Atomic Heart obviously did not go unnoticed, the so-called Russian Bioshock blew up the net, but not only for good reasons.
No, Atomic Heart isn’t bad, not at all. We ourselves found the game to be quite enjoyable to browse, beautiful and endowed with a real visual identity. Only here, some elements of the game, a little provocative (too much for some) absolutely do not happen. Accused of nepotism with Russia in the midst of a crisis, highlighting blatant racism, or even playing a sex-obsessed game… Atomic Heart takes his place. The studio spoke up, but didn’t answer all the questions…
The studio’s relations with Russia
First, Atomic Heart was held for political reasons before it was published. Formerly Moscow-registered studio Mundfish, which incidentally still has premises there although it is now based in Cyprus, has been accused of receiving investment funds directly from the Russian government and/or powerful relatives and collecting information for the government. Facts the studio has denied. But when the latter decided to promote his game directly on Russian territory by selling it as propaganda, the second degree had a hard time getting through to westerners. And that didn’t help the studio make a name for itself.
Additionally, due to its context, the game highlights communism and a strong, upright, and powerful Russia. The game constantly sells us the virtues of the Motherland, although it also casually hides its game. However, it was very difficult for the Ukrainian government to ignore this.
The call for a boycott of Ukraine
Between the suspicions surrounding the game’s funding, the studio’s murky ties to Russia, and the game’s context, it doesn’t go well. But it’s hard to blame the Ukrainian government when the country has been the scene of an absolutely heinous war for over a year.
Therefore, the Ukrainian government submitted the request for withdrawal Atomic Heart Blinds to the biggest names in the industry such as Sony, Microsoft or Valve (Steam). A call to which no official answer has yet followed. It should also be noted that many large companies in the industry, such as Sony, had already taken numerous measures in support of Ukraine. Some have provided funds to humanitarian associations, while others have suspended their services on Russian territory until further notice.
In addition, Ukraine also points out that Mundfish has not taken a clear stance against the war and Vladimir Putin’s regime. Note that the game was released on February 21, 3 days before the sad anniversary of the war in Ukraine.
We also demand to limit the distribution of this game in other countries in Russia due to its toxicity, the potential collection of user data and the possibility of its disclosure to third parties. As well as the possible use of money from game purchases. wage war against Ukraine.
Therefore, we urge all users to ignore this game.We would also like to inform the Western audience that the developers of the game have not made any public statement condemning Putin’s regime and the bloody war that Russia has unleashed against Russia have. “UkraineOleksandr Bornyakov – Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation
Atomic Heart, a game obsessed with sex…
Then, and after its release this time, Atomic Heart
Atomic Heart is a raw formwork game, sometimes with a little (very?) redneck humor, and certain valves or decisions don’t go through. It starts with the NORA distributor, who serves as a base here to improve or craft equipment. This kind of red fridge is equipped with a hyper provocative female AI completely obsessed with sex (sado-masochistic) and with our hero P-3 making him fly. That particular point, if it can make you smile because it’s so surreal, it can also displease. And many fans quickly climbed to the towers and took to social media to express their displeasure. Especially sinceAtomic Heart doesn’t stop there and the annoying tendency to hypersexualize certain other automata with female curves.
In particular, think of the two bodyguard-robots, twins “women” and dancers, whose forms are explicitly represented and who do not hesitate to arch their backs (with grace) for “rituals”. This trailer shows that.
…and racist?
Another problem of this Atomic Heartthe presence of an old Russian cartoon, rabbit and the wolf, which leads through the toilets where you can save and/or upgrade your stats and equipment. In fact, there is a TV in every room, continuously showing an old cartoon, a kind of Russian Tex-Avery cartoon. The problem is that the performances struggled to hold up here, too. In particular, the presence of a black character, depicted here as a charcoal-colored native shooting arrows, poses a problem. A portrayal that is as stereotypical as possible and quite embarrassing, which, albeit briefly, stuck in the players’ throats. testify to this CE clip
The studio’s answer…or almost
In the face of so much controversy, the studio finally spoke up. However, mouthfish Undoing neither the allegations of nepotism towards the Russian government nor the hypersexualization present in his game, he was content to respond to the questionable cartoon affair and take the measures imposed. As well as certain pieces of music were absolutely not heard by certain users.
The Mundfish team thanks the contributors for highlighting this lack of sensitivity and bringing it to our attention. We apologize if the use of animated or historical music has hurt or offended you. We will modify the parts concerned.
mouthfish
Atomic Heart was therefore entitled to a small patch and others will follow elsewhere. Despite the controversy, Mundfish won’t let go of his foal. He wants to refine it and rework his copy a bit at the same time.
All the points raised will certainly not be changed. The studio has already spoken about its relationship with Russia. And the problem of depicting female automata and sex in general is obviously not even on the agenda.
The game is currently available for PS5, Xbox Series, PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
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