Contents
The Replay (continued)
For The Intro, The Game, and the first part of The Replay, see part one of Bioshock on Present Perfect Gaming.
We last left Jack just as he had dealt a blow to Andrew Ryan, the founder of Rapture.
But Ryan was just one half of the power struggle which had festered and then boiled up into an all-out war deep within the depths of Rapture.
Frank Fontaine was the other half.
The second half of Bioshock sees Jack seeking an escape from Rapture. But in seeking an escape, Jack will need to confront the truth behind the Little Sisters.
Where the first half of Bioshock introduces and explores Rapture at a macro level, establishing the origin of the city and the tensions that led to its downfall, the second half is more at the micro level, as the narrative explores the psyches of the individuals responsible for the creation of the Little Sisters.
The first half explored larger, more public spaces of Rapture, where the second half leads Jack through the residential areas and the abodes of the influential figures, as well as the location of the Little Sister experimentation.
Tenenbaum becomes a more central figure, as she sees Jack as the saviour of the Little Sisters. Having been instrumental in their creation, Tenenbaum became emotionally attached and came to regret her involvement.
But Tenenbaum didn’t work alone. She worked closely with another doctor, Yi Suchong. Suchong worked on the mental conditioning of the Big Daddies, so they would act as protectors of the Little Sisters. Unlike Tenenbaum, Suchong never suffered from a crisis of conscience; he was an opportunist, working for the highest bidder, with no moral or ethical boundaries.
Leading Jack through the residential areas of Rapture in Bioshock is a disturbing experience, showing the impact the civil war had on the populace.
The effects of ADAM and plasmid abuse are evident everywhere you turn.
You also see the contrast between those who were more affluent with those who were less well off.
Jack even enters the house of an “old friend”.
At this point in Bioshock, the gameplay almost felt secondary to the accelerated, unfolding narrative.
But the gameplay continued to be cleverly interwoven into the story, with a particular section seeing Jack’s plasmids going haywire. You’re unable to select plasmids, and they randomly change on you.
This gameplay/narrative melding is taken to another level during the endgame in Bioshock, as Jack finds himself needing to become a Big Daddy.
The only way out of Rapture is through a door that only a Little Sister can open, and that means Jack not only needs to look like a Big Daddy, but he needs to sound like one and smell like one too.
This final level of Bioshock sees Jack searching through the research labs used in the creation of both the Little Sisters and Big Daddies. It’s here where Big Daddy candidates were genetically modified and mentally conditioned to perform their bodyguard escort task. It’s here where the little girls were implanted with the sea slugs and converted into Little Sisters.
Once Jack completes his impersonation of a Big Daddy, it’s time to find a Little Sister to escort.
Running through a training simulation, you need to protect your Little Sister from very real threats as she harvests ADAM from recently-deceased splicers.
Bioshock ends, somewhat inevitably, yet somewhat disappointingly, with a final boss battle. Inevitable because FPS, RPG, and survival horror games almost always culminate in a boss battle. Disappointing, because I think Bioshock deserved better as a game which had for the most part brilliantly blended story with gameplay.
Fontaine has himself abused ADAM, and confronts Jack as a genetically unstable behemoth.
The final battle does involve ADAM, and it does involve the Little Sisters at the end, but the actual fight felt unsatisfying.
Thankfully, the ending sequence delivers closure to Jack’s story arc, and reflects the choices you made as a player to harvest or rescue the Little Sisters.
And with that, Jack’s journey ends. But it’s not the end of Bioshock, or Rapture. There are more tales to be told in the sequels.
There is also another tale available, which I hadn’t yet experienced, but unintentionally did while replaying Bioshock. Or perhaps it wasn’t so unintentional. Perhaps it was Rapture, calling me back for more…
What is this tale I speak of? Let’s take a look as I deliver my verdict on Bioshock.
The Verdict
As I played through Bioshock again, I kept looking over at a novel on my bookshelf. A novel that had been on my bookshelf, unread, for a few years now.
Rapture, written by John Shirley, was released in 2011, and serves as a prequel to Bioshock. For some reason, I picked up Rapture and started reading through it alongside my replay of Bioshock.
I’ll state it right now: I highly recommend replaying Bioshock in the same way if you haven’t already read the novel. Rapture almost felt like an extended radio diary, like the many found while exploring Rapture in Bioshock. The novel completes the backstory of Rapture’s existence, from Ryan’s grandiose vision, to Fontaine smuggling himself inside, through to the research carried out by Tenebaum and Suchong on plasmids, Little Sisters, and Big Daddies.
Of course, Rapture also alludes to Jack’s future presence, and ends right where we find Rapture as Bioshock begins.
Reading Rapture prior to replaying Bioshock was completely unintentional, but I’m very grateful I chose to read it at the same time I was playing. The novel is really tied to the game, and the combination of both was an immensely satisfying multimedia experience.
And the title of the novel itself resonates with me, as it quite simply identifies and summarises why Bioshock is one of my favourite games of all time.
Reflecting on Rapture, I was reminded of another game where the setting had such a profound impact on my enjoyment. In What Remains of Edith Finch, the family house feels like its own entity, almost like a character in the story. As you explore the house, a variety of interactive cutscenes merge the gameplay and narrative to deliver an unforgettable journey through the Finch family’s death curse.
Unsurprisingly, What Remains of Edith Finch is also one of my favourite gaming experiences.
So what is it about Rapture that keeps drawing me in? Like with the Finch House in What Remains of Edith Finch, I feel a similar sense of morbid curiosity with the dystopian Rapture. I want to go back in. But what am I looking for?
Despite having played both games multiple times now, and despite knowing the major storylines, it doesn’t take anything away from the experience. It enhances it.
It’s an appreciation for why we reread novels, rewatch films, and revisit pieces of art, as subsequent playthroughs have revealed a deeper level of understanding of the characters and the settings in both games. And simultaneously reading Rapture while playing Bioshock added even more context.
As a game, I think the strength in Bioshock lies in its integration of the gameplay with the setting. Using ADAM to enhance Jack’s plasmids and gene tonics, hacking Ryan’s police-state security systems, and choosing to rescue or harvest Little Sisters are examples of how playing Bioshock engages you with Rapture.
Despite there being a wide variety of traditional weapons to use and upgrade, I found myself very rarely using anything other than the shotgun or the machine gun. And I never engaged with the invention system, which allows you to collect ingredients to construct ammo and other items.
Bioshock also combines elements from the survival horror and roleplaying game genres. At times, Bioshock reminded me of the early Resident Evil games. Being in an underwater city, there are many claustrophobic, anxiety-inducing moments exploring dark and dank areas, fearful of when the splicers are going to jump out. Further, at times I found myself low on First Aid Kits, EVE, and ammo for my favoured weapons.
The level of customisation available with weapons, plasmids, and gene tonics provides you with many different types of play styles to choose from.
Which weapons do you focus on using and upgrading? Which plasmids do you prioritise? Do you prefer offensive plasmids or plasmids offering deception and manipulation? Do you invest in improving your hacking abilities?
These are all choices and combinations of choices you consider when playing Bioshock.
Bioshock isn’t perfect. As I’ve mentioned, there were a few sections where the pacing felt off, with some unnecessary repetitiveness. The final boss battle doesn’t sit right with me, as it felt out of place at the end of an incredible narrative journey.
But these gameplay limitations in Bioshock take nothing away from the overall experience of Rapture. It certainly won’t be my last time delving into its depths.
For those that have played Bioshock, I’ve already recommended reading Rapture if you haven’t already, and ideally at the same time as playing Bioshock. I also recommend reading Bioshock and Philosophy: Irrational Game, Rational Book (2015), particularly if you have also played Bioshock 2 and Bioshock Infinite. It contains a series of articles commenting on the games in areas such as human enhancement technologies, propaganda, metagaming, free will, and developer Ken Levine’s depiction of Ayn Rand’s philosophy.
For those that haven’t played Bioshock, I’ve deliberately avoided discussing a major plot point (though I have hinted at it throughout…), as I think it’s an experience you must have.
So, would you kindly go and play Bioshock?
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