![]() ![]() This is so obviously an idea with terrible and sinister implications that it will be no surprise at all to you, the player, that someone in the facility activates the robot’s combat mode, whereupon they proceed to kill everyone – which is about the point where you show up with a fire axe, a 12-gauge, and a multifunction AI glove named “Charles”.Ĭharles lets you access various skills known as “polymers” (the game explains it) but they allow you to do things like shoot lightning from your glove (extremely useful and your major skill throughout the game), move objects via telekinesis (which is how you loot containers, drawers, bodies, etc), and set enemies on fire. It’s a literal parade of red flags as foreshadowing. The Soviet Union is about to unveil a human-robot neural interface known as “Kollectiv 2.0”, allowing humans to control robots with their thoughts. You play Major Sergey Nechayev, codename P-3, who is a sort of special forces agent-slash-troubleshooter for a Soviet scientist named Sechenov, and arrives at the utopian Facility 3826 on a sunny day in 1955. In a nutshell, Atomic Heart is a cross between Bioshock and Half-Life – featuring special guest appearances by Fallout and Portal – set in an alternate version of the Soviet Union circa 1955, where thanks to the wonders of Soviet Super Science (widely regarded as considerably less evil than Nazi Super Science, although still not without its issues) the USSR is enjoying a golden age full of robots, computers, and advanced biomechanics. Welcome… to the (Soviet) World Of Tomorrow! ![]() I’m quite fond of Soviet firearms and consumer goods, because their rugged simplicity appeals to me – along with the fact that you can buy Soviet wristwatches and cameras on eBay for very reasonable prices regular readers of my writings here may have even seen pictures of my Poljot Strela cosmonaut’s watch or my Vostok Amphibia diving watch as illustrations in previous stories. Everything culminates with a surprisingly bloody end that seems put in more for shock value than anything else, though it should be mentioned that the twist was foreshadowed well beforehand.Atomic Heart combines two of my many interests – in this case, retro-futurism and the Soviet Union. ![]() The Alternate takes a compelling turn in the back half of its runtime, and there's genuine interest in seeing how it will pan out. However, aside from his circumstances, there doesn't seem to be much that differentiates them. The alternate Jake doesn't get as much exploration, partially because much of the film is shown through the eyes of the original. He conveys Jake's wide-eyed desperation well, charting his evolving obsession with each gesture and glance. As both versions of the central character, Moreno fares better as the prime Jake. One might've assumed it would be more difficult to just jump into a new reality, but The Alternate isn't too concerned with giving Jake many obstacles. It's also hard to ignore the ease with which Jake sinks into "his" new life. Dominguez is able to find shades of humanity in her character, even if she isn't given much to really cut her teeth on. The main Kris, in particular, is often relegated to complaining about her job and Jake. There are two versions of Kris represented in The Alternate, and neither of them are properly fleshed out. His wife Kris is less impressed with this discovery, instead bemoaning the fact that it now occupies his attention. After messing around with it on his own computer and stumbling upon its true purpose by idly throwing a football at it, Jake swiftly becomes consumed with the idea of the portal and what it offers. The first glimpse of the otherworldly portal (which looks suitably eerie and inviting) comes within the film's opening minutes, taking Jake's attention away from an interview he's shooting with frequent collaborator Peter (Johnny Gilligan). Natalia Dominguez and Ed Gonzalez Moreno in The AlternateĬoming in at just under an hour and a half, The Alternate doesn't waste much time. ![]()
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