We all know about BioShock - it's that quirky retro shooter
set in a decaying Art Deco city under the sea, populated by biologically enhanced
crazies, drill-waving Big Daddies and little girls harvesting Adam.
So the news that 2K was preparing a new sequel - BioShock
Infinite - brought squeals of delight to the legions of fans who were already
mentally donning their scuba gear. Yet no-one could have predicted the
startling new direction this saga was going to steer.
At first, you think you're on familiar territory. You're in
a boat being rowed across the sea towards a lighthouse. You disembark, follow
the path and climb your way to the top of the building. There you find yourself
strapped into a seat and within seconds the lighthouse is lifting off into the
clouds. Now it hits you - you're never going back to Rapture.
Instead you're transported to a fictional 1912 sky city called
Columbia made of mechanically powered islands. These are connected by metal
bridges and an elaborate sky-rail system and your first vision of this heavenly
Eutopia is an explosion of white and vivid colours that takes the breath away.
Your (anti-)hero Booker DeWitt is a private eye who is
hoping to pay off a massive debt by finding a young woman called Elizabeth who
is currently being imprisoned in a secure house in Columbia. Like us, DeWitt is
initially dazzled and bewildered by the city's beauty, its epic grandeur,
towering monuments to past American heroes and the atmosphere of peace and
tranquility.
At the core of Columbia's society is the virtually religious
adoration of the principal benefactor, the Prophet, and yet DeWitt rapidly
discovers that all is not well in Paradise. As the story progresses, he will
uncover madness, violence, torture and rebellion which will literally and
psychologically tear this world apart.
Playing BioShock Infinite is like falling down the rabbit
hole in Wonderland and watching all the inhabitants turning dangerously
psychotic. While you gradually acquire a range of conventional weapons (pistol,
shotgun, machinegun, RPG, carbine, etc.), you can supplement these with extra
powers known as Vigors (Columbia's version of Rapture's Plasmids). Powered by collectible
salt, these include projecting fire, electricity, water and even crows at your
enemies as well as lifting them into the air, power charging them and pulling
them to you from a distance.
Vigors can be enhanced and combined so long as you collect
enough money from bodies and containers. Weaponry likewise can be modified
using vendors scattered liberally around the map. Dying is not really an option
as you simply regenerate at a safe location (as in BioShock 2) with less cash
but some basic ammo and salt. Some may feel this lowers the challenge level but
the reward is a fast flowing and exhilarating adventure.
Once Elizabeth is discovered, she also enters into the
action by supplying vital boosts of ammo, health, salt and money. She can also
make tears in the fabric of this world and drag items in from parallel
realities, including turrets, health kits and grapples which will help turn the
course of a battle. She is also the only one who can open locked doors and your
job is to keep her supplied with picks.
The deeper into the narrative you delve, the darker and more
surreal the scenes become. At one point you'll be fighting your way through
what appears to be an abandoned orphanage against shimmering figures that fade
in and out of solidity. Elizabeth is relentlessly pursued by a giant mechanical
bird she both loves and loathes and the extent of her powers grows greater but
more sinister as time advances.
At the heart of this drama is the mystery of the
relationship between DeWitt and Elizabeth and the twists and turns in the
considerable revelations will make your head spin. You will undoubtedly find,
as I did, that the ending produces a million more questions that need answering.
Yet just as when you read the final chapter in an epic novel you've lost
yourself in for weeks, finishing BioShock Infinite will leave you with a sad
yearning for what has passed.
BioShocking to your depths. Infinite addiction guaranteed.
Indisputably the game of the year so far.
Score: 5/5
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