles in this genre coming soon to turn to instead, after all.

[Bowserguy]

Its their first game ever and for them to release a solid game and one that has sheer ambition props to them. They can fix all these problems in any other games

[Braconara]

I changed the language to Russian, I don't take it too seriously, 17 hours in and I'm having a blast.

[sikevillain]

This game has been a blast so far. About 7-8 hrs in & of course it's not without its flaws but the sheer ambition is to be commended. Gameplay is solid enough, story is interesting enough with hilarious dialogue that had me grinning like an idiot lol Really been enjoying this game.. for some reason I don't struggle at all with the puzzles & actually enjoy a majority of them...

[Reknilador]

The only people that hate on this game are the "russia bad" bots, objectively looking it's not a bad release considering what sort of games have been coming out the last few years.

[akvalues]

It’s a great game. And most people like it a lot! Look at user reviews not publications

[SpookyDeCat]

Only played about 3 hours, I work a lot. I think so far it will not be for everyone. I personally love it. Some the jankines, and the really bad dialog reminds me of the PC games from my youth (not including the really honry service bot. Never had a woman talk to me like that!).

[pimplimpgaming]

Because most gamers are ungrateful and cant appreciate what other ppl work so hard to bring them

[blockwarrior]

Personally I really enjoyed the game, it has it problems but it was a pretty fun game. That ending sure was a twist! I was really suprised!

[just_a_turtle_chad]

This game is hard because you can only use one hand.

[DynastyBuffs]

At a time where the gaming industry is dominated by WZ and Battle Royales this game is very refreshing. I am having a great time with this game. Bioshock, Fallout and Outer Worlds like.

[jamesgratz]

This game is fun! Really interesting design of its levels. The vibe is there and the weapons and powers feel good

[Hollobaby]

so far i actually really like it, i have no stock in this game either i’m just playing it free on gamepass lol it’s not game of the year or anything but i been chipping away little at a time when i’m not playing the psvr2 or hogwarts and it’s been pretty fun, and honestly kinda funny in a cheesy way sometimes 😅

[coxmar]

15 hours in and love it, a lot of fun

[Kelly-npxq]

I just got to the ma9 boss figh and so far I love it the cheesey and wtf story is actually kinda a nice change for me personally I'm getting a little burned out on big open world dramatic story not everything that comes out has to be the next last of us its ok to just chill and enjoy something

[reggiefurlow]

It's like the guy who wrote Duke nukem got accepted into Yale

[AceHaBeats]

Just finished it tonight; outstanding game. I have the sneaking suspicion that people are hating on the game for non-game reasons.

[locdogsgg]

I love this game 🤷‍♂️
Finally we get something “different” and everyone is just focused on the things it does bad instead of what it does good 🤔
Finally a bioshock like game and the animations and enemy designs are solid and great
I don’t know what everyone expects from a game these days but me I’m more than happy and sure it has its issues but nothing that can’t be fixed imo 🤷‍♂️
The short version of my comment is
I love this game!

[pandorafreak]

As someone whose never played deus ex, or stalker I didn't really have issue in terms of mechanics of the game only guide I had to look up was how to add a element cartridge to said weapon of choice. I am playing this game like I would bioshock infinite, and dishonor. The story is actually pretty interesting with a twist at the end and it's not the run of the mill cliche story and it had elements of questioning the motives of main characters with all the chirpers you find. This game is a breath of fresh air to start 2023

[tonybarnes]

I been playing this since day 1 and having a blast with it, side note the soundtrack is 🔥🔥🔥

[jdrobin]

I've been playing the game and haven't made it to the open world yet. There are a few things I realized:
1. Definitely not Bioshock
2. Great setting
3. Definitely is a AA game and not AAA. There are a few things that stand out like the protagonist English voice acting.
4. I probably will switch the audio to Russian.
5. I won't switch until they INCREASE THE SUBTITLE SIZE!!!!