Game 48 - BioShock Infinite - Week 74 - Jun 21

ioShock Infinite is a game I played and finished at release, but never got around to the post-release DLC Burial at Sea. Knowing that it ties it all together, I wanted to play 1, Infinite then 2 in reverse chronological order. Well that was before I realised 2 wasn't a prequel. Oh well, considering 2 is basically an isolated story, it worked out all the same. Next time I might play them in the proper order: Infinite > Burial at Sea > 1 > 2. 

Looking back, the opening scene for Columbia really did set the world up just as well as BioShock did for Rapture. I don't know how they did this twice and it amazes me that they did every time I see it. A mysterious duo take you to a lighthouse, ominous threats of failure and a dead body lie within. You enter a contraption similar to the Bathysphere. However instead of a descent your rocket up with great momentum, and there it is.... Columbia the city in the clouds. Soothing music plays as you descend peacefully onto a landing pad. A feeling of serenity envelops you. 

Columbia is a bastion of freedom and liberalisation. The Founding Fathers of the United States are worshipped as messiah and the influence from the American West is apparent in the buildings you first wander after landing. Where BioShock was 1950s, Infinite is 1920s. Stripped red and white swim suits, classic barber shops and dapper gentlemen walk the streets with an air of zealous nobility. The prophet Comstock founded the city, married his wife and seeded his holy daughter, the Lamb. All the inhabitants of the city are seemingly his devout followers. Like Jews following Moses or more aptly Mormons following Joseph Smith (man that dude had a generic name). As you navigate the city in search of the girl you meet these followers, wander through a carnival and see Vigors (Plasmids) for the first time.

I think the strength of Infinite is in its story and presentation. And when I say story I purely mean plot and performances, particularly the chemistry between Troy Baker and Courtnee Alyssa Draper. The relationship between Elizabeth and (her yet to be revealed father) Booker, who you play, is something that's explored with great depth and emotional investment. At the time I thought this was absolutely phenomenal and the story was ground breaking, but since playing The Last of Us I've softened on this. I think the plot, the twists and turns are just as good in BioShock as they are in Infinite. I could explore the nuances of each in great detail, so I won't. Ultimately Infinite is a story about two characters, Booker and Elizabeth on their journey, while BioShock is about a decaying city and a cult of personalities, incredibly flawed geniuses. They're simply different, and that best describes BioShock Infinite. It isn't trying to be BioShock, it's trying to be different. The influence of military shooters of the time is apparent. The weapon wheel is gone, replaced with two weapons. There are far less Vigors, allowing for less experimentation and a more casual experience. Arenas are tighter, and emphasis is put on the sky-rail. I'll admit the momentum you feel when first using the sky-rail is fun, but it's mostly used to reposition when you're not feeling too hot. Compared to the experimentation and randomness that plasmids, items, level design and AI gives way to its predecessor, it certainly falls short. Crows nest, Undertow, Devil's Kiss, Shock Jockey - for the few that there are here the Vigors are all memorable. But the weapons are anything but. RPG, rifle, pistol, shotgun, cannon, minigun are all generic. There's no chem thrower or crossbow. No weapon wheels and there's no special ammo types either? That's a mistake, that's not BioShock. It's an unnecessary reduction. There's an argument to be made around how did Jack carry 10 different weapons? That's not realistic or immersive. The answer is who cares - its a concession for fun and one that I never questioned. Why does every game have you killing thousands with no mental and minimal physical repercussions? That's not immersive, its fun. In combat I used Return to Sender (catch and return projectiles) for defence and Bucking Bronco (knock up enemies as a shooting gallery) and a hand cannon for offense. Conceptually I LOVE gunslingers. Roland Deschain of Eld here I come. So playing this through the first time I loved it. This second playthrough I experimented a little more, but largely defaulted to this build. Infinite absolutely falls short here. I will say I did love Elizabeth. Her AI never feels intrusive, she's always helpful, finding your salt vials or ammo. And you can use her tear ability to change reality and manipulate the battlefield - this mechanic was awesome. Summoning an ammo barrel, rocket launch or Motorized Patriot to take down that Handyman is so gratifying. Or even bringing in a skyhook to allow you to jump across the map. This is a great fun fast-paced action game. 

But you realise the levels are less sandbox focused and more linear, giving way to a reduced emphasis on environmental storytelling. As discussed in my previous post, this is the secret sauce that ties it all together in BioShock. The world, lore, characters, level design and gameplay are all connected through how you interact with the people - both alive and dead - and their stories. All that is mostly absent in BioShock Infinite. Where BioShock feels like a museum, Infinite is more like a roller coast. Grab your Skyhook, buckle up and jump on to a skyline to enjoy the ride. Playing the two back to back you realise just how mainstream an audience the game is striving for. It's closer to a corridor shooter, which goes in the face of BioShock which was anything but. The game itself was a commentary on the nature of games and shooters, the player being a slave to the game design. And then the sequel goes and steers (though not entirely) toward the very style of shooters it was trying to revolutionize and satirize in a way. Some of the best moments of BioShock come from the environment. Easily missed and often found through happenstance. It always makes you wonder what else is out there that you haven't found. It feels lived in and immerses you in its reality as a result. The best moments of BioShock Infinite are largely scripted. That's not to say they are bad, in fact they're great and BioShock Infinite is a great game. Booker and Dewitt draw you in, their performances make you believe them and their world is real, engrossing you in there journey. A lot of the best moments involve Songbird or Battle Zeppelins or Handyman attacking, Elizabeth falls and Booker dives to catch her. As I said, a roller coaster, so strap in and just enjoy the ride. 

One such great moment occurs when journeying through a portal to another world were Columbia is being overturned by the Vox Populi. The power struggle has flipped, Comstock was toppled and Booker martyred himself in doing so. Daisy Fitzroy upon seeing you, can't let her propaganda die or hand over power so she declares you an imposter and to kill on sight. Seem familiar? Not very different to being an apostate wanted by the Columbians. The world is flipped on its head but there are constants and variables. After Daisy kills Fink (the industrial mastermind behind Columbia) and Elizabeth kills Daisy - her first blood. It's a powerful moment for Elizabeth, as she has never killed anyone before and due to the great performance of Draper you feel the struggle of what it means to lose your innocence with bloodied hands. 

I really liked the Songbird as a persistent villain. It was Elizabeth's Big Daddy, constants and variables, and its Siren call always had you on edge. As a villain it just makes sense. Elizabeth has a weird dual-relationship with the creature one part pet, the other part Stockholm syndrome. It's been her only friend for most her life. But at the end of the day we're in the water and there's a shark encircling us. We can't escape, this domain is the sky, it has wings and we don't. This made it all the more awesome when you got to take control of Songbird and fight Comstock and his fleet. The creature nose diving into the zeppelins and tearing them apart with its giant titanium talons. While you take on various boarding parties via the Skyline. This is the perfect boss fight, far better then BioShock's final fight. What you thought would be the final boss is now an ally, flipping your assumptions on its head in "oh wait what? Fuck yes!" moment. It takes all the game mechanics you've learnt so far and challenges you to use them all to overcome all the attackers. I loved it. 

So that twist.. The Comstock House - the final residence of his family where you venture to rescue a captured Elizabeth. Navigating what feels more like an insane asylum you encounter the Boys of Slience "enthralled young men fitted with sense-enhancing helmets who are forced to act as watchmen". They're absolutely horrifying and blind, any peep and they'll alert nearby patients to attack you. The game does a good job of building their mythos with posters "No Sin Evades their Gaze" or nursery rhymes “Watch where you step! Don't say a word! You'll be in trou-ble if the Boys have heard!”. For a game that felt lacking in the environmental storytelling department this scene certainly made up for it. The atmosphere was perfect. They're just creepy. 

So it's fitting that this is also where its revealed. You saved Elizabeth, this time. But what about the others? You're shown another world, Zeppelins attacking countries, the lamb leading the purge in the name of the prophet her father. Again you're taken throw a portal. The Songbird attacks, and Elizabeth teleports you again. The bird drowns, in the ocean sea, and it's eye cracks. You look around at the familiar city beneath the ocean. In every world there is a man, a city, a girl, a lighthouse, a bird. You, Booker are Comstock, in your world Elizabeth was taken by future you and her finger was cut off as your wrestled her through her portal. So she drowns you before you can become Comstock. Credits roll. Like the gameplay, it was shocking and interesting the first time, not not so much the second. I did like the twist and multiverse - it was well done and the idea that infinite Elizabeth's are destined to kill infinite Bookers before they can become infinite Comstocks and kill infinite Elizabeth is an interesting paradox to ponder. 

Infinite is a superb game with a superb story. It draws you in, makes you care. But it does so in a way that could be done in a movie, scripted performances. Whereas BioShock relied on interactivity, discovery, experimentation - it leveraged the uniqueness the medium to a holistic degree that no other game had before. Yes the two are different - but ultimately that's why BioShock is brought up as an example as games as art, and Infinite is brought up as a great game. 

Burial at Sea

Seeing Rapture before the fall is something that can only be described as pure fan service. Wandering Rapture in its former glory, Andrew Ryan's vision is on full display here. Plasmids in everyday use is only something that was hinted at in posters. Seeing it in full view is so awesome. All the upper class hedonists are living it up. Cohen is at the height of his popularity and still exploring depravity (you witness him electrocute failed performers). 

Even in the upper class areas of Rapture there are signs of the coming fall..

The gameplay is more or less BioShock Infinite but with one change. The weapon wheel is back and I have to say I welcome it with open arms. The gameplay is so much better when you can switch weapons on the fly. The skyline is absent however, so there could be a good balancing reason for why this wasn't in the main game, but I struggle to believe they couldn't figure out a clever way to have both. Maybe even a reduced weapon wheel. Maybe the weapons where just too generic to have them justify them at your side at all times. The action focus of Infinite becomes quite clear here, as you scavenge for ammo. 

I noticed a few oddities, such as Eve's in salt vials... but then I realised Eve hypos have not been invented yet. You actually find schematics for a hypo work in progress, which plans to save on Eve waste by a considerable degree compared to just drinking it from a vial. A pretty cool nod and workaround to changing assets and animations. 

The story is an interesting one. Elizabeth has recruited you, Booker a PI in Rapture to locate a missing girl. Eventually you find the girl for Elizabeth but not before a Big Daddy sticks its drill through your chest. Well turns out in this world Booker tried to wrestle Elizabeth from Comstock, but instead of her finger, it was her head that was cut off. Only a baby. And in his immense guilt he fled to Rapture to drown his sorrows. Well Elizabeth is here for revenge and she achieves it.

The second part of the DLC is unique. Elizabeth has traded in her frilly French dress for a crossbow. 

I loved the portals it takes you through. It reveals Daisy did it all knowing she would die so that Elizabeth would carry forth the resistance. Elizabeth journeys to Paris, but it feels oh so not right, very Disney, very imagined as it melts away before your very eyes into something grotesque. The entire journey Booker, dead, talks to you through audio logs, always ominous and spine chilling. As a great homage you see the imprinting of the first Big Daddy on a Little Sister first hand, as Dr. Suchong berates a little sister you see the Daddy successfully gouge the doctor with its drill before turning to you as you're whisked away. 

Lastly is the ending. Atlas demanding you bring him a child, his ace in the hole. I don't think it was necessary to the plot, trying fit it all together under one neat little bow. Elizabeth didn't need to be apart of the process but regardless it was still cool. Atlas slips into his Fontaine voice momentarily and out of anger, yet to perfect his new personality. A lovely nod to the first game...

My god I love the art of Rapture.

The gameplay is an entirely unique experience, focusing on Stealth and avoidance as criminals fight each other in Fontaine's sunken district of Rapture. You're best to let them. You have sleeper darts to bypass threats. However none of this helps you when Ryan threatens you, to abandon your mission for Atlas. You deny him of course as he taunts you  and sends his thugs. 10 years after the original game released it feels oh so good again to be lambasted by this arrogant man. You're no Booker or Jack, so you need to prepare carefully for a fight like no other. You need to outwit your enemy, predicting their movements, setting traps and using all the tools at your disposal. Not only does the story come full circle, but spiritually the gameplay does too. It feels more like an immersive sim ala Thief or Deus Ex harkening back to the days of Looking Glass Studios.... Well that summarises the DLC more or less, it's fan service done right and a fantastic send off to BioShock and Irrational games. RIP you were one of a kind.