Atomic Heart Enchantment Under the Sea DLC REVIEW
Almost a year has passed since the release of the previous add-on to Atomic Heart – and fans have been waiting for the continuation of the story. Well, the wait was not in vain – after the experimental and in many ways strange “Prisoner of Limbo”, the developers returned to the proven classic Atomic Heart in a small but very interesting add-on. It became the closest in spirit to the original game, but with its own plot and new characters. In the third DLC, users dive into the underwater Neptune Research Institute, and also return to Enterprise 3826, which has undergone many changes.
Enchantment Under the Sea continues the events of Prisoner of Limbo, at the end of which Major Nechayev managed to escape from the strange psychedelic reality. And now he has to stop HRAZ, who has taken control of the Collective.
Major Nechayev gets a new glove at the beginning of the story, and with it new abilities. The old abilities, both from the main game and from the first DLC, are unfortunately not available, but this, as always, is determined by the plot.
New weapons have also been brought in – an energy hammer with a tip that flies off on a rope and a double-barreled shotgun for standard cartridges with alternative fire in the form of energy grenades. Several upgrades are provided for each weapon, the blueprints for which are simply scattered around the locations and can end up in any box.
The locations of the new DLC look magnificent. Chelomey, pretty battered by robots, penetrates to the depths of the soul with a feeling of defeated greatness. The Triton complex, where the main action takes place, is also executed in the traditional monumental style for Atomic Heart, and in combination with the beauty of the underwater world it looks, without exaggeration, magnificent, once again forcing one to recall the association with Bioshock.
But the underwater world hides more than just beauty – it is from there that new enemies come, which are no less captivating than the setting: disgusting trilobites that literally make you physically shudder, giant crabs with bulletproof shells that need to be shot at in weak spots, transparent octopuses that can shoot their own offspring, which when exploded leave deadly blue ink.
It’s interesting to fight them, and the tremors from their sudden appearance can give any horror a run for its money. Of course, you’ll also encounter old familiar enemies.
For the first time since the first DLC, new characters were introduced into the plot. There is no need to talk about any deep development and disclosure – the add-on is quite short, and the genre is not quite the same, but the very fact of their presence is pleasing, thanks to which the game world becomes more alive.
Enchantment Under the Sea is perhaps the best DLC for Atomic Heart. After the decent but somewhat limited Instinct of Extermination and the original but rather controversial due to the unusual gameplay of the Prisoner of Limbo, the return to the classic gameplay with many interesting innovations feels like a breath of fresh air.
There are no serious drawbacks here – perhaps the absence of a number of interesting mechanics from the main game is a little disappointing, and some moments of the level design openly repeat places already covered there, although this is played out with light humor.
Enchantment Under the Sea does not offer revolutionary mechanics, but it can easily be recommended to fans of Atomic Heart. It retains the signature shooting, but at the same time enriches the game with new level design, a variety of battles, new enemies, fresh abilities and a tightly knit script. And considering that the DLC’s plot clearly leads to the denouement of the overall story, Enchantment Under the Sea is definitely not worth skipping.
