Anybody who has made the poor decision of bringing up Bioshock: Infinite in my presence knows how much I hated it. But I thoroughly believed that "Burial at Sea" was going to be a step in the right direction. If you read my review of the first episode of "Burial at Sea," you will remember that I gave it a 9/10. I loved almost everything about the first episode, but I thought the story still sucked at its resolution. With that in mind, it was now up to episode 2 to fill the holes that episode 1 left. I'm going to tell you a story, now. It was a weekend night, and I was visiting home, because it was a weekend that I could afford to leave campus on. I had just beaten Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea episode 2. I was pacing around the room, texting my roommate (who doesn't even remotely play video games), "Oh my gosh, Mason, Bioshock Infinite Burial at Sea episode 2 was so amazing! It was so amazing! Oh my gosh, I can use Bioshock: Infinite and amazing in the same sentence again! This is the best day ever!" That is right, people, I loved Burial at Sea episode 2. It is the kind of storytelling and gameplay experience that I was hoping for when I bought Bioshock: Infinite. Now, let me tell you why I call this, "Ken Levine's Redemption".
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| Stealth adds a much needed layer of tension to the combat formula (1) |
First, lets talk about gameplay. I know some people whose heads would spin if they learned that Elizabeth has less prowess in combat than Booker. Some might call it sexist, but I call it just plain common sense. Booker was a soldier and a Pinkerton, he had oodles of combat experience. But Elizabeth lived her whole life in a tower, and she picked up a thing or two about fighting by watching Booker, but it wouldn't make sense for her to be as capable in an open firefight as somebody with Booker's experience. Now, that isn't to say she isn't able to survive, and that is what makes Episode 2 special. In episode 2, the combat focus isn't the mindless call of duty mash the right trigger kind of gameplay that Infinite had. Rather, the combat focus is stealth. Rather than having Elizabeth be capable in a guns blazing kind of way, she is capable in an entirely different kind of way. Now, I am a huge fan of being stealthy in video games, so this was a major point-earner. I will, however, admit, stealth did seem a little bit out of place, but it worked incredibly well in the dim, dreary Rapture environment. I really enjoyed the slower combat pacing in Episode 1, and the even slower combat pacing in episode 2 was even more enjoyable. Stealth was always manageable, but never too easy, which is how it ought to be. In this episode, you are constantly low on ammo, and you only have a few crossbow bolts at a time. This makes caution in your approach incredibly important. Also seeming out of place but working incredibly well was the new lock picking mechanic. Given Elizabeth's prowess as a lock picker, it makes sense that we would have a lock picking mechanic, despite the fact that we've never been able to pick locks in Bioshock before. In many ways, every time you pick a lock, you are gambling. There are three types of pins (or tumblers, whichever): Neutral, which opens the lock, blue, which opens the lock and gives you a noisemaker for use in your crossbow, and red, which opens the lock but rings the alarm, alerting enemies to your presence. The pick moves at random intervals and you have to press the button at the right moment. The problem is that you never know where the pick is going to go. It is a tension-filled activity that makes stealth more challenging and rewards you by making it more manageable if you succeed.
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| It isn't as atmospheric as the original Bioshock, but it is the closest we'll ever come (2). |
That leads us to exploration and atmosphere, which was severely lacking in Bioshock: Infinite proper, but was brought back in Burial at Sea episode 1. There wasn't as much exploring to do in Episode 2 as there was in episode 1, which was a tad bit disappointing, but there was still plenty of varied exploration to be done. How varied? Well, there was exploration to be done in both Rapture and Columbia. There is a portion where Elizabeth travels back to Columbia to perform a task before returning to Rapture, and there is more exploration in the sliver of Columbia that she explores than there was in the entirety of Bioshock: Infinite proper. Columbia still lacks atmosphere of any kind, but the atmosphere in Rapture, as always (unless its Bioshock 2), is still potent. For a lot of the DLC, you feel small, and tension always seems high. Episode 2 is constantly reminding you that you are at the mercy of the city, and nowhere is this better portrayed than in one of the most squirmy, uncomfortable torture sequences in gaming. Which is amazing, since nothing too bad really happens. Episode 2's atmosphere is an atmosphere the likes of which I've not seen since the original Bioshock.
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| It is amazing how great characters can be when they are actually well-developed (3). |
Now, before I talk about story, I need to take a second to talk about Elizabeth. I have said some really, really mean things about Elizabeth. Her character in Bioshock: Infinite was a disgrace: a sad, pitiful excuse for a character with more inconsistencies and needed-for-the-plot traits that didn't make sense than cells. I don't take back any of the mean things I have said about Elizabeth in Bioshock: Infinite, because the only reason most people like her is because they get to look at her
cleavage, further proving my point that Infinite was made for prepubescent boys who only play video games to see explosions and "shoot s**t." I won't take any of it back, but I will treat this Elizabeth differently. Do you know why? Because I would place the Elizabeth from Episode 2 high on a list of best protagonists. One of the many, many, many qualms I had with Bioshock: Infinite was that, near the end, what little character Elizabeth had was lost, and she just turned into a greek chorus meant to read a script. She didn't seem to react to anything anymore. She suddenly had so much knowledge, but she was entirely monotone about the entire thing (and I swear, if any of you utter the words "multiple universes" to solve this plot hole, I will find you). But in Episode 2, Elizabeth looks back on her actions near the end of Infinite and of the first episode and realizes that she had become so focused on revenge that she had killed the only friend she ever had. The Elizabeth in Episode 2 is not the naive (except when the plot required her to not be) girl from Infinite. The Elizabeth in Episode 2 is small and humanized, and it is ab. so. lu. tely.
brilliant. This Elizabeth realizes that she is no saint, that she has sacrificed other people's lives for her own satisfaction. This more mature Elizabeth is fantastic, and I am proud of Ken Levine for finally learning how to write characters from Infinite in convincing ways.
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| ..............Wow (4). |
Story is perhaps the most important part of a Bioshock game, and in Bioshock: Infinite, story was severely lacking. I have been calling Burial at Sea episode 2, "Ken Levine's Redemption." That should tell you how the story was in this piece of work. At the start of the episode, we play as Elizabeth in a highly idealized version of Paris. And it is ab. so. lu. tely.
beautiful. It is no exaggeration when I say that I could walk around in the itty bitty sliver of paris we are given for hours. La vie en Rose plays loudly with a choral accompaniment in the background, and the Paris sky is absolutely drenched in beautiful lighting. I've played the episode twice, and both times I have had to put my controller down and utter, "wow," during the opening portion. Words cannot describe the beauty of the opening of Burial at Sea episode 2. But soon enough, the illusion of happiness is broken, and Elizabeth is mentally returned to Rapture at the end of Episode 1, where the final Comstock has been killed. At the start, Elizabeth learns a shocking new truth that changes everything. From there, she starts working with a familiar face for Bioshock fans, and she sets out on a quest to raise the sunken prison that Andrew Ryan buried Frank Fontaine and his thugs in from the bottom of the ocean. But there is more to it than that. It is also a personal quest. The man she is working with is holding Sally, the little sister around which Burial at Sea revolves, hostage. Elizabeth was willing to cause Sally intense amounts of pain to lure the last Comstock out of hiding, and now she must atone for her crimes by meeting the demands of her new business partner in order to rescue Sally. It is a story that takes you from Rapture to Columbia and back again, and it comes to a beautiful, satisfying conclusion. It doesn't resolve a lot of the plot holes left by Infinite, but it does a wonderful job of putting a cap on the story of Bioshock Infinite.
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| Burial at Sea episode 2 does a nice job of tying everything together, and it is a fitting end to the series (5). |
Ken Levine has shut down Irrational games, which means that Bioshock is likely at an end. So, how does Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea episode 2 work as a wrap up to Bioshock in its entirety? Well, the beginning and the ending are absolutely beautiful. Gameplay is strong again, exploration is back in force, atmosphere is abundant, and the story ties up the storylines of all canon Bioshock games in a neat little bow that doesn't answer every question, but picks up most of the mess that Infinite left behind. All in all, Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2 is exactly the kind of send off that I would have wanted for Bioshock, and I salute Ken Levine for this ultimate redemption of his. However, I cannot give it a masterpiece seal. It still left some vital questions unanswered, and it definitely felt more restricted than episode 1. But don't let that discourage you from playing it, if you are unfortunate enough to own a copy of Bioshock: Infinite. In a way, it is a fitting addition to a game where there is so much focus on Baptism, as it is almost like a Baptism in and of itself. The sins of Bioshock: Infinite still exist, and they are still there in the past, but they have been left on the riverside, washed away by the water (and the city that lies underneath it).
10/10
It makes me proud to be able to use the words "good" and "Bioshock: Infinite" in the same sentence without the word "not" somewhere in there.
Fantastic work, Ken Levine, fantastic work.
Picture Sources:
Cover:
www.bioshock.wikia.com
(1):
www.bioshockinfinite.com
(2):
www.gameinformer.com
(3):
www.theweavingknight.com
(4):
www.nowgamer.com
(5):
www.darkzero.co.uk
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