Bioshock Infinite was my introduction to this great series, and for that it will always have a special place in my heart. In my replays I’ve come to see more of its faults, but I think it’s still a very fun game with a new glamorously horrifying city that deserves its place right alongside Rapture.
At first I was completely charmed by this deific steampunk paradise. I loved walking its floating streets, eavesdropping on conversations, listening to the music, savoring the immersion. I didn’t know what to expect from a Bioshock game back then, so I was genuinely shocked when things went to hell and Columbia turned out to be a white supremacist theme park. I still tried to explore as much as I could between fighting off the sky KKKs, but a layer of apprehension always tainted the city’s grandeur which I found dreadfully compelling.
I loved the combat on my first playthrough. I wasn’t very good at FPS games so the stylish yet simple combat worked well for me. However after playing the previous Bioshock entries, Infinite’s combat started to feel too restrictive in comparison. I missed the immersive-sim elements from the first game and the degree of playstyle variety it granted. At least the skylines were great additions, and stomping on enemies from 10 meters high never got dull.
I also had some misgivings about the story which only deepened on replays. With racism and oppression featuring prominently through the hook and buildup of the story, I felt like there should’ve been a stronger message underneath to support these heavy topics. I wasn’t satisfied with the way this crucial aspect of the setting was dismissed with a banal “people are all bad” conclusion. Booker and Elizabeth’s multiverse adventure was fun and all, but the Vox Populi story shouldn’t have been relegated to mere backdrop.
Bioshock Infinite is a very well crafted entertainment product. It’s got style, cool characters, shocking twists, and plenty of spectacle. The setting and the story is fascinating. Gameplay is fun. But it’s not a thoughtful or deep philosophical media like it tries so very hard to be. There’s a whole mess of neat ideas in it that could’ve become truly great with thoughtful writing and design, but instead they all crudely got shoved into a single 15 hour game. I would still love to experience the stories within other lighthouses and their dangerously enthralling cities, but hopefully with better writing and less multiverse shenanigans.
At first I was completely charmed by this deific steampunk paradise. I loved walking its floating streets, eavesdropping on conversations, listening to the music, savoring the immersion. I didn’t know what to expect from a Bioshock game back then, so I was genuinely shocked when things went to hell and Columbia turned out to be a white supremacist theme park. I still tried to explore as much as I could between fighting off the sky KKKs, but a layer of apprehension always tainted the city’s grandeur which I found dreadfully compelling.
I loved the combat on my first playthrough. I wasn’t very good at FPS games so the stylish yet simple combat worked well for me. However after playing the previous Bioshock entries, Infinite’s combat started to feel too restrictive in comparison. I missed the immersive-sim elements from the first game and the degree of playstyle variety it granted. At least the skylines were great additions, and stomping on enemies from 10 meters high never got dull.
I also had some misgivings about the story which only deepened on replays. With racism and oppression featuring prominently through the hook and buildup of the story, I felt like there should’ve been a stronger message underneath to support these heavy topics. I wasn’t satisfied with the way this crucial aspect of the setting was dismissed with a banal “people are all bad” conclusion. Booker and Elizabeth’s multiverse adventure was fun and all, but the Vox Populi story shouldn’t have been relegated to mere backdrop.
Bioshock Infinite is a very well crafted entertainment product. It’s got style, cool characters, shocking twists, and plenty of spectacle. The setting and the story is fascinating. Gameplay is fun. But it’s not a thoughtful or deep philosophical media like it tries so very hard to be. There’s a whole mess of neat ideas in it that could’ve become truly great with thoughtful writing and design, but instead they all crudely got shoved into a single 15 hour game. I would still love to experience the stories within other lighthouses and their dangerously enthralling cities, but hopefully with better writing and less multiverse shenanigans.