After years of waiting, the launch day of Atomic Heart. A very special one, in addition, since it comes out of Xbox Game Pass at no additional cost to its subscribers. Since the very announcement of the title of Mundfish, comparisons with other works have been constant, but especially with BioShock. It is precisely for this reason that today we want to talk to you about Atomic Heart and BioShock and answer the big question: what do they have in common? For this we will talk about some of the key characteristics of both works and, therefore, we will also extract what their main differences are.
What do Atomic Heart and BioShock have in common?
weapons and powers
The main meeting point between Atomic Heart and BioShock is the way we attack enemies. From a first-person perspective, in both titles we have firearms, melee weapons, and electrical, freezing, incendiary, or telekinetic powers to defend ourselves from dangers. The combination of one with the other is essential for our survival and Mundfish has never denied (rather the contrary) that BioShock was a clear inspiration.
setting
Yes, we know that BioShock takes place in an underwater city and that Atomic Heart takes place in the Soviet Union. Even so, both games share elements in their setting. Both start from the same premise: their cities are born in the past of human history, but they have a futuristic point of view. Likewise, both locations were formed to be utopian and egalitarian communities, but they have big problems.
Topics that cover
Atomic Heart and BioShock are action games (the former to a greater extent than the latter if possible), but they are also narrative titles that give great importance to their history and background. In that sense, both games deal with unconventional themes such as humanity, conscience, the collective, merit, and have great political and ideological overtones. Each one in their own way, with their points of view and opinions, but also with a similar method of narration through some cinematics and a lot of context through voice recordings.
Analysis of Atomic Heart: Metal and viscera to the rhythm of Tchaikovsky
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level design
Atomic Heart is an open world, although this facet is less treated than we would have liked and it does not have much impact on the main story either. The mandatory missions take place indoors and those have a lot in common with BioShock. There are doors, nooks, locks, secrets and puzzles to unravel. The level design of Atomic Heart and BioShock have a lot in common and therefore it is not surprising that it is the best of Mundfish’s work.