'Atomic Heart': Soviet Sci-Fi 'Bioshock' Release Date Finally Revealed

The much-anticipated "Bioshock"-esque FPS game "Atomic Heart" is getting closer to an actual release following a confirmation from the developers.

After its announcement nearly five years ago and a somewhat tumultuous development period, the game is finally going to leave the oven on Feb. 21, 2023, as per a new trailer and an update to its Steam page.

"Atomic Heart" takes plenty of inspiration from 2K's aquatic, gene-splicing epic and Bethesda's flagship post-nuclear war RPG. However, this game has more than enough bells and whistles to stand on its own two feet.

Set in a nondescript Soviet country in the 1950s, "Atomic Heart" puts players in the boots of an unknown protagonist who must survive the horrors of unkempt technological progress. A futuristic city has been reduced to a ghost town where murderous robots and mutated biological organisms stalk the once-perfect halls and glorious public squares.

Players are armed with an experimental glove that grants them access to unique powers, including the ability to manipulate objects, shoot beams of freezing gas and block incoming damage, similar to plasmids in "Bioshock."

This is complemented by a wide array of melee weapons, from basic hatchets to jury-rigged polearms fitted with rotating saws. Era-appropriate guns like Makarov pistols and the quintessential AK-47 also make an appearance with more sci-fi-looking options.

Melee combat is similar to that of "Dying Light." Every swing carries plenty of heft, and the impacts are just as brutal. Visible damage like wounds, cut marks, dents, and torn armor plating can be seen on enemies are players hack, slash, shoot and zap their way out of sticky situations.

The world is just as interesting as the games "Atomic Heart" was inspired by. A failed utopia that's both pristine and mad, murdered by the machines made to serve and protect it. Players will get to fight a variety of hostiles like angry plants, bloodthirsty androids and gigantic war machines that look like they belong in "Red Alert 3."

Beneath the violence is a conspiracy, though whether it's from local or foreign sources is up for players to discover once the game is released.