As it happens, 2013 was host to a purveying theme of companionship in the sibling sense, whether it be the brothers in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, sisters Kaitlin and Samantha Greenbriar in Gone Home, Max and Felix in Max: The Curse of Brotherhood… and I could be missing a few. 2007’s BioShock and 2013’s BioShock Infinite share a similar bond to the aforementioned characters. What’s more is that the two are in quite a healthy relationship, even if one succeeds where the other fails. But BioShock Infinite doesn’t live to outdo or undo BioShock. No, it’s very much celebratory of the older game’s qualities, and thus the two are the ultimate companions.
As one might expect from Ken Levine and his band of great Boston developers, BioShock Infinite opens spectacularly. At once, there is blackness and goosebumps. “Booker, are you afraid of God?” a voice inquires. “No, I’m afraid of you,” Booker responds. That voice is Elizabeth, and that Booker is who you play. We transition to the quote: “The mind of the subject will desperately struggle to create memories where none exist.” What follows is delivered in the signature, mysterious graduality that made the original BioShock a game for the ages, albeit a tad differently. There’s a price that comes with being some of the most creative folks in the biz: Irrational has a standard to live up to — themselves. Their promise, then, is to blow us away. And away we go, high into the skies of Columbia, a gobsmacking creation inspired by early 20th Century America. But it’s not really America we see, it’s a hyper-realization of it. The result is something never before seen, but once you have seen it, you’ll notice a tinge of dread hidden under it all. With BioShock games, there is much to be discovered, uncovered, and revealed. Like The Fullbright Company with their Gone Home, Irrational instills a burning lust for discovery in its players. These games are the real deal.
BioShock said one thing, Infinite said another, and you could say that both games are about a lot of things. One of those things, in BioShock’s case, was what’s come to be called “player agency”, and the mandatory path a player must follow in games. Then there’s BioShock Infinite, which ponders the original game, studying some of the things that made the 2007 title famous. “There’s always a lighthouse, there’s always a man, there’s always a city,” Elizabeth says. Through a fascinating plot of ideas like endless multiple dimensions and alternate realities, Infinite becomes a dream game for diehard fans of BioShock. And within all this is Booker and Elizabeth’s love story which, no matter what plot movement may occur, is always there.
Say what you will about the gameplay, because sure, it doesn’t exactly match the fun and intelligence of the first and second entries of the series. But the guns still feel punchy, the vigors introduce some cheery bombast to the combat, and the skyhook makes for a more mobile way of fighting. There are plenty of gameplay and missionary lulls to go around, but how can you stop? Is this not one of the industry’s most startling creations?
There’s always a console/PC, there’s always a gamer, and there’s always going to be BioShock Infinite, sitting on the shelf or on your hard drive, quietly beckoning you to experience it again…and again…and again…and…
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