It is going to be extremely difficult for me to put into words just how good Bioshock Infinite is. Ken Levine and Irrational Games have just released their second Bioshock game after handing the reigns over for number 2, and with the first Bioshock they had a lot to live up to. With it being a game that is held dearly by fans and critics alike, the level of expectation Infinite was carrying on its shoulders before release was huge, and rarely does a game meet those expectations and more.
I have only recently played Bioshock, and for a game that is now 6 years old it still stands out in a genre in which it has plenty of company, and in the weeks running up to the release of Infinite I found myself getting more excited. Because THAT twist in the original kept me wanting for more Levine storytelling, and he hasn’t let me down. But fret not if you haven’t played Bioshock before. This is a new story with new characters and setting. But for those who have played the original, you will see subtle nods to it throughout, and appreciate what the designers have done here.
Infinite, like its predecessors is a narrative driven FPS game. You play as Booker Dewitt who is given the task ‘Bring us the girl, wipe away the debt’. You begin the game in 1912 on the Coast of Maine en route to an eerily familiar looking lighthouse. Through the lighthouse doors though it’s not the grim Rapture you are greeted with, but a beautiful city in the clouds – Columbia. And it genuinely is beautiful, I spent a long time wandering around in marvel at the colour, the skies, how living and breathing it was. It seems a peaceful, tranquil place as I was watching humming birds flapping their little wings around the lush green gardens and the bright blues and sun pierced clouds which play backdrop to the awe inspiring buildings. Very rarely does a game immerse me so quickly into its world and praise must be levelled at the artistic team for this.
Irrational played a risky game by staying true to the times while creating the game. Having taken inspiration from turn of the century America you’re quickly thrown in to a world of racial profiling and religious beliefs. There are two main warring factions; the Founders who are striving for keep the city for ‘pure’ Americans and the Vox Populi, the rebel group of common folk including the blacks and Irish. In the middle of this Booker is after ‘the girl’ – Elizabeth. You will soon realise that this story is a much hers as it is yours.
I’ll come back to Elizabeth shortly, as I feel it’s necessary to focus a bit more on the game world. Columbia wouldn’t be the living city it is without the people populating the world. You’ll hear conversations between the citizens living out their lives as you pass by and little touches such as shoe shining shops add an extra touch of authenticity. It was these sorts of things that made me take my time to absorb everything the designers had put into the game. I would walk up to every group of people to hear what they were talking about. A part of the game early on takes place on a beach while you’re looking for Elizabeth. And while it is a simple concept, it all seemed so fresh and new. Booker interacts with the people enjoying the sun and sand, each one having a different personality. And I haven’t even mentioned Comstock yet! Comstock is the saviour and leader of the Founders, and prophet of the Lord. The people are aware of Booker due to the propaganda laid out by Comstock to portray him as the ‘False Prophet’. Comstock serves as the main antagonist of the story, and you won’t forget him as there are plenty of statues of the bearded man scattered around the city.
To help you on your way in Bioshock Infinite you have the use of guns and vigors. Vigors are essentially the same as plasmids were. There are 8 different types ranging from electric shocks to sending a pack of crows to attack enemies. Each of the vigors also have multiple effects dependant on is you press or hold down the LT button. There is plenty of room for replaying areas with different vigors, such is the variety on offer. Using a vigor drains your salt level. You can find salt off fallen enemies or from vending machines around the city. Vending machines provide place for you to spend your money (which you will find from looting corpses, chests etc.) on health packs, vigor, ammo, weapon upgrades etc. The real star of the collection of weapons is the Sky Hook. Used for melee attacks and getting around the environment on Skylines. Flying around the environment on a Skyline is a joy to behold, if not a bit difficult at first. Controlling your aim, speed and where you want to let go soon becomes second nature though as you perform a perfect flying headshot before assassinating an enemy 20 foot below.
After saving Elizabeth from her imprisonment, she will be by your side for the majority of the game. Elizabeth is unlike any AI character I’ve come across in a game. The relationship between her and Booker grows as the game continues, and there is no need to ensure her safe keeping during combat. It’s is quite the opposite, Elizabeth will take cover, while providing you with health, salts and ammo throughout fire fights. This is not in unlimited amount mind you, just small boosts from time to time. In normal game play, Elizabeth will unlock doors, safes, decipher codes and find extra money for you. Elizabeth wants to leave Columbia to go to the city of her dreams – Paris.
Enemies are aplenty on the way to leave Columbia, with some brilliantly thought out enemy designs. From the Zealot of the Lady – a strange supernatural typed enemy who uses crows to move quickly from one position to another, to mechanical beasts such as the motorised patriots and the Handymen. You’ll also come across gun and rocket turrets as well as run of the mill enemies and everything in between.
There is plenty for you to do besides following the main story as well. The game provides a direction hint to let you know where to go next at a push of a button. But I was using it more to know where I wanted to go first – the opposite direction. The main reason for this was for me to find the hidden Voxophones. These provide audio recording which give more of a back story and give you a deeper understanding and knowledge of characters and Columbia. Looting also proved to be a time consumer. There were also achievements to find all the telescopes and kinetoscopes (silent movies boxes). If that wasn’t enough attribute boosters in the form of items of clothing are dotted about the place. 4 items can be worn at any one time, providing you with bonuses like being fully healed on being revived, or increasing the possibility of performing a finishing move with the sky hook.
I said at the beginning how hard it was going to be for me to put into words about how good Bioshock Infinite is. And it is in most part due to the ending of the game. I was completely engrossed in what was going on in the last few hours, the story is so tightly woven and well realised that I would happily have read it as a book. You’ll realise just how complex, and what an accomplishment it is to be able to put it all together come the end. And once it’s finished you’ll be looking back over the game again in awe at what has happened. The reason it was so hard for me to write this review is that once you’ve experienced what happens it opens up whole new opinions and understanding on the story that can’t be told to people who haven’t experienced it.
In 2007 Bioshock set a new standard for FPS games. In 2013 Bioshock Infinite has done it again, and along with it set a standard for story driven games across the board. Superb.
