More than three years have passed since the original game’s release, but Major Nechayev’s story wasn’t over. The developers at Mundfish prepared four more episodes for the protagonist at Enterprise 3826. And let’s face it, it was worth it. The latest expansion, “Blood on the Crystal,” answers many remaining questions and even logically ties together all the released DLCs into a single storyline.
Let’s remember the past
Of course, if you haven’t played the previous episodes, starting with the latest one won’t make much sense—you won’t understand anything. But even if you’ve played everything faithfully and carefully, you still risk getting lost in the first minutes: you’ll be thrust right into the thick of things. Although you’ll still get a short cutscene about what happened before, let’s quickly recap how it all began and where it all led.
1955, an alternate timeline of the USSR’s development. Major Sergei Nechayev arrived at Enterprise 3826 on behalf of the prominent scientist Dmitry Sechenov to suppress a mass robot revolt that had begun at the most inopportune time—practically on the eve of the launch of the “Collective 2.0” protocol. This protocol was intended (at least according to its creators) to allow humans to unite all minds into a single network and control all mechanisms with the power of thought alone. Of course, the task turns out to be far more complex and confusing than initially anticipated.
The main villain ultimately turns out to be the protagonist’s friend and assistant , HRAZ, an artificial (as it turns out, not so artificial) intelligence packaged in a glove. The player literally carried Sechenov’s ally, Khariton Zakharov, on their person throughout the game, and in the end, even helped him eliminate Sechenov. Afterwards, the antagonist managed to acquire a new body composed of polymers, allowing him to control most of the robots created.
Moreover, Nechayev himself is seriously wounded in battle, his mind trapped in a virtual world. However, during the first expansions, he manages to escape thanks to his wife, Ekaterina. In the third DLC, “Enchantments of the Deep Sea,” the heroes discover an underwater complex with several survivors. Eventually, they manage to find long-lost beta connectors that can contain the HRAZ, and after a difficult battle, the entire company makes it to the surface.
Plot and characters
Nechaev is thrown into battle literally within the first few seconds, so there’s no time to get going. But afterward, you’ll have to listen to a lengthy briefing, with each member of your squad assigned a role.
By the way, there are quite a few heroes here; the screenshot above doesn’t show them all. Here’s the whole team: Professor Lebedev, the brains of the operation ; Baba Zina, covering the others in a flying hut with built-in machine guns and missiles; also present are ichthyologist Nastya, programmer-technician Kolya, the stern Hunter (but the major is still sterner), cyborg Katya, the indispensable Eleanor, and her new man , the secret robot Samodelkin.
Moreover, many of the team will have ample time to develop. Some of the feature characters will finally become full-fledged heroes. This is especially true, of course, of the lustful robe closet. To avoid spoilers, let’s just say: Eleanor will have time to try on several roles at once.
As the story progresses, the protagonist will encounter several other minor characters. And here, the AI psychologist “Validol” takes the crown. Created to help guests of the Crystal Complex adapt, it failed at its job and developed a love for Russian swearing. Enormous amounts, it must be said.
And yet, the overall plot, albeit with a few caveats, is rather mediocre. There’s HRAZ, and there’s Major P-3 and his men. The former wants to achieve world domination, the latter want to stop him. The local stories the player experiences in each individual location are a different matter .
Levels
The first large area Nechayev enters is a ship infested with mutated plants. Despite the lack of jump scares, darkened areas, and other cheap scares, this place has a subtle horror atmosphere.A sense of unease is created through interactions with undigested corpses (in Atomic Heart, you could always get some of the dead to talk) and the notes left behind. At this point, the game recalls the recent sci-fi thriller Still Wakes the Deep, where oil workers dive too deep into the ocean. Here, the player is also shown how a person transforms into something completely different.
Next, the hero heads to the main location—the Crystal Complex. It’s noticeably larger, but there’s no open world—just large areas available for exploration. And in the first few minutes, you’re guaranteed to be turning your head in all directions—the mix of Soviet retrofuturism and… ancient Egyptian motifs is truly intriguing.
A special mention should be made of the new creatures—the Polymorphs. These are people who have traded their normal bodies for polymer bodies. The developers have shown that this transition has left its mark on their psyche—in a small, elite cottage community, you’ll be able to interact quite closely with these creatures. Incidentally, this is the only section where you can complete some quests in multiple ways.
Enemies
For the most part, the player will encounter familiar faces: Vovochkas and mannequins, various mutants, and other robots. But there will also be newcomers, whom we’ve already briefly discussed above—the polymorphs.
These creatures come in different forms: some can burst into flames, others freeze everything around them. Fighting them, as you might guess, also requires special skills—”Chill” and “Tan.” There are also regular ones—without abilities—but they’re far less interesting and more reminiscent of Vovik in energy armor.
There will be bosses, of course, but there’s not much variety. You’ll have to beat tried-and-true opponents with familiar attack patterns, and also defeat the same “Raccoon” robot a couple of times. At least the final fight with him was more fun and noticeably more original than the first.
How to play?
If you’ve only recently started playing all the DLCs at once, you’ll easily experience “Blood on the Crystal” and “Enchantment of the Deep Sea” as a single adventure. Gameplay-wise, they’re also very similar: dynamic battles with a wide variety of enemies interspersed with a few puzzles and platforming sectio
True, the arsenal for reprisals here is not the most extensive: a shotgun, a machine gun, an assault rifle, and a pistol, and for close combat there are only two weapons—the “Klusha” power spear and the “Thunderer” hammer. Superpowers complete the overall picture.
The most effective of these are the aforementioned “Frost” and “Sunburn,” essential for effectively defeating polymorphs. “Whip,” which makes the hero slightly more mobile, is also occasionally helpful. And the electrical “Technostasis” is useful for stopping robots. There’s also foam and shield, but they’re completely useless in combat. The rest of the abilities from the original were never brought back.
As you progress, you’ll have to constantly juggle all your skills, and it’s not always your choice. At some point, the game introduces special stations where you can quickly swap one skill for another. And almost all of these devices are placed in places where you can’t proceed without the required ability. However, you’ll have to use different attacks against different polymorphs anyway.
Incidentally, the battles themselves seem more balanced and even arcade-like. For example, in the previous expansion, it was normal to die in a casual encounter with several monsters—here, that doesn’t happen even with bosses. You’ll more often see the iconic “Dead” message when you fall somewhere or miss your jump.
Jokes, memes, and gags
One of Atomic Heart’s most significant features has always been its signature humor, with numerous references to pop culture, games, and even folklore. Even those who’ve only seen a couple of trailers know about Baba Zina in the flying hut.
If we take games alone, there are plenty of homages here too: there will be another obvious mockery of BioShock, and a certain physicist in power armor who is best avoided. There will even be a dialogue between a local young gamer and an older representative about whether computer games can be considered art.
However, against the backdrop of truly successful jokes and interesting thoughts, there are also far less clear-cut things: a swearing robot is funny, but a voice message about a whale “blowing” a submarine is questionable.
Such things could perhaps also include intrusive product placement. It’s incredibly odd to see a cameo character recommending something delicious to Major Nechayev from the fridge, who immediately agrees and then happily devours the chips in front of a poster referencing a certain grocery chain.
Will there be any downsides?
Blood on Crystal doesn’t have many obvious downsides. But what’s definitely going to bother everyone is the technical issues. And it’s not just the objects and enemies getting stuck; the most annoying thing is the five-second pauses after some dialogue ends: everyone’s already said everything and then just stands there in silence for a few moments. A minor detail? Perhaps. But it’s damn annoying.
The game’s weakest section is probably the beginning, where you have to use the Whip to navigate a raft between flooded platforms. Just imagine: instead of action, you’re forced to spend 15 minutes jumping between boats, occasionally falling into the water due to unseen mines.
The remaining complaints are more subjective: humor that crosses the line in places, drawn-out jumping sections, and rather primitive puzzles that could have been completely abandoned.
Conclusion
“Blood on the Crystal” is a wonderful conclusion to Atomic Heart’s story, asking the player to recall and apply most of the skills learned throughout the game. The ending is less brutally epic and more sentimental and personal, but this is a significant benefit to Atomic Heart.
Over 10 leisurely hours, you won’t experience another episode of a dystopian action movie, but rather embark on a true adventure with a small but vibrant team. The latest expansion is also a good reason to replay the entire game. You’ll likely experience it differently now.
Incidentally, the very ending references the studio’s next project, The Cube, but what will happen in the already announced sequel is unclear. All we can do is wait and see.
