BioShock 4's Open World Might Sacrifice One of the Best Parts of the Orginal Game
Almost nothing official has been revealed about BioShock 4, but leaks have suggested the game will take place in an open world set in Antarctica. It's a setting that video games have rarely explored, so a series known for its fantastic world-building heading there is understandably exciting to many. However, the open-world direction could mean that one of the greatest aspects of the original BioShock is lost.
BioShock 4, rumored to be called BioShock Isolation, will be the first installment in the series since 2013's BioShock Infinite. First announced in 2019, development is being headed by 2K's new studio Cloud Chamber. Additionally, original creator Ken Levine has confirmed he has no role in the project. These behind-the-scenes changes explain why BioShock 4 seems to be taking a very different approach from past games. The series so far has set an incredibly high bar for the newest title, so how this new direction is executed could make or break the game's greatness.
How BioShock 4 Already Reportedly Differs From Past Games
BioShock's Rapture is one of the most iconic game settings of all time. The underwater city balanced atmospheric horror — created by masterful sound design, enemy encounters, and environmental art — with compelling story-telling, through both the progression of the story and the contextually placed audio diaries. Coupled with some survival gameplay elements, it created a world that was tense and genuinely frightening at times without becoming so focused on fear that it detracts from the game.
Part of what made that possible was the claustrophobic setting of Rapture itself. The dark corridors and collapsing structure added to a feeling that it was a genuinely unnerving place to be stuck in. BioShock 4
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