Atomic Heart criticised for racist caricature in one of its Soviet-era cartoons

Atomic Heart (opens in new tab) is being criticised (via Resetera (opens in new tab)) for the presence of a racist caricature in one of the old Soviet cartoons that air in the game’s Resident Evil-style save rooms. Those rooms, which serve as a brief respite from the game’s robo-bashing combat, offer players a chance to kick back for a bit and watch old episodes of Nu, Pogodi! (Well, Just You Wait!) a beloved Soviet children’s cartoon that first aired in 1969. But at least one of the episodes featured might be a bit too reminiscent of its era.

Nu, Pogodi! is, in essence, Soviet Tom and Jerry, starring an impeccably-dressed Soviet disco wolf (Volk) as he tries and fails to get his hands on a mischievous hare (Zayats). Atomic Heart is being criticised for a segment in episode 12: “Museum,” an episode from 1978. In a quick flash on the screen, the pair’s antics cause a statue—a racist depiction of an African tribesman—to fire the bow and arrow it’s holding, setting off a Rube Goldberg-style sequence of chaotic events that eventually deposits Volk in the sarcophagus of Ramesses the Great. You can see the episode in question on YouTube (opens in new tab) (content warning for racism).