At first glance, you could be forgiven if you think that Atomic Heart takes place in some remote, desolate place on Earth. It’s understandable as the game does resemble the Bioshock series in many ways. But alas, the game does not take place at the bottom of the ocean or in a city above the clouds. (Though the game’s lengthy intro does start with a city in the clouds.)
When Does Atomic Heart Take Place?
For those players really interested in the setting of the game, Atomic Heart exists in an alternate reality of the Soviet Union. In the year 1955, to be exact. The majority of the game takes place in Facility 3826 and the surrounding villages around it. That puts the game’s actual setting to be somewhere in the USSR’s countryside away from metropolitan centers.
In this alternate reality, the Third Reich unleashed a deadly virus called the Brown Plague on humanity after realizing that defeat was inevitable. The virus claimed the lives of 150 million Soviet citizens. That’s already on top of the 10 million lost during the war.
The tide shifted when Dr. Sechenov and other outstanding scientists managed to bring the Soviet Union back from the brink of destruction through the advancement of scientific and technological advancements.
Fast forward to events in the game. Agent P-3 is tasked to go to Facility 3826 and retrieve a prisoner by the name of Viktor Petrov. A series of unfortunate events occur and our protagonist winds up smack dab in a battle to determine the fate of the world. Pretty much on par for a Bioshock story.
And that’s everything regarding the setting of Atomic Heart. To learn more about the setting and the wider world itself, you can always interact read messages on computers and talk to the minds connected to the network. But do remember to take some time and smell the virtual flowers too while you’re at it.
Also check out jackfrags’ Gameplay and Impressions video on Atomic Hearts: