➤ Atomic Heart: Annihilation Instinct, the review of the first DLC 🕹

Atomic Heart's first DLC, Annihilation Instinct, is very disappointing, highlighting the flaws found in the original adventure and introducing nothing.

Despite its undeniable flaws, Atomic Heart managed, in one fell swoop, to obtain a more than decent rating from critics and foster a notable group of genre lovers and others, impressed more than anything by the compelling and majestic artistic sector.

The production, if not in purely qualitative terms, knew how to ideally approach Bioshock, the undeniable source of inspiration for the project. As happened with the game directed by Ken Levine, for several weeks there was only talk of dystopias, uchronias, science fiction films and novels, a sign that current developers and artists mud fish They had hit their mark, creating a game that could be talked about, a culmination of comparisons and discussions between fans full of interesting ideas, even as the topic around which the debate revolved became more controversial.

Except for some shortcomings, we said, Atomic Heart is undoubtedly one of the most talked about and even appreciated games of this rich and generous 2023. Obviously there was a bit of anticipation around the first DLC, which officially debuted a few days ago.

Unfortunately, things did not turn out as we expected, since we were faced with a rather disappointing additional content that, if on the one hand does not introduce anything really new, a venial sin that we do not even feel like including among the defects, on the other. The other has the big mistake of only taking the worst of what was shown in the main campaign.

In this review de Annihilation Instinct, el primer DLC de Atomic Heart We will explain why the final result is far below expectations.

Less weapons, less enemies

Atomic Heart: Annihilation Instinct, the review of the first DLC — Annihilation Instinct, the first DLC for Atomic Heart, begins in the best way, projecting Agent P-3 in a setting that is as suggestive as it is necessary.

Exactly like in the main adventure, you will have to face an FPS that, in addition to futuristic weapons, offers some powers to be used if necessary, once the charging time has ended. In this specific case, there are literally two. How tasty and fun Tecnostasi, which slows down any objects and enemies that enter the area affected by the effect, and the Polymeric shell, already used in the main campaign, capable of protecting Agent P-3 from attacks while active.

Shock, Sabañon and Mass Telekinesis are no longer available, a reduction that also affects the arsenal. There are basically two new features. klusha is a type of spear that Agent P-3 can wield, striking multiple enemies with wide slashes. He shaper, for its part, is a heavy machine gun that with secondary fire can fire beams that impact and potentially tear apart everything in front of it.

For the rest, the Svedoska, a bat that can launch metal discs, the pistol and the shotgun return. Arrest. Although upgrades and abilities can obviously be unlocked for each team, Annihilation Instinct actually humiliates much of the complexity of the system to which the main adventure had accustomed us, already compromised by a pace that is not always ideal. A defect, the latter, that returns with much more intensity also in the DLC.

In fact, on the one hand, we lack tactical solutions to deal with the crazy robots of the Structure 3826. Beyond the current shortage of ammunition, which in certain situations causes frustration, for example, there is a lack of an accurate weapon at a distance. The same powers, which in the past were already useful only in certain situations, in Annihilation Instinct are used every time the recharge ends, just to have an advantage, and not as another step in a very specific strategy.

You shoot, often with little precision, activate your powers as soon as possible, rely a lot, sometimes even too much, on the two melee weapons. For their part, among other things, Svedoska and Klusha once again highlight the poor first person view management when the situation becomes chaotic and full of adrenaline. As and more so than in the past, given the tendency of enemies themselves to approach from close range, it is often difficult to keep an eye on the target. Thanks to a control system that occasionally misses some shots, it is not so rare to get stuck somewhere, with the only valid option being a random cut, while trying by all means to free yourself from the grip, sometimes even invisible , which prevents the character's movements.

The annihilation also involved the type of enemies you will have to face, to the point that you will even have to face the same boss twice to complete the adventure. Of course, new androids capable of hitting you from a distance by throwing limbs at them, and spherical robots capable of firing powerful laser beams and joining together to form more robust opponents, are two welcome innovations, but the disappearance of much of the bestiary remains equally inexplicable. that had characterized the main adventure.

Unexplained and penalizing disappearance also because, as anticipated, Annihilation Instinct also suffers from pretty obvious pacing issues. We go from excessively chaotic situations, in which we have to face hordes that at times seem endless, to other situations in which we move from one room to another too calmly. In this sense, neither the limited arena nor the presence of countless equal enemies helps. Although each battle tends to impose a certain frenzy on the action, all too soon you begin to suffer from the repetitiveness of certain situations, a feeling further amplified by the level design.

Bases all the same

Where the main campaign alternated more linear phases with moments of greater freedom, with large areas to also explore in search of secondary missions and weapons, Annihilation Instinct removes any variation along the way.. With the exception of a couple of vaguely larger areas, where you can actually find some hidden chests, from start to finish you progress only in a straight line, most of the time indoors, where not even the scenic beauty of the Structure 3826 It is capable of providing a minimum of variety to the series of corridors and large arenas in which to fight against hordes of robots.

If the quality of the shooting were worthy of praise, one could also turn a blind eye to this design choice which certainly goes against the trend of what was shown in the main campaign, but understandable compared to a DLC. Unfortunately, due to the numerous flaws listed above, the architectural basicity of the setting exacerbates the unexciting image, further amplifying the boredom and frustration that certain passages are capable of causing in the user.

Not even the plot is saved. In the two hours needed to complete the expansion, Annihilation Instinct is guilty of the same flaws noted a few months ago with Agent P-3's first adventure. Once again the plot is entrusted to explanations, to often confusing dialogues, to events that always happen outside, far from the screen. Fortunately, the emergent narrative Also in this case it shines with its own light. Most settings tell (dramatic) stories, many documents found in the setting delve into the game's history, and some NPCs provide interesting details.

It's a shame that we quickly lose interest in why Nora's artificial intelligence took too many liberties and how Agent P-3 manages to disable it.