When you take a closer look at the first three DLC, it seems like Mundfish didn’t just pick one ending to continue the story from the base game.
In our first article we did mention that we can’t help but look at Atomic Heart as a beautiful experiment. We feel the same about the first three expansions. In a lot of ways, this too serves as an experimental testing ground for a studio actively figuring out its next move. We jumped across split timelines and switched genres entirely. One time we’re in a tight survival horror and in another we’re playing an arcade platformer. Finally, we end up in an underwater redemption arc.
There’s absolutely no cohesive, predictable roadmap. It’s almost like the developers came up with a silly idea in the middle of the night and they decided to fully pursue it just for the sake of the sheet fun of it. Each of the DLC was unique. We’re happy we went on those adventures, we just don’t know if we’d do it again.
Wires, Candy, and Cheap Deaths
Technostasis (DLC 1): A glove power that drops a localized time-slow bubble. It allows you to slice up mobs before they can react.
The Whip (DLC 3): A grappling hook tool used to aggressively pull P-3 toward enemies. You can also zip out of the way of incoming area-of-effect attacks.
Arcade Surfing (DLC 2): High-speed, physics-based sliding levels. You need to angle yourself off ramps to clear massive gaps.
The Gameplay Shift
Walking a straight line
In the first DLC, Annihilation Instinct, the devs ditched the open world entirely. You are shoved into a hyper-linear gauntlet in the Mendeleev Complex.
We liked this change and we loved the weaponized pruning shears, the slashing polearm, and a new glove ability that stops time. Slowing down a mob of robots and hacking them to pieces feels incredible. As fun as these new toys are, the DLC offers just a straight line to a recycled boss fight. Feels a bit like a missed opportunity. They were headed the right way but somewhere along the way they must have been like: that’s enough. Let’s wrap it up with a boss and call it quits.
Shifting gears
Then comes DLC 2, Trapped in Limbo. And you wouldn’t believe the commotion this DLC stirred.
It’s interesting to pick up from the game’s alternate ending and to be dumped into a psychedelic candy world. We really didn’t expect the shooting to be mostly gone. We sure as heall didn’t expect we’d be playing a mix of Subway Surfers and CS:GO surf maps.
You slide down endless frosting-covered ramps. You collect coins and apples. This isn’t boring at all, we welcomed the change, but the physics were highly frustrating. You will fall repeatedly because you didn’t hit a candy cane at the precise angle required. To few, this was a refreshing detour. To most, Trapped in Limbo was an exhausting one.
Bioshocky charm
With Enchantment Under the Sea, the devs remembered what this game is best at and stuck to their guns, or a hook in this case, a grappling one.
The combat here clicks back into place. You’re zipping around a gorgeous underwater facility, dodging deep-sea mutants, and slamming a heavy shock-hammer into boss robots. It’s our favorite of the three because it’s fast and it requires actual skill. It also finally delivers on the BioShock vibes. That’s something that the base game chased from day one.
Hey, did you know that:
Because the base game has two different endings, the DLCs actually split the timeline. DLC 1 explores what happens if you walk away, while DLCs 2 and 3 follow the timeline where you fight the final boss.
Trapped in Limbo currently sits at a “Mostly Negative” user rating on Steam. Players enjoy comparing its endless sliding levels to mobile games like Subway Surfers.
Enchantment Under the Sea heavily references the bizarre, real-world NASA-funded “Dolphin House” experiments. There’s underwater Neptune base lore. There’s also a talking dolphin. Yeah, we knew we’ll get your attention with that one.
The Post-Mortem
The Atomic Heart DLC is a fascinating experiment in trial and error. It’s a tad weird that we had to push through a highly linear shooter and then do a grueling platforming detour just to reach a genuinely great underwater expansion. An uneven package, for sure, but we have to respect the ambition.
ID Card
- Developer: Mundfish
- Publisher: Focus Entertainment
- Engine: Unreal Engine 4
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- DLC Releases: Annihilation Instinct (Aug 2023), Trapped in Limbo (Feb 2024), Enchantment Under the Sea (Jan 2025)
Make sure you come back in two days to read our thoughts on the fourth and final DLC: Blood On Crystal. Meanwhile, read our first article on Atomic Heart down bellow:
Dev & Play Media 
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