The original Bioshock released back in 2007 was a revelation in the gaming industry. It was a first person shooter with an excellently crafted story set in the rich and engaging city of Rapture. It also had unique, exciting combat as well as exceptional music, atmosphere and voice acting. So its fair to say the first sequel from the original developers Irrational has been highly anticipated since its debut at E3 2010. But does it live up to the hype, lets find out.
Story: Infinite follows Booker Dewitt as he travels to the city in the sky Columbia to rescue a young woman trapped there called Elizabeth to wipe away his debts. Now that plot synopsis is simple but it doesn't begin to uncover the incredible story this game has, which has to be experienced and I don't want to spoil. Suffice it to say the third act will leave you speechless.
What I can say is the plot covers some incredibly mature themes, more so than the original. The world of Columbia is rife with racism, religion and American Exceptionalism and Infinite shines a harsh light on all of these heady subjects in a way few games ever do.
The game also features a cast of characters as memorable as those from Bioshock. The main character of Booker is gruff with a mysterious past that is beautifully unravelled through out the game. He is very likeable and the relationship between him and Elizabeth is one of the best in gaming. Speaking of the best in gaming Elizabeth is the absolute shining light of this game there aren't many characters I have cared about this much in a video game. She isn't just the princess in a tower she is a character that looks and feels real thanks to fantastic voice work and animation. She is naive and innocent but there is also a dark, dangerous side to her that comes with her strange ability to open tears in reality. The freedom fighter Daisy Fitzroy also plays a major part in the plot and represents the strongest part about all of these characters none are good or noble but none are evil. There is a section of the game around the half way point involving Daisy where the plot gets flipped on its head and we get to see the corruption and violence power can bring. Speaking of corruption and power the villain comes in the shape of racist, religious zealot Zachary Comstock who is just as memorable and iconic as Andrew Ryan. The final part of this excellent ensemble are the Lutece twins who appear at various point of the game and provide humour but also a sense of mystery which adds to the bizarre, surreal feel of the game.
This isn't a game that spoon feeds you the story and finding Voxophones (audio diaries from the other games) is pretty essential to understanding the plot which twists and turns right up to its stunning conclusion which will have you talking about and pondering for days. To put it simply when all is said and done Infinite has one of the best stories in gaming.
Gameplay: So after all that gushing about the characters and the plot you're probably wondering how Infinite plays. Anyone familiar with the spell and gun based combat from the first game will feel right at home here. Instead of Plasmids we have Vigors which offer some new abilities like flinging your enemies in the air or setting a flock of crows on them. This time around you can only carry 2 weapons at a time which adds to the challenge and bloody meele executions feel like they have more weight than before. However the main changes in combat are the skylines which are dotted around the world and add a verticality and sense of pace to the combat. Another change is the fact that Elizabeth can open tears in reality which gives Booker useful items or advantages in combat. Elizabeth can also throw you useful items during combat such as salts, health and ammo she also never gets in the way which means the game doesn't feel like an escort mission. Add in heavy hitter classes and large scale battlefields and you have combat that is as fast paced and exciting as some of the best shooters.
Presentation: Bioshock Infinite is a beautiful game to look at the colour scheme is bold and far more vibrant than most shooters. The same can be said of Columbia which is open, bright and stunning but hiding a dark heart. The character models (especially Elizabeth) have an exaggerated, quirky charm to them and Elizabeth's animation is clearly inspired by that of the Disney princesses. All this brightness really juxtaposes the brutal violence and dark themes of the game. As with previous entries the voice acting is fantastic with Troy Baker and Courtnee Draper doing amazing work as Booker and Elizabeth the ubiquitous Jennifer Hale also lends her voice to the game (as Rosalind Lutece) and is as brilliant as usual. Finally the soundtrack is great with modern day songs adding a strange feel to the game and the frantic score punctuating combat perfectly.
Verdict: This is a game that lives up to the promise of the original but delivers a story and overall experience that is more polished, mature and complex. The ending will have you thinking about it for days and leave you hungry for more. If this does not convince people that games should be taken seriously as an art form I don't think anything else will and with single player DLC on the way I can't wait to get back into this amazing world that has been crafted by Irrational.
10/10
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