We don't know about you, but Atomic Heart is one of our most highly anticipated Xbox Game Pass titles for 2023, and it'll be available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in just a few short months on February 21st!
Ahead of launch, IGN has been checking out the game for a hands-on preview, and it's largely good news! The outlet says the game makes a "strong first impression", and that it's clearly influenced by the likes of Bioshock and Half-Life.
"Atomic Heart wears its influences on its sleeve. It’s a graphic first-person shooter packed with superpower-like abilities and owes a lot to classics of the genre..."
"The hours I’ve spent with Atomic Heart have left me yearning for more. It’s an engrossing world to get lost in, with dynamic combat and inspired art and enemy design."
The preview talks about the game's "20-hour-plus" campaign, and how its open world structure is actually quite similar to Halo Infinite. There's also plenty of praise for its "distinctive art style", along with the revelation that there are actually quite a lot of puzzles in the game, and these apparently provide a "welcome change of pace".
It's not all positive news - there are a few "gripes" to be aware of - but they don't sound too major:
"I have a few doubts over whether the main story will deliver a tale worthy of such a stellar location, and I’ve seen some heavy-handed writing and performances that leave a little to be desired. Then there’s the nauseating forward roll animation that had my stomach churning on more than one occasion.
I can’t say these gripes were ever enough to fully take away from all of the exciting things I found myself engaging with along the way, though. Time will tell if Atomic Heart lives up to its lofty aspirations, but it certainly makes a very strong first impression."
You can check out the video above for more information on Atomic Heart including impressions on the combat, but the overall gist is that it sounds like the game is definitely worth trying on Xbox Game Pass next year. Bring it on!