Bullet point thoughts!!
Very strong themes through the game of Libertarianism/Objectivism run amok, the plasmids being a very clear "This NEEDS to be regulated" coming to a head with a 'government' that really doesn't want to regulate anything at all
Art style is off the damn charts - the art deco holds it all together. People are weirdly all twisted, even the actual people. I want to call it strongly fallout inspired, but in fairness its just the 50s aesthetic they are both leaning on.
Combat is passable, bordering on good! Mixing plasmids and weapons feels pretty good, lots of different ammo types to play with. A lot of the weapons can lack some oomph however. Plasmids are a bit overdone, and too many are not that good for how much you have to invest in them. Enemies got VERY bullet-spongy at the end, until I just started freezing them solid + breaking them rather than fighting fair lol. Enemy variety isn't BAD but we needed another non-human splicer enemy other than robot + big daddy.
Despite the many options mentioned above, this is NOT an RPG or even an Immersive Sim. There are very little 'systems' to interact with using your abilities outside of the very obvious --> ice can be melted with fire, water can be electrified. That's basically it. While you can choose different plasmids you are always just hacking things and fighting dudes. Stealth/conversations are never options.
Level design is okay but not great - there are some secret spots tucked away to search but very little verticality or thought needed for exploration, basically just going through doors that the arrow DOESN'T point you toward. I can't recall any secrets or puzzles that required me to figure out what to do. The game really insists on holding your hand the whole way through.
Music! It's pretty dope... some 50s songs but also a strong orchestral theme. All of it plays into the fallen beauty and tragedy of Rapture.
The intro is 11/10, seriously.
Big Daddy's/Little Sisters are ICONIC
Morality system is REALLY poorly done - it actually works out BETTER for you to save them! What the hell is the point of being an actual monster and MURDERING LITTLE GIRLS to get a bit more of a resource you don't really need that much of?
The story twist - is it good? In a way, yes. In another way, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Why did Fontaine put on the "Atlas" disguise, when he could just order us to do literally everything we did anyway? Why not order us to harvest the little sisters? Why did Atlas bring us back when he did, and how exactly did he think one extra soldier would make the difference in bringing down Ryan? Why didn't he just order us to kill ourselves immediately? Why did he act like WE betrayed HIM? I have, I think, some partial answers to some of these but certainly not all. The easiest and most plain explanation for it is - "To surprise the player, duh!!", and that's not a bad reason, though I don't think it really passes the "Fridge Test". I had a lot of questions immediately after, but honestly I also knew the twist was coming so it is perhaps unfair of me to judge in this context? It works okay at the time at least
Very strong themes through the game of Libertarianism/Objectivism run amok, the plasmids being a very clear "This NEEDS to be regulated" coming to a head with a 'government' that really doesn't want to regulate anything at all
Art style is off the damn charts - the art deco holds it all together. People are weirdly all twisted, even the actual people. I want to call it strongly fallout inspired, but in fairness its just the 50s aesthetic they are both leaning on.
Combat is passable, bordering on good! Mixing plasmids and weapons feels pretty good, lots of different ammo types to play with. A lot of the weapons can lack some oomph however. Plasmids are a bit overdone, and too many are not that good for how much you have to invest in them. Enemies got VERY bullet-spongy at the end, until I just started freezing them solid + breaking them rather than fighting fair lol. Enemy variety isn't BAD but we needed another non-human splicer enemy other than robot + big daddy.
Despite the many options mentioned above, this is NOT an RPG or even an Immersive Sim. There are very little 'systems' to interact with using your abilities outside of the very obvious --> ice can be melted with fire, water can be electrified. That's basically it. While you can choose different plasmids you are always just hacking things and fighting dudes. Stealth/conversations are never options.
Level design is okay but not great - there are some secret spots tucked away to search but very little verticality or thought needed for exploration, basically just going through doors that the arrow DOESN'T point you toward. I can't recall any secrets or puzzles that required me to figure out what to do. The game really insists on holding your hand the whole way through.
Music! It's pretty dope... some 50s songs but also a strong orchestral theme. All of it plays into the fallen beauty and tragedy of Rapture.
The intro is 11/10, seriously.
Big Daddy's/Little Sisters are ICONIC
Morality system is REALLY poorly done - it actually works out BETTER for you to save them! What the hell is the point of being an actual monster and MURDERING LITTLE GIRLS to get a bit more of a resource you don't really need that much of?
The story twist - is it good? In a way, yes. In another way, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Why did Fontaine put on the "Atlas" disguise, when he could just order us to do literally everything we did anyway? Why not order us to harvest the little sisters? Why did Atlas bring us back when he did, and how exactly did he think one extra soldier would make the difference in bringing down Ryan? Why didn't he just order us to kill ourselves immediately? Why did he act like WE betrayed HIM? I have, I think, some partial answers to some of these but certainly not all. The easiest and most plain explanation for it is - "To surprise the player, duh!!", and that's not a bad reason, though I don't think it really passes the "Fridge Test". I had a lot of questions immediately after, but honestly I also knew the twist was coming so it is perhaps unfair of me to judge in this context? It works okay at the time at least