Bioshock: A True Masterpiece
Spoilers: Bioshock One
The first Bioshock game was released in 2007 and has significantly impacted the gaming community. The creator of Bioshock, Ken Levine, is making a Bioshock-inspired game called Judas. I want to explain what makes this game a masterpiece.
One of the greatest selling points of the Bioshock series is undoubtedly the aesthetic of the world. As in all three games, it keeps you engaged in the story. For example, the setting of Bioshock one and two, Rapture. Rapture can best be described as Underwater Las Vegas. It looks like Las Vegas was built in the middle of the ocean. With giant neon signs, massive skyscrapers, and a 1960s look to everything, and that's perfect for Bioshock! But, by the time the player arrives in Rapture, the golden age of the city is long gone. The city has become a nightmare. The lights throughout the city are flickering or completely gone. The walls and floor are filthy and destroyed, and residents of the city are, to say the least, insane. The only parts of Rapture that even resemble the former are where the rich and powerful live. And even those parts are falling apart. The world of Bioshock is one that is slowly crumbling away, and your character is just there to speed it up. And the fall of Rapture is due to its founder: Andrew Ryan. For a bit of lore, Andrew Ryan wanted to create a city without the interference of any government or ruling power. As he says in the opening cutscene:
“I am Andrew Ryan and I am here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat on his brow? NO says the man in Washington, it belongs to the poor. NO says the man in the Vatican, it belongs to God. NO says the man in Moscow, it belongs to everyone! I rejected those answers. I choose something different, I choose the impossible, I choose Rapture!...”
Because of this new philosophy Ryan founded, the people of Rapture could do whatever they wanted. Due to this, the scientists found ADAM, which was used to create Plasmids. Rapture fell because of this.
While the visuals and world of Bioshock are amazing, they are a bit dated. However, while being somewhat basic, the main gameplay has enough variety and choices that they don’t become boring over time. Now Bioshock’s gameplay is one of an FPS (First-Person Shooter). You're given a plethora of guns and weapons to aid you throughout your journey, but the most important and useful abilities are what are called Plasmids. Plasmids can range from a simple lightning shock to an orb that makes enemies fight each other to making hacking mini-games easier. Plus, Plasmids have a ton of verticality. For example, you can use the lighting plasmids on water to stun enemies and the fire Plasmid can be used to light explosives or bomb-wielding enemies. Now, let's go back to your gun arsenal. At first, you get a wrench; it's a basic melee weapon that has a chance to stun. However, as you progress, you acquire a lot of weapons: a revolver, a shotgun, a tommy gun, and even a mine launcher. But on top of those you can find different ammo types for your guns. There’s explosive ammo, poison ammo, lighting rounds for stunning, and armor-piercing for harder enemies. Speaking of enemies, let’s talk about them. Rapture’s population during the game is insane. Many of them are known as Splicers. They called this because they spliced their DNA to use plasmids. Luckily, splicers come in a variety of different forms. There’s the normal splicers that can have melee weapons or guns, there’s explosive ones that carry grenades, and then there’s spider splicers. A spider splicer is the hardest of the splicers as they run and jump around crazily and usually have a mine launcher. Yet, one enemy towers over all: The Big Daddy (Yes, that’s what they're called). Big Daddies are huge, metal scuba-suit looking guys. They usually have a drill that deals a ton of damage and stuns you every time they hit you. Furthermore, there is another version of the Big Daddy. This other version is very similar to the original, but instead of a drill, they have a gun, which is much scarier.
Lastly, the final selling point is the story of Bioshock. Bioshock’s story is one about Freedom. More specifically, the freedom of thought and choice. Now, the only thing we know about our character is his name- Jack. The reason for that is our character was created/engineered by a man called Fontane, for the express reason to bring the fall of Rapture. Throughout the story, you are led by a man named Atlas, more specifically, he leads you with the verse, “Would you kindly?”. This verse is your trigger word which makes you do whatever Atlas says. But, as a player, you don’t notice this because to you, it's just the way the game is. This is a perfect way to hide the true intentions of Fontane. Luckily for you, your character is able to break this command during the game. You do this by choosing to either save or capture what are called “Little Sisters.” They are little girls who were experimented on with ADAM. And by the end of the game, whether you decide to save or capture them, you can get two endings. One where you leave with the Little Sisters for them to have a better life or where you capture them, and you're unable to leave Rapture. And fall with it.
Overall, Bioshock is an amazing game, a masterpiece even. But my opinion is obviously biased, as the Bioshock series is my favorite. I would highly recommend playing these games.
