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Atomic Heart transports players into a dystopian world ruled by the Soviets, owing to their technological innovations. They will be shooting robots, solving puzzles, and meeting a diverse cast of characters. The game also comprises Testing Grounds, which are explorable underground facilities.
These are completely optional and players can even skip them. However, it is ideal to partake in these puzzle rooms since they offer weapon upgrade blueprints and more as rewards. The Testing Grounds are also referred to as Polygon and are marked on the world map.
Atomic Heart guide: Why are Testing Grounds important and where to find them
Atomic Heart presents an alternate-history version of a world dominated by Soviet technological advancements. It is atmospheric and oozes a style reminiscent of Bioshock and modern Wolfenstein games. Despite being a linear title, it features some hub areas that are worth exploring.
Testing Grounds are underground dungeons/facilities that involve solving a series of puzzles. They also contain loot chests called Lootyagin, which can be acquired by going through the locations and solving the puzzles. There are eight Testing Grounds in Atomic Heart.
The game’s protagonist, P-3, has a glove named Charles equipped on his left hand that acts as an important tool. Players can upgrade their glove abilities like Shok (Shock), Mass Telekinesis, Frostbite, Polymeric Jet, Polymeric Shield, and more using the NORA terminals in safe rooms.
The glove also features a scanning ability, using which players can highlight all the lootable items in any area. The Testing Grounds are item-rich and thus demand gamers to keep an eye out for loot. The glove acts as a magnet and pulls all the loot automatically from drawers, lockers, and other areas.
Accessing and solving puzzles in Atomic Heart's Testing Grounds
Players can conveniently locate the Testing Grounds' missions from the map. To gain access to underground locations, they will need to interact with cameras in the vicinity of the marked area. Each has a unique entry point and requires a certain kind of interaction with the environment, while some have easy access devoid of any manipulation.
Once players gain entry into these underground facilities, they will encounter magnetic coils that require activation. Upon playing around with those using the glove’s Shok ability, they can gain access to different areas within the facility and loot chests hidden in crevices.
All Testing Grounds are elaborate and thereby require thorough exploration using the glove’s scanning ability. One can farm for materials in these facilities and even acquire powerful weapon upgrades in the process.
Players will also encounter enemies during exploration. They will be easy to defeat at first, but will require intelligent use of weapons and abilities to be dispatched, especially during the later Testing Grounds in the game.
More about Atomic Heart
Atomic Heart provides three difficulty settings: Peaceful Atom, Local Malfunction, and Armageddon. Players can choose to play on the easiest mode or step up the to the hardest Armageddon. Those who wish to have a balanced experience can opt for the Local Malfunction setting, which is the normal run.
Players can choose from a wide variety of melee and ranged weapons, and upgrade them at the NORA terminal found in safe rooms. One can even find weapon blueprints in the chests in these rooms. The same terminal can be used to dismantle undesired gear and regain all the materials that were invested in upgrading them.
Atomic Heart also features character abilities that one can use to upgrade P-3’s movement speed, dodging skill, healing efficiency, and more. Players will need to spend Neuropolymers to acquire all of them.
This dystopian first-person shooter is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PC to a mixed reception. While some have praised the game for its ambitious setting, others are of the opinion that it is plagued with certain technical errors.
