The New Atomic Heart Trailer Is Turning Heads

First-person shooter Atomic Heart presents an alternate history of a Soviet Union driven by advanced technology. The game is being developed by Russian studio Mudfish, so it should be interesting to see this portrayal from such a perspective. Most recently, a new video titled "Universal Polymer Vaccination gone wrong. Atomic Heart." has started turning heads.

The trailer opens with an intense and somewhat eerie sci-fi synth. A burly and bearded man can be seen facing a mirror with an unusual weapon slung over his shoulder. A voice is heard over a speaker making an announcement that is spoken entirely in Russian. Subtitles on the trailer are turned off by default, but switching them on reveals to non-Russian speakers that a military parade is planned to celebrate something referred to as "'The Collective' neuro network." The announcer specifies that this will take place one day prior to the "universal Polymer Vaccination." Soon after, the camera moves away from the protagonist to reveal a zombie-looking human/insect(?) hybrid creature standing on the floor above, which is abruptly knocked out by a flying robot.

Viewers are then taken to first-person gameplay where the protagonist freezes some sort of beast, performs a front roll, fires his gun, and telekinetically lifts an enemy while wires dance from a hole in his palm. It sets the scene quite well and presents a call to action for viewers to "Add Atomic Heart to wishlist." There is no mention of a release date, which is still listed as "TBA" on Steam.

Regardless, gamers are certainly excited by the new gameplay footage. One user commented, "After years of waiting, I'm still more hyped than ever." Another said, "I [don't] know why but [I] think when the game is gonna be released this is gonna be my favourite game." One user compared it to "Bioshock, Metro, and Prey all mixed into one perfect concoction."

Nowadays, of course, it's hard for Cyberpunk 2077 not to show up in any discussion over major AAA projects. A user in the comment section wrote, "Please don't end up like Cyberpunk! Take all the time you need to release this game competently and without so many bugs. A game like this could make or break a studio." 

Indeed, the troubled release of Cyberpunk has led many gamers to view delays in a completely different way. Fans are ready to sink their teeth into Atomic Heart, but not at the expense of its quality. In this case, keeping a lid on the release date seems like a wise move.