Summary
WhileBioShock 4is working its way through development, one of its most important areas of game design that developer Cloud Chamber should not lose sight of is the series' iconic cursed enemies from the original Big Daddy and Little Sisters to Songbird and Handymen. Right from its very first game,BioShockmade waves among the gaming community for more than just its submerged city setting and alternative history angle. Practically becoming the mascots ofBioShockandBioShock 2,Big Daddies and Little Sisterscaptivated players' attention thanks to its earliest trailers.
As a result of their popularity, laterBioShockgames always tried to recapture this same morbid fascination and amazement with its enemy designs such as the Big Sister inBioShock 2and the Handyman ofBioShock Infinite. But while some saw mixed receptions and others became favorites in their own respect, the underlying themes of these enemies and their backstories were and continue to be a corepart of theBioShockuniverse. Therefore,BioShock 4should ensure it delivers on what has become a staple of the series with its own tragic and cursed enemies.
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The Inhuman Humanity of BioShock
Among the various themes that have influencedBioShock, it is arguably the instances of American exceptionalism, libertarianism, and free-market capitalism that led to its iconic enemy designs and lore. Through the unregulated freedom for genetic modification and human experimentation, researchers like Yi Suchong or Jeremiah Fink were able to push the boundaries of science for their own gain. The products of these inhumane experiments can be seen throughout the series, such as the Handyman’s dialogue that reveals they are in constant pain, or the Little Sisters forced to be living hosts and harvested for their ADAM.
ThoughBioShock Infinitemight have toned down the brutality of its mad science in favor of its dimension-hopping narrative to bring the series full circle, the first two games and the Burial at Sea DLC emphasized how integral themes of humanity andits horrors were toBioShock. Between the average Splicers fought throughout Rapture toBioShock’s main storyline focusing on saving or harvesting Little Sisters the player encounters, players are forced to tackle the gruesome reality the games present. As a result,BioShock 4must continue the series forward with these ideas, as without them, it wouldn’t be true toBioShock’s thematic core.
BioShock’s Philosophies Guide Its Enemy Designs
Though it’s unclear howBioShock 4will further the series' staple of inhuman enemy designs, these will all depend on which political, social, or cultural philosophies the game explores. For instance,BioShock 2’s use of the Big Daddy as the player character directly taps into concepts of enslavement and choice carried over from the first game, whileBioShock Infinite’s Songbirdand Boys of Silence convey control and oppression due to how they are used as jailers and guards respectively. Whichever direction and ideologyBioShock 4takes will therefore inform its own chilling enemy designs.
Speculation among fans about whichphilosophy will beBioShock 4’s new corehas varied. SinceBioShock Infinitewas released a decade ago and the upcoming game is being led by a new developer, some argue thatBioShock 4’s philosophy should go in a new direction, such as nihilism or solipsism. If this were to be the case, these enemy designs could be radically different from previous games, where nihilism leads to inhuman experiments since morality and ethics are meaningless, or how solipsism’s ties to the “brain in a vat” thought experiment could directly inspireBioShock 4’s iconic cursed enemy.
