It’s been a while since players have gotten a newBioShockgame to sink their teeth into, but other developers have tried to fill the void. FromClockwork RevolutionandJudasin the future toAtomic HeartandPreyin the past, the series has a lot of fans that have clearly taken cues from it. However, Irrational Games' magnum opus stands alone atop the first-person environmental storytelling mountain, and it will be tough for any game to dethrone it. Its quality can still be felt, even a decade after the last mainline release.
Irrational Games made made threeBioShockentries between 2007 and 2013. Each has their own merit not just as great experiences, but as fundamental pieces of art that are the bar over whichPreyandWe Happy Fewattempted to clear. If reports are to be believed, the future ofBioShockis in limbo, but that doesn’t mean that its immense quality and influence should be ignored or forgotten.
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Storytelling in BioShock is Complex, but Accessible
Players could be forgiven for thinking that the firstBioShockis just a formulaic survival horror game. When the story is peeled back a few layers, however, it’s evident that a far more compelling tale is being told, shining an interrogative light on the works offiction writer and philosopher Ayn Rand. Much of the series' storytelling tackles complex political and cultural themes in a way that can also be enjoyed by those who are only interested in the overall tone and atmosphere rather than the (often convoluted) narrative.
TheBioShockseries is accessible, but immensely deep, and the way the setting is constructed to complement theenvironmental storytelling approach thatSystem Shock 2made popular is a stroke of genuine genius.BioShock Infiniteis perhaps the most welcoming to new players at first, but it quickly reverts to type, and arrives at an ending that fans are still analyzing to this day. The series at large is great when the cutscenes and audio logs are skipped, but it’s simply sublime when all the flowers are smelled along the way.
BioShock is First Person, but Only Part Shooter
Though it unfolds from a first-person perspective and features firearms including the shotgun, flamethrower, crossbow, and machine gun, it would be a significant stretch to say thatBioShockis a typical shooter. Lodging bullets into splicers is a viable way to progress, but a little bit of environmental awareness makes the gameplay far more methodical.Plasmids and Vigorsare in the hand that isn’t gripping a gun. These not only do well to dispatch enemies, but also allow the player to weaponize the setting, be it electrocuting puddles, igniting oil slicks, or using telekinesis to launch any item lying around at an unknowing enemy’s face.
That gameplay philosophy brings the combat closer to the setting, which is at the heart ofBioShock’s success, be it the headyskies of Columbia or the dense, decaying walls of Rapture. The cities being closely tied to the stories being told is a vital link in the series that has worked since the very beginning, but using the space to inflict even more damage completes the loop, and makes sure that eachBioShockgame is as immersive as possible. Simply put,BioShockis a special franchise because it marries strategic, but fast-paced gameplay with a story and atmosphere that remains unrivaled. It’s terrifying in all the best ways, and challenges people from any court of politics in ways that they may never have expected.
