Atomic Heart has been quite the curious game, and its main campaign while not being particularly flawless was at the very least quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, the game opted to leave things off on a cliffhanger, which made one wonder – is there more to the story?
Nearly two years after its initial launch, the game is on track to receive its final set of DLCs, and the recently launched ‘Enchantment Under the Sea’ is the third such DLC for the FPS, leaving only one more expansion before Mundfish wraps up the entire affair.
In short, Enchantment Under the Sea is quite impressive, and feels like what the game should have been in the first place, and has definitely got my hopes up for the fourth and final expansion.
An underwater labyrinth
Atomic Heart was always a good looking game – but with Enchantment Under the Sea it takes things a step further, mostly thanks to its visual makeup and game design. The DLC begins with you reuniting with Katya, your wife who was split into the Twins. After a rather gory extraction process, Katya enters your consciousness, taking on the role of your glove and companion.
You are handed control soon after, and Enchantment Under the Sea plays more or less the same as the base game. There are a few extra weapons though, which does spice things up a little.
Combat also feels way better with a keyboard and mouse as opposed to a controller, and the game has some pretty difficult fights to go through. Some of these sections are frustrating, but beating them in the end feels quite satisfying and well earned.
The game looks and plays the same – which helps you ease in, but I would have liked something a bit more ‘experimental’ over the usual gameplay loop.
One thing that stood out in particular was the soundtrack, which sounds absolutely amazing which is to be expected from Mick Gordon. The riffs blend in with the boss battles especially well, which are also of particular highlight. Each boss is carefully thought out and has a sense of uniqueness.
Some flaws sour an otherwise excellent experience
It’s a bit past the first hour when things start to get a lot more interesting though. Once you arrive at the great underwater city, that is. The visuals just pop here, and the foreboding sea encompassing the background looks great.
Atomic Heart only continues its ascent, getting better as you progress through the DLC. It’s a shame the same can’t be said for the main campaign though. I still do find the Major’s babble a tad bit overbearing at times though.
Regardless, a few misadventures later the campaign comes to a close in a rather interesting ending which raises more questions than answers. At least Sergey gets a happy ending. It will be interesting to see how DLC #4 will pan out, since CHARLES still has to be dealt with.
If you thought Atomic Heart took some excess inspiration from Bioshock, boy do I have news for you. The whole underwater city utopia vibe is there, but made to fit Atomic Heart’s world. It’s full of delightfully goofy things, such as the bickerings of a married couple and talking dolphins.
The overall design is amazing, and the missions feel quite a bit varied, though it’s the usual solve a puzzle and go on over to the next fight kind of thing. Speaking of puzzles, these still remain the most frustrating part about Atomic Heart, and some of these are quite obnoxious.
Expect to be stuck in these sections for a while.
Conclusion
There still is room for improvement, and Atomic Heart’s Enchantment Under the Sea is a solid third DLC that progresses the story in a meaningful way. The combat and progression is also great, which is something that I have had issues with in the first 2 DLCs.
Indeed, it makes one wonder why Mundfish could not have packaged the base game like so, as it definitely would have made for a far superior experience.
Overall, Enchantment Under the Sea is a solid addition that fans of the game should find quite enjoyable to go through.
Reviewed On: PC
Code Provided By: Mundfish/Focus Entertainment
