Atomic Heart — Blood on Crystal Review: A Final Chapter Without a Satisfying Payoff

Atomic Heart fans are rejoicing today: the Blood on Crystal expansion has officially been released. This is the fourth DLC for the game, and it has long been announced that it will be the final one. So there is a reason for sadness — the story of Major Nechaev is coming to an end. In Annihilation Instinct, we subdued the out-of—control vulgar Eleanor, an artificial intelligence repair cabinet, surfed and fought geese in psychedelic Limbo in Trapped in Limbo, and went underwater in Enchantment Under the Sea in search of Rings, the main artifact of the game. What the developers from Mundfish have prepared for us this time in Blood on Crystal, and how they decided to complete their story about the struggle of man with AI, we will discuss right now.

Let’s reassure fans right away: all the key characters are still present. Major Nechaev’s team from the previous expansion — Professor Lebedev, ichthyologist Nastya, Hunter, engineer Nikolay, Baba Zina, and the Major’s wife inhabiting a Twin’s body — all return. Sexualized female characters haven’t gone anywhere (there are even more of them), crude locker-room jokes (there are fewer now), occasional misplaced profanity (now largely delivered by a foul-mouthed robot named Validol), and the usual stream of rambling, unfocused dialogue all remain. There is plenty of dialogue, but it’s still hard to call it engaging. The developers still haven’t found their “Tarantino,” and some recycled one-liners like “Seryozha, if you die, I’ll kill you at home” are more likely to provoke a facepalm than a laugh. At this point, these traits feel like part of Atomic Heart identity.

In the story, the Major heads to the secret research facility “Crystal” to finally deal with CHAR-les, who escaped justice at the end of the main game. The narrative adds a bit of drama and a couple of “unexpected” twists, but overall the resolution feels rather predictable. At the same time, the plot is so convoluted that after the final twist, the characters practically recap everything themselves — just to make sure the player isn’t left asking, “What was that?” before the credits roll. By the way, we put together a list of standout narratives in gaming in our article Best Story-Driven Games You Can't Miss.

Let’s be honest — story has never been Atomic Heart’s strongest suit. The game has always been praised for its distinctive setting and dynamic gameplay. The Sovietpunk aesthetic, blending fairy-tale elements with absurdity, remains intact, and the gameplay closely mirrors that of the base game. It’s still a mix of Wolfenstein: The New Order with its linear, action-heavy progression and BioShock with its ability juggling. Some locations are not only stylish but genuinely eerie (by the way, it’s worth checking out our list of the best horror games).

The pacing feels uneven: bursts of combat are followed by long stretches of downtime, then action resumes before quickly heading toward the finale. This is especially noticeable in the middle of the DLC, where combat gives way to nearly an hour of walking, conversations, and solving tedious side tasks. The earlier sense of momentum is gone, and the DLC starts to drag, stretching its already substantial runtime — around 9–10 hours.

There is more platforming this time, but it often feels unnecessary and frustrating due to clunky controls. As in the base game, the developers mix action, puzzles, and platforming, but none of these elements stand out individually. Familiar tropes are still everywhere: a “liquid Terminator,” elevator fights against waves of enemies, and a bomb in the finale.

As for enemies, the DLC introduces three new mob types and three bosses. Ammo often runs low, which at times evokes classic zombie shooters (you can also check out our list of the best zombie games). Combat feels dynamic — standing still is not an option, much like in classic “run-and-gun” shooters (we also have a feature on the most brutal and bloody games). However, fights can become frustrating: enemies frequently leap over the player, knock them down, or hover in the air, turning encounters into prolonged firefights with disorienting camera movement.

Unfortunately, Atomic Heart’s final DLC does not deliver a strong or satisfying conclusion to Major Nechaev’s story. In fact, the narrative still feels incomplete. Many players might expect an epic finale, closure for all storylines, or multiple endings — but none of that is present. Blood on Crystal offers no standout story developments and introduces little in terms of new gameplay.

It seems likely that Mundfish is saving its more ambitious ideas for the sequel. Simply combining familiar mechanics from other successful games is unlikely to work a second time without a stronger creative identity. For now, we say goodbye to Atomic Heart — and look ahead to Atomic Heart 2.