Ever since the dawn of time people wanted to be in the air. Remembering the myths of Icarus and Daedalus the human nature is enchanted by the gliding birds and the puffy clouds. BioShock Infinite plays perfectly to accompany the complex environment of a utopian sky high society that blends psychotic utopianism with fun and charm to create a perfect package for the player.
You start out not in this marvelous floating city, but in a rowing boat in the midst of high waves and troubling waters. As you make your way in to the lighthouse, you encounter some notes and a dead body, indicating that the protagonist – Booker Dewitt has had some trouble and is trying to make up for it. Soon enough you find yourself in the sky, exploring the wonders of Colombia for yourself. To be honest, once I played it for the first time, the moment I saw Colombia through the window at the time it was the most amazing and spectacular moment for me as a gamer. The vivid colors, classical architecture, living people and propaganda artworks along with the charming soundtrack created an atmosphere like no other. As the story progresses, you try to uncover the deep and horrible secrets that cover the city from ground up. During the story, Booker finds Elizabeth, imprisoned in the tower by Songbird. Once you free her she becomes your companion in fighting the oppressive regime of the Father Comstock and his followers.
The story shines bright, but the gameplay shouldn’t be labeled as a supporting actor. It is just as powerful and as convincing to make a perfect companion for the story. It’s hard to categorize BioShock Infinite in to one category: it’s all in one. Sort of… It has crazy action sequences, puzzles and riddles, guns and many other features that complete the package and make BioShock a must-play. You spend a lot of time looting, collecting items, but mostly it is fighting your enemies alongside the Vox Populi. Shooting mechanics are great as weapons feel fun, while not being very realistic. There is a variety to the available guns, but it’s limited. The real meat and bones of combat mechanics are the vigors. They are the “Special potions” or the magic serums that Booker Dewitt consumes to get special nearly superhuman powers. There are 8 vigors in total, you can read about them in our vigor article and each grant special abilities. Combining them to get some kick-ass effects is also a must-do. Sending your enemies airborne and showering them with fire is more than just fun, it can also be satisfying. Overall the controls, whether you’re on a keyboard or a controller – feel natural and comfortable. Gliding across the two floating platforms and enjoying the scenery is enchanting. There are also some fun executions to perform with your grappling hook/device and torture the ruthless enemies.
The game is optimized so the performance isn’t lacking nor do you suffer from frame rate dips and lag or bugs. While some textures aren’t perfect, the game looks more than good and for the time it was one of the best looking games of its time. Every BioShock franchise fan is going to find very small repetitiveness and a lot of variety to explore, vary the progress and find secrets to spice up the gameplay and bring new emotions every time when Booker Dewitt steps foot inside of Colombia.
The game is awesome and I would recommend it to anyone, not just BioShock enthusiasts. With only slight repetitions this game has a lot going for it together.
9.6/10
