Experiencing the game

Playing Bioshock has been a fun experience. I played a story-telling looter-shooter FPS after many many years and enjoyed the story which is drip-fed as the game progresses. The world-building is solid and the gameplay is injected with just enough abilities to not make the overall mechanic repetitive towards the endgame. The bosses do have a distinct character and it’s fun to take them down with the arsenal of weapons. The mobs however, felt dull and lacked distinction from one another. Apart from the big daddies, the splicers all felt very forced and only put for the annoyance. The vita-chamber mechanic was a unique concept where even if you die in the game, you are spawned again in these specific locations like you never did (even enemy health-damages aren’t lost). The headshot mechanic of one-shot kill was nice at times to get rid of mobs quickly. The hacking mechanic was abysmal and a complete disaster (especially on a controller). Overall, even though at times I felt the gameplay to be shallow, it’s story-telling (both through dialogue as well as subtly through the environment) carried the game for me.

The theme it revolves around

Bioshock revolves around the far-left theme of technology and science being allowed progress unchecked by any form of authority through the idea of Plasmids and Adam. Futhermore, it discusses concept of Free-will, with the protagonist having the phrase “Would you kindly…” as a trigger to follow any command. Andrew Ryan, as an antagonist is one of the most interesting characters, each dialogue of his being pure gold, right till the end. He believes in the “You want it? Go get it!” mentality and stays consistent with it throughout. Finally, it has morality as one of it’s theme. There are 2 endings to the game, good and bad, which depends on whether the player chooses to harvest or rescue the little sisters. The game’s good ending felt surprisingly good considering how gritty the game is throughout.

The thoughts I had during and after completing it

The game maintained a strong air of mystery surrounding it on “why is what kept where and how” hence I was constantly kept guessing throughout. However admittedly, I felt bored with the mobs at times, rushing B to the nearest vita chamber. I had mixed feelings after finishing the game. On the one hand, Andrew Ryan as an antagonist gave me so much food for thought, on the other, Atlas/Frank Fontaine as an antagonist came off to be extremely shallow. Additionally, I got the good ending (which was the easier of them, considering how brutal the harvesting of little sister looked), a “lived happily-ever after” ending, which was very out-of-character for the game. Finally, the biggest feeling I had was that I had waited playing this game for so long, but the game wasn’t as good as I initially thought it to be. A typical okay result but higher expectations problem. The game per se wasn’t as bad but I had hyped it up in my head because I wanted to play it since so long. This is revolutionary because it has gotten me to wonder how many more times I am going to face this because there are many forms of arts that I have been waiting to experience since long.

Ratings: 6/10

Favorite moment : Andrew Ryan’s quote: “We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us.” (unchanged before and after playing).

Bioshock 1 Remastered Spoiler-free

My experience:

Playing BioShock has been a fun experience. I played a story-driven looter-shooter FPS after many years and enjoyed how the narrative unfolds gradually as you progress. The world-building is solid, and the gameplay is layered with just enough abilities to prevent it from feeling repetitive toward the end. The bosses have distinct personalities, and it’s fun to take them down using the varied arsenal.

However, the mobs felt dull and lacked diversity. Apart from a few standout enemy types, most encounters with mobs felt more like obstacles than engaging challenges. The respawn system was an interesting mechanic, allowing players to continue from specific points without resetting progress—though it did reduce the overall challenge in some areas. The headshot mechanic offered satisfying precision for dealing with mobs quickly. On the other hand, the hacking mini-game was abysmal and a complete disaster, especially when using a controller.

Even though the gameplay occasionally felt shallow, the storytelling—delivered through both dialogue and the environment—carried the experience for me.

The themes:

BioShock delves into themes around unchecked scientific progress and the consequences of extreme ideological beliefs. It questions the nature of free will and presents a world where personal ambition and moral choices clash in haunting ways.

Andrew Ryan, as an antagonist is one of the most interesting characters, each dialogue of his being pure gold, right till the end. He believes in the “You want it? Go get it!” mentality and stays consistent with it throughout. The game also offers moral choices that influence the outcome, adding a reflective layer to the player’s actions. Interestingly, the ending I experienced felt surprisingly optimistic given the gritty and tense atmosphere of the game overall.

Reflections After Completion:

The game maintained a strong air of mystery surrounding it on “why is what kept where and how” hence I was constantly kept guessing throughout. However admittedly, I felt bored with the mobs at times, rushing B to the nearest vita chamber.

After finishing it, I had mixed feelings. While one of the main characters left a lasting impression with their depth and conviction, another major character felt less developed and impactful by comparison. The ending I received was unexpectedly uplifting, which felt somewhat at odds with the darker tone of the game.

Finally, the biggest feeling I had was that I had waited playing this game for so long, but the game wasn’t as good as I initially thought it to be. A typical okay result but higher expectations problem. The game per se wasn’t as bad but I had hyped it up in my head because I wanted to play it since so long. This is revolutionary because it has gotten me to wonder how many more times I am going to face this because there are many forms of arts that I have been waiting to experience since long.

Ratings: 6/10

Favorite moment : Andrew Ryan’s quote: “We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us.” (unchanged before and after playing).