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In this Atomic Heart Enchantment Under The Sea DLC 3 Review, we took a look at Mundfish's latest addition to the Atomic Heart Storyline. Following the game's second DLC, the story follows P-3 and Blesna through old and new locations in a journey to recover the Beta Connectors. The DLC's main highlight is the new Neptune Complex, which offers a “Rapture-like” vibe from Bioshock. But does the newest DLC offer an experience just as enjoyable?
Atomic Heart Enchantment Under The Sea DLC Review – What is DLC 3?
Enchantment Under The Sea is the third of four DLCs for Mundfish's Sci-Fi FPS, Atomic Heart. It is included with the game's Atomic Pass ($39.99) or can be purchased separately for $9.99 USD. It is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC Via Steam.
WARNING: Spoilers Ahead!
Story – Atomic Heart Enchantment Under The Sea DLC 3 Review
Enchantment Under the Sea takes place after the game's second DLC – Trapped in Limbo – and therefore, takes place after the game's longer ending. Here's a quick re-cap:
At the end of Atomic Heart's main campaign, P-3 must make a decision which leads to two endings. He must decide whether to help CHAR-les and Granny Zina confront Dr. Sechenov, or to just abandon the mission entirely. While the latter leads to Annihilation Instinct (DLC #1), the former is continued in DLCs 2 and 3.
Trapped in Limbo reunites P-3 with his wife, Ekaterina Nechayeva (Agent Blesna). Together, the two navigate through Limbo in an effort to escape and return to the real world. Throughout the DLC, P-3 learns more about Limbo, along with the fact that Dr. Sechenov isn't quite dead… yet. In the end, he manages to escape Limbo, vowing to save his wife and seek vengeance on Chariton.
Enchantment Under The Sea literally picks up where Limbo left off. Blesna has integrated herself into P-3's glove, serving as his ally throughout the campaign. The two find themselves in Chelomey, which has been completely destroyed by Robots. The ultimate goal of the story is to recover the Beta Connectors, which P-3 threw away in the Main Campaign.
Right off the bat, I'll say I'm probably in the minority group that actually like's P-3's English dub actor. And overall, I really do love Plutonium as a character. Despite all the bad things that have happened to him, he still manages to keep and upbeat attitude while fighting against evil. You really root for the guy because he represents the goodness of humanity. It's the perfect yin to CHAR-les' yang, as the traitorous foe always despised humanity.
However, I have mixed reactions to Agent Blesna. On one hand, she's important to the plot, and serves an important role in the story. On the other, she just isn't as interesting as others in the story. It's hard to replace CHAR-les, who was such a complex and well-written character. He fits the vibe of the game, especially when you've been following it since well before it launched.
Blesna just doesn't have that same complexity. She often whines and argues with P-3, and their conversations just feel like the ramblings of an old married couple. I get it – they are married – but their relationship is not what got me so interested in Atomic Heart. However, near the end of the DLC, this becomes less of a problem as the two sort out their problems. Furthermore, there are three new characters in the DLC, all of which were great additions.
And on the fun side, Blesna's interactions with the repair vendor NORA were hilarious.
After fighting through Chelomey, P-3 and Blesna reunite with Granny Zina and Terentiy (First seen in Annihilation Instinct). Once Zina realizes Blesna is still alive, the three hatch together a plan to stop CHAR-les. Zina drops P-3 and Blesna off at the underwater Neptune Complex, while she heads for Chelomey with Terentiy.
As you navigate through the Neptune Complex, you learn more about the Facility, current events, and more. Personally, I loved learning more about the Neptune Complex. Atomic Heart is at it's strongest when you're in a facility and learning how it functions. The design and function of Atomic Heart's facilities feels purposeful, and they're woven into the story perfectly. It feels like a perfect nod to Bioshock's Rapture while staying true to Atomic Heart's lore.
The DLC's story grows even stronger when you meet the three new characters. Kolya, Nastya, and the Hunter all felt like great additions. Although your objective is to recover the rings, P-3 allies himself with this trio in order to make an escape route. Out of all three, Kolya proves to be the most interesting, as he's always hiding something.
While I prefer the lonely, isolated feeling of the main campaign, it's nice to have some characters to expand the lore. And since we weren't crazy for Blesna's interactions, everyone else's felt like a breath of fresh air. We wouldn't mind seeing these characters return as P-3 goes after CHAR-les.
Overall, Enchantment Under The Sea offers the best story yet for an Atomic Heart DLC. It feels like a true continuation of the game's longer ending. Although Blesna doesn't hold a candle to CHAR-les in my mind, I am curious to see what the developers plan next for P-3 in the final DLC. If Atomic Heart 2 is still reportedly in development, then we'd love to see P-3 return once again to fight off waves of Robots.
Gameplay – Atomic Heart Enchantment Under The Sea DLC 3 Review
Enchantment Under The Sea adds new weapons and abilities that add more reason to check it out.
In terms of Glove Skills, we have Whip and Blaze. The former is a grapple hook that allows P-3 to pull himself towards enemies. Furthermore, he can use it to navigate to those out-of-reach areas and find secret stashes. If you like speedruns, upgrading this ability eventually lets P-3 move fast for brief periods of time, helping you progress faster.
Overall, it works well in terms of exploration, but in terms of combat I seldom used it. Some boss battles require you to use this ability to dodge attacks, and that's about the full extent of it. That said, it feels fun to use and opens up opportunities to create more interesting puzzles.
The second ability Blaze, proved much more useful in combat. Essentially, it lets P-3 launch a fireball at the enemy, dealing lots of damage. You can upgrade it to become a mine, which blows up regardless of whether you hit an enemy or not. Its splash damage made it very useful for dealing with the waves of enemies the game throws at you.
Furthermore, the new weapons include the Thunderclap (melee) and KM-4 Muzmich (Shotgun).
While I miss using the Zvezdochka, the Thunderclap felt like a solid substitute. It deals a good amount of damage when upgraded, and its special ability lets you attack enemies from afar.
On the other hand, the Kuzmich feels like an upgrade over the KS-23. You can customize the gun's bullet spread, and upgrade its rate of fire to help you clear waves of robots. Furthermore, its secondary fire launches a grenade that proved useful against some of the DLC's new enemies. If there's one caveat, it's that it won't do much good against the DLC's armored enemies, which we'll get into later. But overall, I enjoyed using this weapon, and wouldn't mind it returning in future.
In terms of the enemy roll call, Enchantment Under The Sea brings back old enemies, along with a nice mixture of new ones to keep things fresh. You'll fight VOV-A6s, Mutants, and other foes from the main game. But the DLC adds a bunch of new enemies. From upgraded Rafiks and Rotobots, to aquatic enemies like Trilobites and Octopuses, you'll need to acquaint yourself with many new foes.
Then there are the mutated crustaceans which pack a punch. You'll either fight a miniature crabs that attack you in swarms, or giant crabs that deal a ton of damage. Overall, this new grouping of enemies felt fun and fresh to fight. Some of them also required me to use different tools in my arsenal to get the job done.
I felt like the Kuzmich's Grenade launcher worked wonder against the armored crabs, while Blaze helps in dealing with crowds of enemies. And if you need to conserve ammo, the Thunderclap/Shock Combo always works against your basic VOV-A6s.
Lastly, there were two boss fights in the DLC. The first sees you fight a Robogirl for the first time. This robot was seen briefly in the main game, but we never got to fight one. This robot appeared in several pre-release videos, and was prominent in Soviet Lunapark VR. As someone who had been following the game for years, it's nice to see Artem Galeev's classic designs get more involved in the gameplay.
Atomic Heart always likes to mix puzzles in with its combat, and there are no shortage of them in DLC 3. You'll help a Dolphin with a Thought device navigate the facility at times, while also exploring the vast Neptune Complex. Overall, the puzzles were easy, but they provide a nice break from the action.
The DLC also features an underwater section in which you can't fight at all. Instead, you'll be trying to hide from the massive MOR-4Y. This mechanical beast is essentially an underwater Burav, and if it catches you, you're dead. Overall, You need to stay under cover and avoid detection in order to progress.
This Robot also serves as the DLC's final boss, and a pretty challenging one at first. It's move set can be pretty unpredictable, and throughout the fight, it unleashes new attacks on you. Overall, it was a pretty fun fight, but one you'll want to be prepared for.
My only gripe with the gameplay came from a limited arsenal and technical issues with the Whip. I crafted a Kalash AK-47, only to never use it because the DLC only really gave you pistol and shotgun ammo. And while I like the Thunderclap, having the option of using another melee weapon would've been nice.
Furthermore, the Whip worked for the most part, but there are times when it doesn't want to cooperate. It generally works alright, but don't rely on it to work 100% of the time.
But all that aside, the Gameplay of DLC feels fresh, fun, and what we were hoping for. No more Counter-Strike Sliding, just good ole' fashioned FPS fun!
Sound – Atomic Heart Enchantment Under The Sea DLC 3 Review
Atomic Heart's sound design is just as crisp as its visuals. Boogrov and Geoffrey Day return, along with other new artists to create a varied soundtrack. It also features a few other modern songs, thanks to the Radio of the Future.
Personally, my favorite aspect of Atomic Heart's music continues to be the more relaxing tunes. From the music of the PEAR devices, to the sound of the glove retrieving items, there's a unique feeling in Atomic Heart's sound design that fits the theme of the game well.
In terms of music, Enchantment Under The Sea provides a good mix of songs that fit both the aquatic nature of the facility, and for those blood-pumping combat sequences.
Graphics – Atomic Heart Enchantment Under The Sea DLC 3 Review
Atomic Heart is one of the best looking FPS games out there right now, and a lot of that is thank to its art design. Artem Galeev's art work feels creative, yet realistic and purposeful. Everything in Atomic Heart's beautiful facilities are made with thought and care, making you truly feel like you're in an 1950's inspired view of the future.
The Neptune Complex is another great addition to Atomic Heart's beautiful facilities. The underwater theme feels relaxing, making you want to stop and “smell the flowers”. While the DLC can be beat in 2.5 to four hours, I spent well over double that time just admiring the scenery.
Atomic Heart is referred to some as the “Russian Bioshock”, and the Neptune Complex certainly takes some inspiration. But Neptune also stays in sync with the design of 3826's other complexes. Overall, it feels like a nod to the classic FPS series while staying original to Atomic Heart's design.
Whether you're underwater, underground, or on Terra Firma, Atomic Heart continues to impress us visually.
Verdict: Is Enchantment Under The Sea Worth Your Time & Money?
Atomic Heart's Enchantment Under The Sea DLC feels like a return to form for the game. The DLC brings everything together that made Atomic Heart so great in the first place. It also offers a fun gameplay experience with some new toys to play around with, a beautiful new facility to explore, and an interesting story that keeps you hooked until the end. Furthermore, the length of the DLC more than justifies the $10 price tag.
Besides some minor technical issues and limited arsenal, Enchantment Under The Sea is Atomic Heart's best DLC yet. It also excites us for what's ahead. We can't wait to see if P-3 can get revenge against CHAR-les. However, we also wouldn't be opposed to a DLC that follows Annihilation Instinct. Mundfish has proven they can make a rich gameplay experience with a great story attached.
Score: 9/10
Editor's Note: ClutchPoints reviewed the PS5 version of Atomic Heart Enchantment Under The Sea. Experience may vary depending on the platform you play on.
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