The failure of mankind in an isolated dystopia has never looked so beautiful. Bioshock, Irrational Games' 2007 hit, is the perfect balance of great gameplay and a story so compelling that I almost had the phrase "Would you kindly" tattooed onto my wrist. But the core mechanics and story are not the only excellent traits at work here. In fact, the game excels in every way, be it the creativity of how the characters clash with each other and the player or the technical beauty of the water as it slowly consumes the city of Rapture. Bioshock is not just a video game; it is an artful masterpiece with a couple of tears along the edges that will hook players in until its exhilarating climax.
The story of Bioshock is centered on a man who discovers the underwater city of Rapture after being the only survivor of a random, unexplained plane crash. Stuck in the middle of the ocean, you assume control of the voiceless man as he ventures into a strange nearby lighthouse and dives into the ocean via bathysphere. While descending, you are told of the city of Rapture, a place built for people who wished to escape the religious and governmental persecutions of the world above, via a filmstrip narrated by Andrew Ryan, the entrepreneur turned founder and ruler. However, the city is not as great as it seems as you are unpleasantly greeted by a city in ruin and splicers, heavily mutated humans, upon your arrival. From there you get your fair share of combat, ADAM splicing--genetic alterations that allow you to wield elemental powers--and a better comprehension of the world through the indirect narrative of audio diaries scattered throughout the city, which tell you of what led to Rapture's downfall. All the while being accused by Ryan and his men for attempting to take what remains of the city.
Bioshock's story is not only well structured in its pacing and possesses the right amount of plot twists to keep you interested from start to finish, but it also brings to light the issues of mankind and its endless pursuit of perfection. Its interactions with complex characters such as the slightly off-kilter Sander Cohan, an artist who tasks you with killing his former students and taking pictures of their dead bodies for his own masterpiece, that make you realize just how fragile the human mind can be. Bioshock's story isn't just a tale about an outsider encountering a strange new world; it's also about the struggle of man against itself and nature. It’s a philosophical lesson as well, which shows us our flaws and vulnerabilities as humans.
With a game that wields such a fantastic story, one would imagine that the gameplay possesses the same amount of polish, and for the most part it does. It is the plasmids and tonics that make this first person shooter stand out, not the weapons. As soon as you enter Rapture you are introduced to the concept of plasmids and tonics. Plasmids are genetic modifiers that rewrite your character's DNA with added benefits, such as wielding fire, electricity, and insects. They provide an excellent addition to the stale firearms-only system most have come to expect with this game genre. There are plenty of times where it benefits the player to have a plasmid equipped, such as using the fire plasmid to melt ice covering a door, or using electro bolt to fry enemies standing in water. As great of a concept as plasmids are, they are still far too ineffective in most combat situations, with most plasmids acting as bonus damage stacked on top of your heavy hitting weapons.
Tonics, on the other hand, give more passive bonuses such as higher damage done to certain types of enemies or to allow for easier time hacking the various doors, turrets, vending machines, and safes scattered throughout Rapture. The hacking mini game is one of the few blemishes on this extraordinary game. It requires you to link together pieces of pipe from one side of a grid to the other, allowing you to swap the pipe tiles to properly direct the flowing water that follows the pipeline you create. The issue with this mini game is that it can be downright punishing later on with the addition of alarm tiles that will call upon security bots that are toting machine guns to attack if you accidentally guide the water into them. It is a tedious process which often times feels like the reward is not worth the risk, with slightly cheaper items to purchase at the vending machine or a safe stored with ammo you are already filled up to capacity with. The mini game also feels disruptive in terms of speed considering the rest of the gameplay.
Even with the additions of plasmids and tonics to help customize your character to your play style it still mostly comes down to the weapons. While you start out with only a wrench at the beginning, the complete arsenal at your disposal consists of the typical varieties of weapons such as pistols, shotguns, rocket launchers, etc. Even though the weapons are not entirely original, it is the ammunition variants that provide a more unique experience. Each weapon has three different ammunition types: the first being your standard ammunition and the most common that you'll find throughout Rapture; the second ammo type consists of a higher damage output; and, the third which adds temporary effects on top of the damage, such as burning from incendiary. Your weapons can also be upgraded for better damage or rate of fire for no charge via the hidden "Power to the People" stations found throughout the game.
The pacing of these weapon and ammunition upgrades is on point, with each new section of Rapture you explore almost always containing a new weapon to pick up, a new type of ammo to embed into a charging splicer, or a new upgrade station to be found hidden within a secret room. The only issue that derives from the weapons is that they don't do nearly enough damage. In a game where the majority of the enemies you fight are genetically spliced up humans, the weapons are not as effective as they feel they should be when firing, leading to exhausted ammo supplies after an unnecessarily drawn out fight with a couple of splicers.
What makes the game truly shine in the gameplay department is the concept of ADAM, the true currency of Bioshock, and how it is obtained. ADAM is the genetic matter that is responsible for the modifications done to you and the citizens of Rapture. It is represented by points in which you use to buy upgraded versions of plasmids and tonics. These points can be gained through Little Sisters. They may sound plain enough, but Little Sisters are genetically modified little girls that embody a strange combination of innocence and everything that is wrong with the city of Rapture. Little Sisters are the defining characteristic of Bioshock, essentially acting as walking vaults of ADAM who are charged with scouring the city for dead bodies in order to extract the genetic altering substance using a giant syringe. In order to collect the ADAM you must either harvest the girls, killing them in the process, or save them by reverting them back to regular little girls. In this way Bioshock charges you with a moral decision of how to handle the girls, which will have lasting effects on the game's ending and provides for some replayability.
But in order to get to the Little Sisters the player must first defeat their bodyguard, the Big Daddy. Big Daddies act as roaming boss fights that deal tremendous amounts of damage and take tons of ammunition to bring down. It is here where the gameplay shines by allowing you to choose how to take on the Big Daddy, who will not attack unless provoked. You can choose to go in with the full force of a rocket launcher or set up traps and hacked turrets to lead him into. Finally being able to take down the mini-boss is satisfying because you truly feel challenged, which is not felt in a majority of the game due to being able to infinitely respawn via Vita Chambers found in each section of the game. The challenge of the Big Daddies also gives light to the lack of quality boss fights, aside from the final boss. Most enemies that you deal with in Rapture are just spliced up humans, defined by the weapon type they carry to try and finish you off. While the Big Daddies are an exceptional concept in the game, the rest of the enemy selection lacks both variety and challenge.
Even though the gameplay has a few issues attached to its great overall performance, the presentation is flawless in design. The city of Rapture possesses a '50s decor with small futuristic elements sprinkled throughout. The main aesthetic at work in Bioshock is the true look and feel of the 1950s. The various clubs and shops come to life with neon signs and flashy red velvet upholstery and carpeting. Even bathrooms and homes are reminiscent of a time long past with green tiling and vintage-looking appliances and electronics. The styles of the splicers matched the time as well, with women in tea-length dresses and men in trousers and button up shirts.
The secondary element at work here is Art Deco and is seen in the many hand-drawn, large font advertisement posters scattered throughout the city. Rapture's architecture taps into the same style with its clean, futuristic, metallic doorways and walls. Even the menus and the HUD possess the metal look. All of this visual splendor is powered by the always reliable Unreal engine that adds a pristine polish to the artwork without hindering the gameplay experience. The frame rate is consistently high and the game shows off some fantastic feats with its water effects that are essentially unrivaled in terms of realism.
The sound is equally top notch with voice actors providing the game with believable characters that will help pull you further into Rapture and its story. All of the enemy sounds, including the Big Daddies, bring about a sense of unease as you slowly tread deeper into the city. Its ambiance is just as high in quality, from water leaking out of old pipes to the eerie sounds of thuggish splicers dragging their weapons on the floor. The music you hear throughout the game also helps to immerse the player into the time of the 1950's with original compositions and licensed hits from the period. Bioshock's overall presentation is absolutely phenomenal.
As a lifelong fan of video games, especially someone who finds special interest in story driven adventures, I must say that Bioshock is sensational. It has a compelling story that reels you in with fascinating characters, a wonderful city to explore, and creepy enemies to encounter. Sure there are some issues with gameplay and a lack of enemy variety, but for the most part this game is a unique gem that should be experienced by everyone. For those who have not experienced the fantastic piece of work that is Bioshock, I would suggest you go out and buy it right now.