Atomic Heart will feature DLC to expand the single-player experience and flesh out the campaign's story. Any players who might have been hoping for a multiplayer Atomic Heart experience, however, will need to adjust their expectations.

Due to arrive later this year, Atomic Heart is a first-person arcade shooter from Mundfish, a developer previously known for its Soviet Luna Park VR release in 2018. For most of the last five years, the team has been hard at work at a game that looks more likely to put it on the map. In mid-2022, Mundfish denied rumors Atomic Heart's release would slip from 2022 and into 2023, though it later wound up doing precisely that and is now slated for release late this February.

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In a Q&A with Wccftech, Mundfish founder and Game Director Robert Bagratuni answered some lingering questions about Atomic Heart's lengthy development cycle, design changes, and the four DLC packs previously announced. He indicated no multiplayer add-ons are planned at this time. The DLC will instead offer new territories, quests, puzzles, and enemies, while telling new character and world stories. Additionally, it will add new complexes and labs where the player "will learn more about the Atomic Heart world and will need to complete new challenges." The continued focus on setting makes sense given the game's apparent goals. Mundfish recently offered a deep dive into Atomic Heart's Facility 3826, and a lot of available media focuses on what looks to be sprawling environments.

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Atomic Heart's developer has had plenty of time to build hype over preceding years, especially since Atomic Heart will be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one. That availability will give players a low-risk opportunity to decide whether they appreciate everything the game has to offer enough to justify purchasing a copy for themselves, even without the likelihood that they'll be able to head online at some point for a little deathmatch play.

Although the lack of any plans for a multiplayer component to Atomic Heart is sure to disappoint some players who enjoy taking out friends and strangers online, there's no shortage of first-person shooter series with great world building that can satisfy any multiplayer urges. Not every new property needs to offer an online mode to capture the imagination of a wide audience, provided it does a good enough job of putting together a world that's fun to explore alone. Some players prefer solitary experiences, and for them especially, Atomic Heart could be a game to watch as its release date draws nigh.

Atomic Heart releases on February 21 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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Source: Wccftech