External Links


atomicheart.z5
competition release
Requires a Z-Code interpreter. Visit IFWiki for download links.
readme.txt
info file

Have you played this game?

You can rate this game, record that you've played it, or put it on your wish list after you log in.

Playlists and Wishlists

RSS Feeds

New member reviews
Updates to external links
All updates to this page

The Atomic Heart

by Stefan Blixt

Science Fiction
2003

(based on 7 ratings)
2 reviews

Game Details


Awards

10th Place - 9th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition (2003)

Editorial Reviews

SPAG
This could have been a really good game. The set-up is involving -- you spend most of the game wondering where exactly your loyalty lies, and under nearly constant threat of death -- there are a number of computer interface-based puzzles which could have been entertaining, and while the story deals with some fairly standard sci-fi tropes, there's a welcome sense of horror and desperation beneath it all. Unfortunately, all this promise is severely weakened by inadequate motivation, some questionable design choices, and an incredibly mulish parser.
-- Mike Russo
See the full review

>INVENTORY - Paul O'Brian writes about interactive fiction

I have to say, I really can't figure this out. You take good idea, write an interesting story, make up some cool puzzles and such, then you put it together in such a slapdash way that almost nobody could enjoy it.
See the full review

Tags

- View the most common tags (What's a tag?)

(Log in to add your own tags)
Tags you added are shown below with checkmarks. To remove one of your tags, simply un-check it.

Enter new tags here (use commas to separate tags):

Member Reviews

5 star:
(0)
4 star:
(1)
3 star:
(0)
2 star:
(5)
1 star:
(1)
Average Rating:
Number of Reviews: 2
Write a review


4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
A game about robots, robots, and cables, April 7, 2016

Atomic heart is a good game at heart, but with an annoying number of missing synonyms, unclear descriptions, and a lot of tedious commands. It prominently features a cable and socket system which reminds me of Jack Witham's later Final Exam.

You play a nanny robot protecting a boy. After a brief introductory segment, you enter a larger and dangerous world. With a fragile companion, you explore a landscape fraught with danger and cables.

A key object in the opening area gave me no indication of what I was able to do with it. One room had no description except for "This is Gary's room", or something like that.

If these flaws were patched up, this game would be pretty sweet. But as it is, it's an exercise in frustration.

Was this review helpful to you?   Yes   No   Remove vote  
More Options

 | Add a comment 

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Now What?, July 12, 2009
by AmberShards (The Gothic South)
Related reviews: SF

The main character's nature makes the parser as game construct a useful representation of reality. Very cool! However, the game is poorly implemented and to this day, has not had obvious and glaring bugs fixed. Yes, the trainers are not shoes, even though Mrs. Go tells you to get the shoes. You still can't do anything with various objects, even though you refer to them exactly as the parser demands. It's frustrating beyond reason. I've read that even the walkthrough doesn't work, so I have no idea how you're supposed to finish the game.

Was this review helpful to you?   Yes   No   Remove vote  
More Options

 | Add a comment 




This is version 5 of this page, edited by Paul O'Brian on 8 May 2022 at 10:50pm. - View Update History - Edit This Page - Add a News Item - Delete This Page