EXCLUSIVE: Atomic Heart Devs Promise It's 'Like Nothing You've Ever Seen'

Narratives have incredible potential when their ideas are so bizarre that the audience simply can't conceive coming up with them themselves. It immediately sets up the work as something daring and bold, and whether it's building a world all of its own or telling an introspective tale, going full tilt on 'weird' rarely misses, and at the very least, struggles to be boring.

This seems very much like the case for Atomic Heart, a new FPS from the team at Mundfish that seems to have gone all-in on the bizarre, toting freakish androids nestled deeply into the crevasse of the uncanny valley and a world of strange monsters ripe for destroying. The game looks like a fever dream of incredible proportions and confirming in conversation with GGRecon, the team behind the game believe firmly that you've never played a game like Atomic Heart before.

Atomic Heart Devs: 'We Definitely Wanted To Go A Bit Insane'

In a Q&A with the team behind Atomic Heart, they revealed exclusively to us their attitudes to the game they've created, asserting that the romp across the dystopic Soviet Union isn't anything like you've seen before.

When discussing the game's influences, Mundfish's spokesperson told us "We strongly believe that Atomic Heart has its own unique niche - the game looks like nothing you've ever seen, and we made sure that this world that players will explore is unforgettable."

It's clear that Mundfish was gleefully playing with the irreverence of their creature designs and concepts, as they responded seemingly with pride to our suggestion that Atomic Heart seemed, for lack of a better word, completely bonkers. "We definitely wanted to go a bit insane with everything in this game. You'll see why!"

Mick Gordon's Music Is An 'Excellent Addition to Atomic Heart's Insane Action'

Insane seems about right, as the game takes place in an alternate, dystopic Soviet Union, guiding you through the global system failure that sources from Soviet Facility No3826. It looks sinister and unnerving - but that's entirely thanks to the passion from Mundfish, who aren't treating the locale as a mere aesthetic.

"Since the very beginning of the project, we really wanted to bring this vision of the Soviet retrofuturistic world to life. The dystopian aspect goes hand in hand with a bright vision of the USSR's future that is communicated through architecture, magazines, the way people dress and so on. This duality is what makes Atomic Heart's universe so unique and captivating."

It's not just with the game's visuals that Mundfish wants to provoke their audience, either - because they've enlisted the musical prowess of DOOM and Wolfenstein composer Mick Gordon to bring some sonic life to the game. "The whole collaboration with Mick Gordon was amazing," Mundfish told us. "He's an exceptionally talented artist. His music style is an excellent addition to Atomic Heart's action and world, and we can't wait for you to hear more in the game."

Atomic Heart is already shaping up to be something incredibly special, and the latest trailer has given some more insight into the curious world of this dystopic USSR. The bizarre nature of the game makes it seem nigh-on impossible to imagine, and it looks like when it lands later this year, it'll have to be seen, or played, to be believed. And we're just about ready to believe.