Atomic Heart trophy guide cancelled because game is a 'miserable experience'

Atomic Heart, previously thought to be the illicit love child of Metro and BioShock that we never knew we needed, has had a fall from grace.

A "fall" might not be the most impactful word in this instance. Neither is a "stumble," as that implies that it's an accidental hop, skip and a jump into misfortune. Everything that is grinding guides writers' gears in Atomic Heart is purposeful, which makes it all the more thrilling or infuriating to play, depending on who you talk to. "It feels less like a welcomed revolution and more like a nuclear disaster," said Twinfinite in its review, whereas IGN described the game as a "highly imaginative and consistently impressive" experience.

Here's the trailer:

Atomic Heart is divided into what could be counted as two halves - the oppressive bunkers and facilities containing the conspiracy at the centre of the game, and the open world that's been ravaged by the chaos. The term "open world" is used loosely here, as its scale isn't anything like the sprawling environments of AAA games, but these levels aren't that fun after the seventh encounter with enemies. Once the omnipresent security cameras spot the player, automatons are sent to neutralise them.

Though resources can sometimes be scarce, it is possible to emerge victorious and continue on. However, repair drones are able to reconstruct the pieces to bring the enemies back to full health, and if the player is in the midst of a swarm, it's tough to see whether that has happened, leaving them in a cycle of destruction and reconstruction until the player runs out of shells or dies. You are able to switch off these signals to take out the player, but these aren't obvious the first time you enter an area, and this switch off is only temporary.

PowerPyx, a renowned website that offers guides for all sorts of games, has in fact washed its hands of a how-to for Atomic Heart as this experience is so "miserable." In a comment under the trophy list, the guide is said to be "cancelled" resulting from the "horrid map" and lack of in-game tracking for a player's progress. "A case of poor game design, plus really frustrating glitches that make it a chore to play," it summarised.

Atomic Heart is on Xbox Game Pass, so if you are morbidly curious, this might be the best way to see what the fuss is about without sinking the game's full price.

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