Atomic Heart has pushed itself to the forefront of the gaming space with exciting news! Alongside the game’s third DLC expansion, Atomic Heart also went the extra mile by teaming with award-winning artist, Taras Yoom! Known for his Yoomoota art “universe,” Yoom specializes in art that blends biology, nature, and “biomorphic surrealism.”
If I’m honest, Yoom’s art is exactly the kind of visual feast I go for. No surprise as I’m a big Psychonauts mark, which you could argue also has a “surrealist” visual flair. If you want to check out Yoom’s stuff, I highly recommend looking through his official Yoomoota website. I love the weirdo aesthetic — which fits in perfectly with Atomic Heart‘s weirdo energy!
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Not only will Yoom’s style be heavily featured in Atomic Heart‘s third DLC expansion, but we’ll also be treated to limited-edition sculptures in Comrade and Union! This adorable pair will even be integrated into the expansion, which is just precious. Yoom described the meaning behind Comrade and Union, emphasizing their importance beyond being cool sculptures!
‘atomic heart’ teams up with an award-winning artist to bring us gold
“‘Comrade & Union’ are complex, multifaceted archetypes through which I have interpreted the atmosphere of Atomic Heart and the imaginary Soviet Union era. According to the legend of the Yoomoota Universe, these new characters reside on the planet U2beBetter (‘It Used to Be Better’). After their journeys and trials, they ultimately arrive at their core mission—to remind us of the pursuit of science and space exploration,” Yoom explains.
Actually, I’m glad this is going on because I have something to say about Atomic Heart. It deserves a reappraisal! Everyone foisted BioShock onto the game early on and gave it an asterisk it didn’t deserve! Yes, it’s BioShock-adjacent, but so is We Happy Few — another game where everyone simply wanted BioShock and couldn’t reconcile with anything else.
Atomic Heart has had stellar DLC come out for it since its release. Mundfish has been putting in the work to craft a unique experience, and I fully believe they’ve achieved something greater than having their project be considered another “lesser BioShock-like game.” Give Atomic Heart another chance! (And enjoy the wonderfully bizarre stylings of the upcoming Yoom collab!)
