This has all been done better elsewhere. Whereas Half-Life limited our control for a brief period of time, BioShock Infinite — which Atomic Heart seems very inspired by — evolved this kind of intro with its trip to Columbia. That game’s introduction is similarly linear, but it gives you much more time where you are in control of your character’s actions. You may have to go from A to B, but BioShock Infinite lets you take your time and poke around as you do it. Rather than allowing you the time to dawdle and look at its world if you want, Atomic Heart pulls the gaming equivalent of the Ludovico Technique, strapping you into a flying car so you have no choice but to look.
