In 1960, a plane crashed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, leaving just a guy named Jack alive. He appears to have had the good fortune of resurfacing in front of what seems to be a gateway to an underwater compound. Jack opens the entrance without hesitation and is met by slogans praising Rapture, a paradise of free will constructed in the 1940s by a business billionaire named Andrew Ryan. However, even before he has assimilated all of this new information, the descent to this apparent paradise ends, and all he sees are ruins and turmoil. Learning about Rapture’s fate will now be Jack’s primary goal as he strives to endure the horrors that free choice may create.
BioShock is a first-person shooter with gameplay and plot features similar to System Shock titles. Rapture, formerly a proud social experiment inspired by Ayn Rand’s real-world objectivist philosophy, has been destroyed, with its population either dead or victims of weird scientific experiments. The retro-futuristic setting combines sci-fi features with art Deco and steampunk inspirations, interior architecture, and propaganda posters evocative of the 1950s.
The game’s plot is mainly disclosed by recorded messages left by Rapture’s occupants before they were killed or altered. Much of the plot development is thus devoted to reconstructing prior events, akin to System Shock games. The ability to hack security cameras and other equipment and character customization are gameplay elements that further connect BioShock to its spiritual ancestors.
At its core, though, the game is more action-oriented, limiting the role-playing aspects of System Shock 2 to powers and upgrades that the main character can earn and equip. Most of the game’s opponents are Splicers, Rapture’s malformed and deranged population. To combat them, the protagonist has an armory of weaponry. Still, he may also utilize plasmids, which operate similarly to magic and deplete specific energy known as EVE. Various plasmids can harm adversaries, thwart their motions, or boost the player character’s defenses. Combat techniques frequently rely on the sequential use of several weaponry and plasmids. Encasing an adversary in ice with a plasmid, for example, allows the protagonist to shatter it to pieces with a single shot, covering himself with an electric shield; the protagonist can electrocute adversaries and attack them with melee weapons, and so on.
The player may only equip a certain number of active and passive plasmids, and each item has an inventory limit. Items for restoring and improving can be discovered by exploring the environment or purchased from vending machines. These, like turrets, cameras, safes, and other locks, can be hacked. Hacking is portrayed as a mini-game akin to Pipe Mania.
Plasmids, on the other hand, are generally obtained using a mutagen known as ADAM. This mutagen can be gathered from strange creatures known as “Little Sisters” – tiny girls found in most game settings, accompanied and protected by incredibly strong, genetically altered humans grafted to armored diving suits and dubbed “Big Daddies.” The player must first overcome her Big Daddy to capture a Little Sister. The player can then kill the girl, harvest a significant amount of ADAM or save her life. The game’s tale will conclude with several endings depending on the player’s moral actions toward the Little Sisters.
The Playstation 3 version includes a new difficulty level called “Survivor Mode” in the game.
