The Outer Worlds vs Atomic Heart

• Perspective: First-Person
• Multiplayer: Single-Player Only
• Setting: Halcyon Star System
• Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
• Unique Feature: A satirical, anti-capitalist RPG with a unique 'Flaw' system that adapts your character's stats based on your in-game failures, and a deep, choice-driven dialogue system.

• Perspective: First-Person
• Multiplayer: Single-Player Only
• Setting: Alternate History Soviet Union (1955)
• Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass
• Art Style: Soviet-Futurism / Atompunk
• Unique Feature: A unique 'Soviet-Futurism' art style combined with a hybrid combat system blending visceral melee, improvised firearms, and elemental polymer abilities.

• The Crew of the Unreliable: The player can recruit six unique companions who live on their starship, The Unreliable. Players can bring two companions with them at any time. Companions will fight alongside the player, provide commentary on quests, and grant passive skill bonuses. Each companion also has a powerful, unique special ability that the player can command them to use in combat.
  Varies (Human, Robot)

• Chariton 'Charles' Zakharov (Glove AI): Serves as a constant narrative companion and the primary source of exposition. He interfaces with technology, provides mission objectives, offers tactical advice, and engages in constant sardonic commentary, acting as P-3's foil.
  Artificial Intelligence

• Science Weapons: Six unique weapons hidden throughout the Halcyon system, each tied to a specific side quest.
• Lore Terminals: Computer terminals and data pads found in every location, filled with darkly humorous corporate memos that build the game's satirical world.

• Chirpers: Small, bird-shaped audio logs found throughout the game world. They contain conversations from the employees of Facility 3826, providing crucial background lore and context to the disaster.
• Blueprints: Found in chests and hidden in the puzzle-filled 'Testing Grounds'. These are essential schematics required to unlock new weapons and weapon upgrades at the NORA crafting stations.
• Talking Corpses: Deceased individuals that P-3 can communicate with using his glove. They provide snippets of lore, often revealing their last moments in a tragic or darkly humorous way.

• Sci-Fi
• Action RPG
• Satire
• Hyper-Capitalism
• Player Choice
• Narrative-Driven
• Space Western
• First-Person

• Alternate History
• Sci-Fi
• Soviet-Futurism
• Atompunk
• Utopia Gone Wrong
• AI Rebellion
• Bio-Horror
• Conspiracy
• Dark Humor
• Transhumanism

• Firearms: Varies (Pistols, Long Guns, Heavy Guns)
  A wide array of firearms, from pistols and assault rifles to plasma launchers and LMGs. Weapons are made by in-game corporations and can be modified with attachments.
• Melee Weapons: Varies (One-Handed, Two-Handed)
  A variety of close-quarters weapons, from blades to large hammers, which can be enhanced with elemental damage mods.
• Science Weapons: Unique
  A set of six unique, bizarre weapons with special effects, such as the 'Shrink Ray' (shrinks enemies), 'Gloop Gun' (causes enemies to float), and 'Mandibular Rearranger' (stuns and shuffles enemy faces).

• Swede: Melee Weapon (Axe)
  P-3's reliable starting melee weapon. A versatile axe that can be upgraded for faster attacks or a powerful charged spinning strike.
• Zvezdochka: Melee Weapon (Saw Mace)
  A heavy, brutal melee weapon consisting of a handle with two spinning saw blades. Its charged attack launches the blades forward as a deadly projectile.
• Makarov Pistol: Firearm (Pistol)
  A standard-issue semi-automatic pistol. It's the first firearm players acquire and can be upgraded for better accuracy, damage, and magazine size.
• KS-23: Firearm (Shotgun)
  A powerful pump-action shotgun that excels at close-range combat, capable of staggering or destroying weaker robots with a single blast.
• Kalash: Firearm (Assault Rifle)
  A versatile and iconic assault rifle, effective at medium range. It can be heavily modified with various scopes, magazines, and elemental damage upgrades.
• Dominator: Energy Weapon
  An advanced weapon that fires powerful polymer-based energy projectiles. It has a secondary fire mode that launches a volley of explosive polymer globules.
• Fat Boy: Explosive Weapon (Rocket Launcher)
  A heavy weapon that launches explosive projectiles, ideal for dealing with large groups of enemies or heavily armored bosses. Its rockets can be crafted but are expensive.
• Railgun: Special Weapon
  A high-tech energy weapon that fires a powerful, precise beam capable of penetrating multiple enemies and even some walls. Requires a charge-up time before firing.

• Polymer Exoskeleton Upgrades: Atomic Heart does not feature traditional equippable armor pieces. Instead, players upgrade P-3's survivability directly through the 'Character' skill tree in the NORA machines. These upgrades increase base health and provide specific resistances to melee, ranged, fire, ice, and electrical damage.

• Armor Sets: Players can equip hundreds of different armor pieces and helmets. While there is no transmog system, the wide variety of corporate-branded gear (Spacer's Choice, Auntie Cleo's, etc.) allows for extensive cosmetic mixing and matching.

• Weapon Skins (Golden Age): Cosmetic customization is primarily focused on weapons. The Premium Edition and some pre-order bonuses included a set of 'Golden Age' skins, which apply a unique gold-plated appearance to the Swede axe and the Kalash assault rifle.

Progression is split between weapon crafting and personal abilities. Using 'NORA' a sentient, flirtatious vending machine, players can craft and upgrade a wide array of melee and ranged weapons. The Polymer Glove provides P-3 with special abilities, including 'Shok' (electricity), 'Frostbite' (cryokinesis), Telekinesis, and a Polymer Jet shield. These skills can be upgraded through several skill trees.

Atomic Heart features a semi-open world structure. The main overworld connects several vast, self-contained complexes or dungeons, such as the Vavilov Complex, the VDNKh exhibition center, and a Theatre. The overworld itself is populated with smaller points of interest, puzzles, and roaming enemies, and can be traversed on foot or by car.

• The Stranger: Playable Protagonist
  A fully customizable colonist from the ship *Hope*. Their personality and skills are defined by the player, and they become the central figure in deciding the fate of the Halcyon colony.
• Parvati Holcomb: Companion
  A compassionate engineer from Edgewater who is an expert in mechanics and empathy. Her personal quest is a major highlight of the game.
• Vicar Maximillian 'Max' DeSoto: Companion
  An impassioned and conflicted Vicar of the Order of Scientific Inquiry, on a personal quest to find forbidden knowledge.
• Felix Millstone: Companion
  A rebellious, idealistic former box-loader who joins the player to fight against corporate oppression.
• Ellie Fenhill: Companion
  A pragmatic and cynical mercenary surgeon who joins the crew for profit and adventure.
• Nyoka: Companion
  A tough, hard-drinking monster hunter who is an expert on the creatures of the planet Monarch.
• SAM: Companion
  A sanitation and maintenance robot found on the *Unreliable*. After being repaired, it becomes a loyal companion that sprays acid on enemies.

• Major Sergey 'P-3' Nechaev: Playable Protagonist
  An emotionally scarred KGB special agent and decorated war hero sent to Facility 3826. He is gruff, single-minded, and frequently annoyed, often clashing with his AI companion.
• Chariton 'Charles' Zakharov: AI Companion / Deuteragonist
  A sentient polymer AI integrated into P-3's glove, created from the mind of a deceased scientist. He provides exposition, tactical advice, and engages in constant, often cynical, dialogue with P-3.
• Dr. Dmitry Sechenov: Primary Antagonist / Scientist
  The brilliant and visionary scientist behind Polymer technology and the Kollektiv neural network. He is the esteemed Minister of Industry of the USSR and leader of Facility 3826.
• The Twins (Left and Right): Antagonists / Bodyguards
  A pair of graceful, deadly, and iconic female robots (named Left and Right) who serve as Dr. Sechenov's personal bodyguards and enforcers. They are the most advanced androids ever created.
• Granny Zina (Baba Zina): Ally / Resistance Fighter
  A mysterious and surprisingly resilient old woman who aids P-3 throughout his mission. She possesses deep knowledge of the facility and its secrets.

• Main Story Quests
  A cinematic campaign that follows the player's quest to save the Halcyon colony, forcing them to make major decisions that will determine the fate of the factions and the system.
• Companion Quests
  Deep, multi-part loyalty missions for each of the six companions. Completing these quests explores their personal backstories and unlocks their most powerful abilities.
• Faction Quests
  Optional questlines for the various corporations and groups in the game (like Spacer's Choice or the Iconoclasts). Player actions in these quests will raise or lower their reputation with each faction.

• Main Story Quests
  Follow the primary narrative to investigate the robot uprising at Facility 3826, confront key figures like Petrov and Filatova, and ultimately uncover Dr. Sechenov's true intentions for the Kollektiv 2.0 launch.
• Testing Grounds
  Optional challenge dungeons filled with complex environmental puzzles and combat encounters. Completing them rewards the player with rare blueprints for weapon upgrades.

The 'Atomic Pass' includes four planned DLC expansions. The first, 'Annihilation Instinct,' released in August 2023, continues the story and adds new enemies, a new area, and a new glove ability. The second, 'Trapped in Limbo,' released in February 2024, explores the bizarre Limbo world and features unconventional, platformer-style gameplay. Two more DLCs are planned to complete the pass.

• Q: What is The Outer Worlds?
  A: It is a single-player, first-person action RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, the original creators of Fallout. It's set in a satirical, hyper-capitalist space colony and is heavily focused on player choice, branching dialogue, and companion characters.
• Q: Is it an open-world game?
  A: No, it is not a single seamless open world. It features a series of large, separate 'open-zone' maps on different planets that you travel between using your spaceship.
• Q: What is the 'Flaw' system?
  A: It's a unique mechanic where the game offers you a permanent, negative debuff (a Flaw) based on your gameplay, such as a fear of robots after fighting them a lot. If you accept the Flaw, you immediately get a free Perk point, allowing for unique role-playing.
• Q: Is it like Fallout: New Vegas?
  A: It shares a lot of the same DNA. It was led by the same directors as Fallout, and features similar dark humor, satirical themes, faction reputation systems, and deep, choice-driven quest design.

• Q: What kind of game is Atomic Heart?
  A: Atomic Heart is a first-person shooter with significant RPG elements, often compared to games like BioShock for its unique setting, narrative focus, and combination of shooting with special abilities.
• Q: Is Atomic Heart an open-world game?
  A: It is semi-open-world. There are large, open areas that connect major story dungeons, but it is not a seamless open world like games in the Fallout or Far Cry series.
• Q: Is there multiplayer in Atomic Heart?
  A: No, Atomic Heart is a strictly single-player experience. The developers have no plans to add multiplayer.
• Q: What are the DLCs for Atomic Heart?
  A: There are four planned DLCs available through the Atomic Pass. The first two released are 'Annihilation Instinct' and 'Trapped in Limbo,' which continue the story and add new gameplay experiences.

Powered by Unreal Engine 4, Atomic Heart is renowned for its striking 'Atompunk' or 'Soviet-Futurism' art style. The game features highly detailed environments, from pristine scientific complexes to overgrown landscapes, and unique, often disturbing enemy designs. On PC, it supports advanced features like ray-traced reflections, shadows, and ambient occlusion, as well as NVIDIA DLSS.

The soundtrack is a unique highlight, featuring an intense, industrial score composed by Mick Gordon, known for his work on 'Doom'. This is contrasted with licensed Soviet-era pop songs, remixed for a modern audience by artists like Geoffrey Day, which often play during combat, creating a distinct and memorable atmosphere.

Features a minimalist and diegetic UI to enhance immersion. Key information like health and energy is displayed on P-3's glove. The weapon wheel allows for quick selection of weapons and abilities. The scanner highlights loot, enemies, and interactive objects in the environment. All crafting and upgrades are handled through the vivid, full-screen interface of the NORA machines.

The game includes a range of accessibility options, such as customizable subtitles (size, background), various colorblind modes (Deuteranopia, Protanopia, Tritanopia), and separate volume controls for music, effects, and dialogue. Controller layouts can be chosen from presets, but full button remapping is limited on some platforms.

• OFFICIAL PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS for the original 2019 release. A 'Spacer's Choice Edition' with higher requirements was released in 2023. The following extrapolations for modern laptops are based on the original, well-optimized release.
• Laptop Performance Note: Laptop versions of the listed desktop GPUs require comparable performance. Given the game's age and optimization, most modern gaming laptops will run The Outer Worlds at high settings and framerates without issue.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: Not a critical factor for this title, as even lower-power laptop GPUs can easily run the game at high framerates.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: The game is not overly demanding, but good cooling is always beneficial for maintaining consistent performance during long sessions.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: The game is not CPU-intensive by modern standards, and most modern mobile CPUs will handle it without issue.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus can help reduce system latency, which is beneficial for the game's first-person shooter combat.
• Game Name: The Outer Worlds

• OFFICIAL PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS for Atomic Heart. The game supports Ray Tracing, which requires significantly more powerful hardware than listed in the recommended specs.
• Laptop Performance Note: Actual performance can vary significantly based on the specific laptop model's TGP, cooling solution, CPU, RAM, and software configuration. The game's fast-paced combat benefits from stable, high framerates.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P Impact: Total Graphics Power (TGP) is crucial for laptop GPU performance. Higher TGP variants of the same GPU model will perform better. Check manufacturer specs.
• Laptop Consideration: Advanced Cooling Thermals: Effective cooling is essential to prevent thermal throttling and maintain consistent framerates during intense combat encounters with numerous enemies and effects.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Performance Sustain: A strong mobile CPU that can sustain good clock speeds is important to complement the GPU, especially in this action-heavy game.
• Laptop Consideration: R A M Configuration Speed: 16GB in dual-channel configuration is recommended for smoother gameplay. RAM speed can also impact performance.
• Laptop Consideration: Display Panel G P U Pairing: Match the GPU's capability to the laptop's display resolution (1080p, 1440p) and refresh rate. Upscaling technologies can help bridge performance gaps.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch N V I D I A Advanced Optimus: Laptops with a MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus can offer improved performance by directly connecting the dedicated GPU to the display, reducing latency.
• Laptop Consideration: Driver Updates O S Optimization: Utilize the latest official GPU drivers and ensure Windows is optimized for gaming.
• Optimization Detail: Upscaling Tech: The game launched with full support for NVIDIA DLSS 3 (Super Resolution and Frame Generation), enabling significant performance boosts on compatible hardware.
• Optimization Detail: Key Settings Impact: Shadows, Post-Processing, Textures, and Visual FX quality settings have the most significant impact on performance. Ray Tracing options, if enabled, are the most demanding.
• Game Name: Atomic Heart

• Upscaling Tech: The game launched with full support for NVIDIA DLSS 3 (Super Resolution and Frame Generation), enabling significant performance boosts on compatible hardware.
• Key Settings Impact: Shadows, Post-Processing, Textures, and Visual FX quality settings have the most significant impact on performance. Ray Tracing options, if enabled, are the most demanding.

• G P U T G P: Not a critical factor for this title, as even lower-power laptop GPUs can easily run the game at high framerates.
• Cooling Thermals: The game is not overly demanding, but good cooling is always beneficial for maintaining consistent performance during long sessions.
• C P U Power Limits: The game is not CPU-intensive by modern standards, and most modern mobile CPUs will handle it without issue.
• M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus can help reduce system latency, which is beneficial for the game's first-person shooter combat.

• G P U T G P Impact: Total Graphics Power (TGP) is crucial for laptop GPU performance. Higher TGP variants of the same GPU model will perform better. Check manufacturer specs.
• Advanced Cooling Thermals: Effective cooling is essential to prevent thermal throttling and maintain consistent framerates during intense combat encounters with numerous enemies and effects.
• C P U Performance Sustain: A strong mobile CPU that can sustain good clock speeds is important to complement the GPU, especially in this action-heavy game.
• R A M Configuration Speed: 16GB in dual-channel configuration is recommended for smoother gameplay. RAM speed can also impact performance.
• Display Panel G P U Pairing: Match the GPU's capability to the laptop's display resolution (1080p, 1440p) and refresh rate. Upscaling technologies can help bridge performance gaps.
• M U X Switch N V I D I A Advanced Optimus: Laptops with a MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus can offer improved performance by directly connecting the dedicated GPU to the display, reducing latency.
• Driver Updates O S Optimization: Utilize the latest official GPU drivers and ensure Windows is optimized for gaming.