When you think of the game BioShock, naturally many think of that underwater utopian society that tragically fell to the pressures of genetic splicing and the mind of Andrew Ryan.  While the sequel focused its sights on new characters and events, Bioshock still took place in the fallen city of Rapture, a beautifully created city filled with Big Daddies, Little Sisters and plenty of other dangerous things looking to kill you quickly.  But Irrational Games’ latest project is taking the Bioshock series in a new direction, one that will have players leaving the confines of Rapture for the flying fortress known as Columbia.

What is Columbia you ask?  It’s a giant fortress hovering in the skies above the United States in the early 1910’s.  Columbia is the idea of a post Civil War American destined to show off his excellence and love for the United States to the world.   But like Bioshock, one man’s idea soon becomes trampled as Columbia becomes known as a giant floating fortress of terror in the eyes of all those watching from below.  As Ken Levine, creative director of Irrational Games and project director of the original Bioshock, explains: “Something terrible happens, this is not a floating world’s fair. Columbia is a Death Star.”

Bioshock Infinite puts players in control of Booker DeWitt, a former agent who is sent by a mysterious person to Columbia to find a woman named Elizabeth and bring her back home.  Naturally things are never that simple and DeWitt soon finds himself in more danger than he could have possibly imagined.  Players who understand the concept of plasmids from Bioshock will understand how Infinite works as well.  Both DeWitt and Elizabeth will have their fair share of select powers to use throughout the game and although most of the powers are being kept tight-lipped till a later time, there was a sequence shown that had Elizabeth sending a dark cloud over a group of enemies with DeWitt sending a lightning bolt into the cloud causing a massive lightning storm that killed all enemies underneath.

The addition of Elizabeth as sort of a partner to help DeWitt is something that Levine said will push boundaries his team never could have accomplished with Bioshock.  As Levine stated, “She is there to enable things that are of a scale that you just couldn’t do in BioShock 1.”  Sometimes helping you fight off enemies or helping you along your way through various atmospheric sections of the world, Elizabeth will always be around to lend a helping hand.  But be warned, Levine said that Elizabeth’s help is more human and personal than Bioshock’s supporting characters and that ” you’re not a super hero and she’s not a super hero, and you’re both up against a very difficult challenge that pushes you to the extremes.”  Using Elizabeth might be advantageous but using her too much will cause her to drop to her knees with blood dripping out her mouth.  The physical and mental toll might force a lot of gameplay mechanics to unwind in different ways throughout Infinite.

Probably the biggest change from Bioshock Infinite from the previous two games is the setting.  Set in a floating city, Columbia looks like something out of the movie “UP,” with vehicles and buildings moving with balloons tethered to the bottom of their structures, helping them move up and down throughout Columbia’s massive skyline.  The world of Columbia is also very vibrant with American pride…sometimes too much.  As Levine put it, Columbia showcases a time of American Exceptionalism, built by an American during a time of immense pride for the country following the events of the Civil War.  Flags are scattered throughout the world, tied onto every corner post and street, cobblestones line the pathways through the streets and citizens take the “right to bear arms” almost literally, with every citizen equipping their own weapon at all times.  The phrase “For Faith, For Race, For Fatherland,” is strewn over ever giant edifice as well, showing the attitude and admiration the citizens had for the United States perhaps with a sense of too much American pride.

Being wary of these weapon wielding citizens is always a good idea, but Bioshock Infinite also has an idea of “neutrality,” basically stating that every character or enemy in the game will not attack you unless provoked.  Unlike Bioshock which had every character deem you as a threat, characters in Infinite may eye you the wrong way, but action might not commence right away. Instead, similar to the Wild West, once you enter a new area you are immediately on guard and depending on your actions and the choices you make, characters will react accordingly.  This idea coupled with the addition of Elizabeth following you around should lead to some very interesting gameplay moments.

Bioshock Infinite might seem like a drastic departure from the world we loved in the first two Bioshock games, but perhaps it is a step in the right direction for the series.  While Bioshock 2 was an admirable addition for the series, the game felt like it ran out of ideas near the end of the game.  Infinite looks to give Bioshock a new outlook for the series, and what better place to start than in the skies high above anyone who could possibly reach you to offer help when trouble erupts.  Infinite not only brings an exciting new setting to Bioshock fans, but new combat mechanics, gameplay options and character interaction that are sure to make this Bioshock title one of the best entries yet.

Bioshock Infinite is scheduled for a 2012 release for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

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About This Author: Josh Schwartzman

Been into gaming for as long as I can remember and have enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoy playing with everyone and anyone online and I am an avid PS3 and Xbox 360 player.

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