Summary
At this point, theBioShockseries is a touchstone of gaming for both mechanics and storytelling. Irrational Games' 2007 original, a spiritual successor to the previously groundbreaking immersive sim,System Shock, set a new standard for the medium at the time. Followed by two more releases between 2010 and 2013, the franchise was subsequently etched into the industry zeitgeist.BioShock 4was announced in 2019 to be in development by a newer studio, Cloud Chamber, under 2K’s umbrella. However, it has as yet to see the light of day, and there has been little firm information shared about its current status.
Released back in February 2023,Atomic Heartfrom developer Mundfish initially had all the appearances of possibly filling the space for aBioShock-like experience. With its own spin on the core genre and gameplay components within a fresh, intriguing setting, many fans were looking forward to what it promised to offer. Upon release, however,Atomic Heartended up feeling more than a little half-baked, with sparks of good ideas and creativity that, unfortunately, in many instances were buried under technical annoyances, some uninspired design, and a story that fell fairly flat. Given that it failed to impress on this front,BioShock 4has an opportunity to prove why it’s earned its reputation by showingAtomic Hearthow it should be done.
How BioShock 4 Could Be What Atomic Heart Wasn’t
Atomic Heart’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Atomic Heart’s setup and atmosphere seemed primed to deliver an outstanding title for fans ofBioShockand similar games. Framed around an alternate-history post-World War 2 Soviet Union estate powered by advanced sci-fi technology, which enabled it to be the dominating force of the Cold War,AHhad an attractive premise. While this was an excellent starting point, it stumbled more in its execution. Theart direction and world building ofAtomic Heartwere generally regarded as its most striking and well-realized elements. Indeed, its fascinating realization of the world it created largely outshone the actual gameplay and narrative in the grand scheme.
The story of agent “P-3”, AKA Major Sergey Nechayev, attempts to mirror that ofBioShock’s protagonists. Making use of plasmid-like abilities and an assortment of weapons to uncover the truth behind his history and superiors, it was again good on paper, but lackluster in practice. Overall,Atomic Heartwas thought by many fans to be underwhelming, and failed to leave much of an impact, ending up somewhat forgotten not long after launch due to its unevenness, despite getting some solid post-launch fixes and a piece of DLC.
Though it wasn’t warmly received critically,Atomic Heartsurpassed publisher Focus Entertainment’s sales projections, and contributed to the company’s highest grossing fiscal year to date after release.
How BioShock 4 Might Improve Upon Atomic Heart’s Potential
The wait forBioShock4was already on the longer side whenAtomic Heartwas released, and it remains the case that not much has materialized regardingBS4’s direction and other details, with Cloud Chamber noticeably quiet about its progress. Some rumors and leaks regardingBS4have painted its development cycle in a troubled light thus far. However, information that has emerged, specifically about it allegedly being set in the literal cold era of 1960s Antarctica, could open up a path for it to outdoAtomic Heartat its own game.
If accurate, this factor, along with others, could setBioShock 4up to incorporate the political/social tension and espionage angles seen inAtomic Heart,and already present in much of the series' identity. It could be the case thatBioShock 4will pick up the ballAtomic Heartdropped, and explore the realm of alt-history Cold War-era scenarios further, with all the elements that players likely expect from it, hopefully putting some fresh spins on them as well. For now though, it remains a waiting game to see how, and if,BS4will return to the form thatAtomic Hearttried to emulate.
