BioShock Infinite Review

While the first and second Bioshock games are wonderful, Bioshock Infinite (the third installment of the series) was the best out of them all. While this game doesn’t necessarily follow the plotline in the previous Bioshock games, it still holds similar themes and concepts. The story takes place in 1912 at the floating city, Columbia, which is ruled by the “Founders” who enforce a theoretic government. What makes the setting so interesting is the fact that it is a dystopia disguised as a supposed utopia. The bright colors and beautiful buildings even assist in trying to make the player believe in this guise. Ironically, Colombia is a dark place with widespread racism and elitism. People within the minority are typically slaves and dominated. The racial segregation is so severe that interracial couples run the risk of public stoning. While this world is morally horrible, the scenery is quite fascinating. The game gives us a variety of different places to wander into. Not all of the buildings are the same inside and out. And as the game progresses, we get a new color palette every so often, giving the environment a fresh, but not overwhelming feeling. It’s quite nice being able to see variety in the scenery. Most games has their usual building models and colors, whereas BioShock Infinite explores a vast amount visuals.

The storyline of this game is also very interesting as most of the characters (especially the main character) are shrouded in mystery until the end. This is a great twist as we crave understanding the entire time the game is played, leaving very little room for boredom. The plot follows Booker DeWitt who is brought to Colombia after being told to “bring us the girl and wipe away the debt”. The city authority pursues Booker as they discover that he bears the letters “AD” on his hand, which match the description of the “False Shepherd” who legend foretells will corrupt Elizabeth and overthrow Colombia. Eventually, Booker makes it to Elizabeth and frees her from her tower, resulting in her being your companion for the rest of the game. Something that I really appreciated in this game is the fact that the support character isn’t useless. While she doesn’t fight in combat, she proves her use through different ways. Elizabeth picks locks and hands you gun ammo, health, and salts whenever you are low on supplies. And she also hands you money when she finds it. Elizabeth definitely redefines the role of a support character as she is both enjoyable and helpful along your quest.

          Something else I appreciated was the fact that they still kept the original elements of BioShock in this game. You still get powers, audio logs, and the upgrade machines. BioShock Infinite is fresh while not straying far from the initial game in the installment. I don’t want to give much away about the rest of the story of BioShock Infinite, but I will say that ending caught me off-guard, and it was amazing. If you haven’t play this game yet, you need to. The astounding graphics, storyline, and characters are definitely worth your time and money.