- Joined
- Nov 30, 2022
Atomic Heart is a upcoming combat RPG from Russian studio Mundfish. Set in a alternate 1950's where history diverged in 1936 with a discovery of a wonder material by a soviet scientist and the following hijinks of a IRL Stalinium making cold fusion reactors the size of a backpack real by 1939.
Development started in 2017, and the first few trailers and promotional images hit the internet in 2018. After 5 years of development it's scheduled to release on February 23rd.
Now it all looks very nice, that is undeniable. The art department has obviously pulled some real weight here, but a game is not made of graphics or art alone. The gameplay looks cool but only time will tell how it actually plays. I am myself cautiously optimistic about it, but as the Russians themselves say "Доверяй, но проверяй" "Trust, but verify." Originally it was scheduled 2019 release. Obviously this release didn't happen. The studio apparently had some issues with funding and the development of it but they pushed through, though rumors of layoffs and reshuffling were abound. Then on the end of 2022 new rumours surfaced that the studio underwent another layoff event and some crunch was happening. However both of these rumors mostly come from ResetERA so take it with a large amount of salt. Now the game is actually nearing completion.
This thread is for discussion of the game and what fellow Kiwis think of it. However it is also to act as a potential gathering any possible retardation and tomfoolery that might arise from it. In particular from one fact:
Devs are Russian
It is well known that non-western devs are constantly being put under scrutiny for ideological reasons. Diversity is our Strength
Jokes aside there are actually some questions about the funding of the game. Such a ambitious project is quite costly and the financials of Mundfish are not well known. The studio is actually based on Cyprus, which is a common thing Russian business will do to get better access to the global market. Cyprus has good tax laws, is a member of the EU and uses the Euro, has a nicer climate and even has some cultural ties as the island is majority Eastern Orthodox. Cyprus in return has taken advantage of this and offers plenty of services with russian language such as consulting, lawyer firms, resorts with russian speaking staff and such. [1][2][3]
As the game nears release, and when it does release, it is expected that some of the usual suspects might grumble about it. However so far not much sperging has been had on the issue, which is a pleasant surprise. I theorize that Hogwarts Legacy has actually come in clutch and is hogging the spotlight on the subject of videogames being used as a tool to virtue signal, as the combination of Troons (who are far more important that wh*te Ukrainians in the progressive stack) and J.K. Rowling/Harry Poter (Which these people have a much, MUCH stronger emotional attachment to than some new game) makes it a much more alluring target than the "Soviet Ballerina Robot Twin BioShock"
Speaking of which the ballerinas have become pretty much the official mascots of the game.
Fellas, I gotta be honest. I have seen loads of artwork of these ladies. Erotic illustrations. Porn, if you will. They have done some real guerrilla marketing for Atomic Heart and I salute them for it. There might be some """controversy""" over them in the future that might make for a good laugh. Or not, who knows.
Anyways let us see if the game turns out as good as the art. My first ever OP so it probably not very good but that happens.