Highlights
- BioShock 4 remains shrouded in mystery, with Cloud Chamber developing a new direction for the franchise.
- The game needs to innovate to stand out from imitators and potential competition like Judas.
- Cloud Chamber must balance tradition and innovation to define BioShock’s future in the gaming landscape, but with Judas being so similar to classic BioShock, being more innovative than faithful to the old games could benefit the IP.
Although there are very high hopes for BioShock 4, virtually nothing is known about the game. The mystery surrounding the next BioShock is even weightier than the likes of Mass Effect 4, which players can reasonably expect to retain certain gameplay or narrative staples, as it’s being developed by the same studio that was behind the original trilogy; BioShock 4 is being developed by Cloud Chamber, a studio formed specifically to work on BioShock.
But BioShock 4 is uniquely positioned to be different from the games that preceded it. Directed by Ken Levine, the first three BioShock titles followed a very particular template: FPS gameplay , intricately designed dystopia, gunplay mixed with special powers, et cetera. The infamous ending to BioShock Infinite even lays this template out in plain terms, perhaps as a tongue-in-cheek, self-referential nod from Levine’s team at Irrational Games. It would be easy and predictable for Cloud Chamber to follow Irrational’s footsteps, adopting much of the same gameplay and narrative staples, but the burgeoning studio should take things in a different direction.
BioShock 4 Needs to Strike While the Iron is Hot
BioShock 4 is in active development, but Cloud Chamber will need to show something for it soon, because it has some stiff competition.
BioShock 4: Standing Out from the Pack
It’s the Perfect Time for BioShock to Reinvent Itself
BioShock Infinite released over a decade ago, and while the years have been kind to BioShock as a franchise, they have also been host to countless imitations and loving homages, some of the more obvious being:
- Prey (2017)
- Dishonored
- Atomic Heart
- Soma
- We Happy Few
The BioShock franchise’s overwhelming influence is a testament to the recognizability and pliability of the original series’ design philosophy. BioShock has come to define the world of cerebral, single-player first-person shooters, but now it will be competing with high-quality releases that meaningfully iterate on several key BioShock concepts. Put plainly, rehashing classic BioShock mechanics or narrative ideas might not be enough to make BioShock 4 stand out as a unique, innovative shooter in the modern age. The game may benefit from radical, experimental changes to the formula, redefining the BioShock franchise instead of attempting to ape the trilogy that came before it.
Judas: The Competitive Elephant In the Room
For better or worse, BioShock 4 is probably going to get compared to Ken Levine’s upcoming project Judas. Similarities between Judas and classic BioShock are clear as day already, and many fans are considering the former to be a sort of spiritual successor to the latter. At the same time, Judas seems to set itself apart from BioShock in some key ways, such as through its roguelike format. Still, Judas may have a bit of a leg up over BioShock, as it benefits from Levine’s auteur status and has already shown off a good bit of gameplay, whereas BioShock 4 is coming from an unproven studio and hasn’t gotten so much as a reveal trailer.
If BioShock 4 significantly subverts the gameplay, narrative, or world design expectations held by many fans, it could land with a bigger splash, definitively establishing a new era for BioShock while also defining Cloud Chamber as a creative, visionary studio. 343 Industries, a studio that was once in a position very similar to Cloud Chamber, has struggled to strike the right balance between old and new with the Halo series, and many would argue that the franchise has suffered a loss of identity because of it. This can be avoided with BioShock 4 if Cloud Chamber chooses to go its own way, eschewing tradition where appropriate to make a more unique overall experience.