Summary
BioShock 4will have to work hard to stamp out its own identity with such an established IP behind it. That said, this does not mean that the release should not look towards the best of the franchise’s past games for inspiration. The past three entries to the franchise offer a lot of different narrative and gameplay elements to pull from, with fans having waited over a decade since the last mainline release.
Many fans will hope thatBioShock 4brings the franchise back to the basics of its first two titles, with the unnerving and dilapidated setting of Rapture putting the IP on the map via these games. While this would be a great blueprint forBioShock 4to work around, there is one core element ofBioShock Infinite’s protagonist that the upcoming game needs to maintain overBioShock1and2.
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BioShock 4: Emulating BioShock Infinite’s Booker DeWitt
The first twoBioShockgames were deeply atmospheric releases, both taking place in thederanged and run-down underwater city of Rapture. This location and its psychotic mix of inhabitants was the perfect setting for implicit world-building and exploration, taking a lot of heat off of the games' protagonists to carry forward any narratives.
Because of this,the firstBioShockfeatured a silent protagonist, bar from a brief monologue that is made in the game’s opening cut-scene. This fosters a sense of immersion for the player who can project themselves onto the protagonist while allowing the unsettling sights and sounds of Rapture to take center stage. This was repeated in 2010’sBioShock 2, with the game’s protagonist being a very detached and dehumanized figure simply known as Subject Delta.
These silent main characters work to introduce players to Rapture inBioShock 1, and then to re-experience the city viathe imposing lens of a Big Daddy inBioShock 2. Perhaps knowing that this success could not be repeated for a third installment, 2K Games decided to move away from Rapture inBioShock Infinite, as well as the franchise’s penchant for silent main characters.
BioShock Infinitestood in bold defiance of its two predecessors, replacing the dark broken hallways of Rapture for Columbia, an idyllic and advanced city in the skies. This stark change was further complimented by a protagonist brimming with life, speech, and personality.Booker DeWitt ledBioShock Infinite’s narrative from the front, going on to become one of the most memorable and iconic characters within the franchise.
This is ultimately something that needs to be echoed inBioShock 4, with the game hopefully adopting its own protagonist with the same strong presence as DeWitt. Rumors suggest thatBioShock 4could feature two brand-new cities for the IPthat are at war with each other. These cities will supposedly be underground and in the sky, similar to Rapture and Colombia, meaning that the game wouldn’t be able to rely on its settings to take precedence over characters as they did in past games.
With how successful Booker was in the reception ofBioShockInfinite’s story, there seems to be no reason why this cannot be repeated in the upcoming game. There was once a place for theBioShockfranchise to keep its main characters reserved to allow the locales to speak for themselves, but this has now passed. As players grow more familiar with what kind of locational experiences the IP provides, it only seems right that this loss of atmospheric tension is regained by a memorable and vocal protagonist inBioShock 4.
