Ken Levine and 2K’sBioShockwas a game-changer when it released in 2007. The sci-fi first-person shooter introduced players to the underwater dystopian world of Rapture, kickstarting a critically-acclaimed series that is currently awaiting its next entry,BioShock 4. Almost a decade after the previous mainline entryBioShock Infinite, news onBioShock 4is still scarce, so players might have even longer to wait until they can play the next installment.
In the absence of concrete details,rumors and speculation aboutBioShock 4have filled the web. From guessing what its setting may be to theorizing about how it will fit into the widerBioShockuniverse, fans have been keen to work out howBioShock 4will take shape. Many hope thatBioShock 4will embrace itsSystem Shockroots alongside other expanded elements and improvements.
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Paving The Way for BioShock 4
WithBioShockandBioShock 2fully exploring the submerged world of Rapture, some were skeptical aboutBioShock Infinite’s departure from the familiar flooded metropolis. While Rapture remains at the top when it comes to innovative video game settings,BioShock Infinite’s Columbia did have its merits. The third game may not have had the same dingy, gritty aesthetic embraced by its predecessors, butBioShock Infinitestill had spooky moments and dark thematic undertones.
BioShock Infinitewas also well-receiveddespite its departure from a lot of the elements that made upBioShockandBioShock 2, and the Burial at Sea DLC neatly tied all three games together. This narrative DLC closed the loop on the overarching story and fed into the franchise’s themes of inescapable fate. Many wondered how a sequel could fit in, and doubts began to emerge that there would ever be aBioShock 4– fears compounded by Irrational Games revealingBioShock Infinitewould be its last game.
Luckily,BioShock 4was confirmed to be in development by Cloud Chamber in 2019. Many hopeBioShock 4moves away from the settings and storylines in the first three games, while still maintaining the core elements that madeBioShocksuch a successful franchise. Moving toward itsSystem Shockinspirations would be the perfect way tohelpBioShock 4stand apart from its predecessors.
BioShock’s Links to System Shock
System Shockwas an innovative titlethat blew players away and had a sizable impact on subsequent games. Its use of environmental exploration to collect items, progress through levels, and build the narrative was revolutionary, and its DNA can be seen in many popular releases likeBioShock. The influence is clear from its use of audio logs to convey parts of the narrative to its immersive sci-fi environment.
Set inside a massive space station with multiple levels to explore,System Shockperfectly utilized its environmentto convey a sense of claustrophobia and give players lots of locales to uncover. The combination of environmental puzzle-solving and close-quarters FPS combat will be familiar to many, but there are also lots of ways to make this feel fresh and exciting.System Shockmay have helped introduce many of these aspects, but titles in the years since have perfected them.
The strong undertones of horror throughoutSystem Shockis something thatBioShockalready does well. The isolation ofSystem Shock’s unnamed hacker as they traverse the station, battling against a malignant AI, echoes the player’s explorations inBioShock. Time and again, it has proven to be a strong premise used in other titles likeDead Space.Moving back toward this simpler setup could makeBioShock 4special.
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Expectations and Hopes For BioShock 4
There aremany directions thatBioShock 4could go in, and with supposed leaks occasionally cropping up, it has been hard to sort fact from fiction. With speculation thatBioShock 4could be heading to space, the arctic, or even going open-world, there’s not a lot of official information to go on. While an open-worldBioShock\seems exciting, it could mean the game loses sight of things that really separatedthe series from its competitors. LikeSystem Shock, setting the game in a single location lets the player get to know the area in ways they wouldn’t for a wider world. This keeps the focus simple and allows the horror to really shine.
System Shock’s memorable antagonist, the nefarious AI SHODAN, was instrumental in its success.Andrew Ryan was also an unforgettable part ofBioShock, and iconic mechanical foes like the Big Daddies and the Songbird also show the series' penchant for well-designed enemies.BioShock 4should follow in these footsteps, emphasizing the antagonist over the protagonist as players attempt to escape a confined setting.
WhileSystem Shockwas exemplaryon a mechanical and graphical level, it didn’t tackle thorny philosophical issues the same wayBioShockbecame famous for.BioShock’s exploration of concepts like objectivism, utilitarianism, and American exceptionalism helped it stand out from similar titles. This is one of the franchise’s greatest strengths, andBioShock 4would definitely be missing out if it ignored this cerebral element.
BioShock 4is in development.
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