Atomic Heart review – confusion and fear reflects the growing concerns of an industry

There have been lots of questions about Atomic Heart, but maybe the biggest remains the question of just what exactly it is. As it turns out, like a lot of games that front-load on the dramatic marketing events, spark off controversies, and define themselves by reference to other, beloved games rather than on their own terms, Atomic Heart doesn’t really know what it is either. If you’re like me, you’ll probably get a good way through the game before you have much of a clue yourself.

Atomic Heart review

• Developer: Mundfish
• Publisher: Focus Entertainment, 4Divinity
• Platform: Played on Xbox Series X
• Availability: Out now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S (Game Pass), PC (Steam, Microsoft)

Before you get to that point, you will most likely know it as at least “controversial” – and there have been just a few controversies. As we’ve reported elsewhere in more detail, developer Mundfish has come under scrutiny for, first, putting on some poorly timed marketing events in Russia, featuring big red banners reading “Glory to Soviet Engineers” during the country’s own land-grabbing, and deeply horrifying, invasion of Ukraine.

There’s been concern and confusion over Mundfish’s funding, with one of its key investors being tied to state-controlled Gazprom in a couple of ways. And to lesser concern, questions about the studio’s own origins and location. There was a disappointing non-statement about the Ukraine war in response: “global team… innovative game… pro-peace organisation… against violence against people,” and so on. Plus this old gem for good measure: “we do not comment on politics or religion.” Then there’s the data scandal, about its Russian store website allegedly including a clause informing users their data may be collected and sent to Russian state authorities, which Mundfish emphatically claims to be “outdated”. And there’s also the “racist cartoons” controversy. (Curiously, they appeared in the PC version but on Xbox, where we played, a large number of TV screens have just been blank white since launch.)

And there’s more! Ukrainians have noted that the game’s scene-stealing ballerina robots – which are also, you discover in-game, sex robots – bear an uncomfortable resemblance to Yulia Tymoshenko, a Ukrainian politician reportedly loathed in Russian political circles and known for, among her staunchly pro-NATO, pro-EU, anti-Eurasian Customs Union stances, her distinctive blonde, plaited hairstyle. And last but not least, there’s Atomic Heart’s release date, on the one-year anniversary of a Vladimir Putin speech which more or less kicked off the war. As a result of all this, Ukrainian retailers have reportedly refused to stock the game, while its government contacted Sony, Microsoft, and Valve requesting a ban on selling it in the country. Mundfish has not responded to any of Eurogamer’s requests for comment on all of the above, but you can read about much of it in more detail in our report.