Developer: Reflections, a Ubisoft Studio
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
ATOMEGA – Review
The last few years, a new genre has been created based on some retro concepts, pushing out various variations that are basic and experimental in nature. This genre got more attention by popular streamers and could basically be named the ”.io” genre. These .io games are about starting out small, trying to grow into something big by collecting resources. Not only the level provides resources, other players you take down do too, giving you a certain depending on their size. The bigger you become, the more powerful you are, but the harder you fall. Reflections, a studio by Ubisoft, has tried to translate this genre into a 3D environment by developing ATOMEGA.
Story
There is absolutely no story being told, mainly because the game lacks a singleplayer mode. The game is pure action and about evolving as fast as possible to overcome your enemies.
Graphics
The game consists of yellow and purple cubes and buildings. Playing it, it feels slightly childish. This is because the forms and shapes are pretty undefined. The graphics are a combination of voxel-based games like Minecraft but simplified, with layouts and jumping platforms that have a little bit of Unreal Tournament sauce splashed on them. Depending on how big you are, you shoot and move differently. Lasers you shoot are tiny when you are tiny, and when you are the biggest you can become, you have a proper beam obliterating the other players. The map design also has differences based on the player size. When you are tiny you will still fit through certain holes where mass (the resource in this game) and upgrades can be found. When already bigger, you don’t have the luxury of going everywhere you please and it will be easier to notice you between the buildings and the open spaces.
Sound
The soundtracks in the game have a somewhat retro 80’s sci-fi sound to it. They are also quite basic since they sound like they are being looped. The other sounds are either lasers which have a bit of dubstep ambiance surrounding it, or the impact sounds you make stomping on the ground due to your size. You only make sound walking from the third form you can get and everything bigger above that.
Gameplay
So, a few things first. In most .io games, you play in 2D. Made in 3D, ATOMEGA also makes the game an action shooter/platformer. In normal .io games, there are a few things that make the game last far more than one playthrough without getting bored. For one, there is the instant action, all the time. Also, no matter how small, you basically have a chance to kill the number one player at that moment, assuming ranking number one means you are the biggest creature in the game at that moment.
In ATOMEGA, just like in other .io games, you pick up resources that are scattered around the map and try to outwit enemy players to collect the resources they carry after they perish. Each amount of resources you pick up helps you grow so you might become the top of the food chain on the map. However, in ATOMEGA, the battle fights a lot more.. unfair, maybe even frustrating. First of all, you basically have a single weapon that slightly changes in strength as you grow yourself. For small creatures, this means fast, tiny laser beams. The bigger you get the slower, bigger and more damaging the beams get. This already is a point of boredom, cause the only factor that can change the gameplay is a yellow cube, giving you a random powerup that doesn’t really help much. Either you do a little bit more damage, run a bit faster, heal yourself during a fight and more, or you don’t. The fact remains that even though you have a powerup, you don’t stand a chance against big guys. If you are small they shoot you down in one or two shots, and whatever cubes you collected you have to start finding them all over again.
Another part is that when you are small you still move at a nice, comfortable speed. As soon as you hit your third form, some type of dinosaur, you are suddenly on your way to be the slowest creature alive. Especially in a world with so many fast-paced shooter games, you will notice this. You don’t have a zoom function, you don’t have a sprint function. All you can do is waggle and shoot and hope you kill the other person faster or get that one pickup that might possibly help you. This is rusty gameplay. There’s just not enough variation and carefully planned gameplay to make it really amusing.
Conclusion
Even though the game is commendable for trying something that others didn’t yet, the execution is rather poor. In general, the game makes for a good thirty minutes of fun until you realize the fun is actually the same amount of fun you get from a fidget spinner. It will keep you busy the day you buy it but that’s about it. After that, you question yourself if it was worth your money no matter how little. The core concept does have some potential, but the map design and gameplay (especially the shooting!) just does not feel right. In a time where a million Call of Duty games get pushed out each year and arcade games that are all about proper movement in a 3D environment get more popular, it’s only fair to expect more quality from a game like this.
ATOMEGA - Review,
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