Review: Atomega

Stunted growth

Atomega is devilishly simple. Its premise and its gameplay loop are precisely the same : Get big so you can get bigger. It ’ s a subspecies to the top of the food chain. There international relations and security network ’ metric ton anything to overthink. sometimes less is more .
But, sometimes more is more. Atomega ‘ s thematic honor comes at the cost of any real nuance or any real mutant. There ’ s an scheme framework but it isn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate expanded upon enough. Its ease is a double-edged sword .

Atomega (PC)
Developer: Ubisoft Reflections
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: September 19, 2017
MSRP: $9.99

Atomega is the new game from Ubisoft Reflections, the developer creditworthy for the adorably charm Grow Home and Grow Up. Atomega undeniably retains that spell. Its cyber-futuristic landscape made up of purples and yellows, as blockish dinosaurs and robots roam freely. however, its approach path is significantly more aggressive than the Grow games could ever claim to be .
Atomega is an eight-person PC-only stadium shot that emphasizes promptly growing up. Players start as bantam balls of abstemious ( Atoms ), and they try to acquire blocks to tack on mass. This can be achieved by either finding stray blocks that are littered around the battlefield, or by attacking other players and stealing their mass. Attacks are limited to shooting, and there ’ s only one weapon type ( a laser ) that operates on a cooldown. The ultimate goal is to have the most points at the end of the 10-minute game, and being bad is the entirely means of scoring meaning points .

There ’ s a seven-stage growth bicycle that players try to progress through. Starting as an Atom, they work their way to Cel, Zoa, Saur, Prime, Superior, and Omega. There are advantages and drawbacks to each class, but they ’ rhenium reproducible across each development. The smaller ones are more agile and agile, but weaker ; the larger ones are more brawny, but unable to move as cursorily or jump a senior high school.

This could make for matter to styles of play if there wasn ’ t an unmitigated focus on scoring points. The smaller forms can access the more movement-oriented areas of the map, such as the jump pads and the accelerate tunnels. however, utilizing these is barely a mean of finding blocks that other players might not be able to reach, and the end is to get bigger. It ’ second always about getting bigger .
There ’ s a mental tradeoff between all the stages in Atomega that makes each one simultaneously more and less enjoyable relative to the one before it. The smaller forms feel queerly safe because of their adeptness and bantam stature. But, the bigger forms besides feel dependable because of their increased health and damage. The truth is that neither is condom, so you ’ ra always better off merely being adenine big as possible .

Atomega has a couple of crutches that help vary this cycle. There are power-ups scattered across the map that enhance one component of what you ’ re trying to do ( e.g. increase damage, harbor, magnet for nearby blocks, bump enemies back when shooting them, etc ). There ’ mho besides the strategic choice to “ teleport, ” which means reverting one phase but returning to full moon health and not starting over again as an Atom. It ’ randomness crucial to know when you ’ ra bested.

Those crutches don ’ t vary it adequate, though. Atomega matches play out excessively similarly to one another, much with early momentum serving as the key to holding onto leads. At handout, there ’ s one map and one brawl bet on mode. Atomega is a joy at first and then it ’ sulfur diminishing returns in each subsequent equal. There fair isn ’ t adequate opportunity to create memorable moments for this multiplayer game to have legs. Experience-based quality shaders aren ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate enough bonus to keep play .
ironically, Atomega ‘ s fatal flaw is that it never grew to its full moon potential. It ’ s a mostly-unique multiplayer game that ’ sulfur good until it ’ randomness besides familiar. Once it ’ second besides familiar, it ’ s besides small and dim-witted for its own good. Call it growing pains .
[ This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher. ]