BYTES VIEW | Bioshock 2, a deep exploration of a fantastic ruined world

When Andrew Ryan descended to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in the mid-twentieth century, his plan was to build a utopia where science and knowledge-hungry minds could flourish without the restrictions of human laws, religion or morals. Your dream came true. But it took only a short time and a dose of greed and hatred to make his metropolis of the future become a temple of anarchy and destruction.

When a young man arrives in the ruined city, discovers its deepest secrets and tries to save the little humanity that remains in its inhabitants, players are introduced to the incredible universe of Bioshock, launched in 2007.

But clearly, just one game wouldn’t be enough to tell all the stories that surround Rapture’s past, present and future, and so, three years later, Bioshock 2 was released to continue revealing the secrets that this underwater adventure still had to reveal to your viewers.

There is no place like Rapture

More than 8 years after the events of Bioshock and the revolution that the arrival of the mysterious Jack caused to the submerged metropolis of Andrew Ryan, we are invited to return to this fantastic world not so far from reality to discover that the story of Rapture is not over yet.

This time, however, the player will be in the shoes of a Big Daddy, the terrible enemy of anyone who threatened his precious Little Sisters. The big one, in this case, is Subject Delta, a Big Daddy from the Alpha development line.

One of the main characteristics of this series was that the individuals had few bodily changes to adapt to their diving and combat suits, in comparison with the later models. Perhaps this is the reason why the player feels more in control of a human being equipped with pressurized combat armor than just a transfigured and fight-hungry monster.

The reinforced wetsuit shows all its usefulness especially when it is necessary to walk on the ocean floor, facing overwhelming pressure.

Delta’s goal is almost the same as Jack’s at Bioshock (although the poor guy was unaware that he was being indirectly controlled to his goals) and he needs to stop yet another megalomaniac nut that threatens the city, already in ruins and , who knows, up to the surface. The crazy one this time is Dr. Sofia Lamb.

She was one of the leading minds at the height of the metropolis and now, taking control of society in place of Andrew Ryan, she wants to complete her plan to create a new utopia.

This ideal started years ago when the scientist started sending the fearsome Big Sisters to the surface to kidnap girls and turn them into genetic freaks to complete her army of Big Daddies, Big Sisters and Splicers to dominate Rapture and, very soon, all of civilization to take humanity to a new era of development.

The followers of this mad scientist only increase in numbers, since she created a cult that borders on religious fanaticism around her image, proclaiming herself as the savior of the city’s lost souls.

What motivates Delta to pursue this unscrupulous woman is that she kidnapped her Little Sister, Eleanor, years ago, and that oddly enough, was her own daughter. Eleanor is a fundamental piece for Lamb to realize his plans and Delta will have to face a real army of the most bizarre and crazy creatures that exist to reach his protégé.

For this, Delta will have the power of several Plasmids already known and new ones, as well as help from other Little Sisters that he finds along the way and that, if they are protected, the player will be able to collect ADAM from the bodies to increase their energies.

As in the first game, the power of decision-making rests with the player and changes the end of the game’s story because, after some time traveling through Rapture accompanied by one of these little ones, it is up to you to decide if before letting your Little Sister go, it is preferable to rescue her. her (making her a normal girl again and taking little ADAM) or taking her life (turning her into a grotesque slug and collecting more ADAM).

“Every Day is Daddy’s Day”

The combat in Bioshock 2 gains other proportions and improves several aspects present in the predecessor title. The arsenal of weapons available to the player has increased and, in addition, he has the power of the giant drill attached to Delta’s arm, with ferocious attacks that Big Daddy can cause on enemies.

One of the major changes in gameplay was in the new method for hacking machines that now tests the coordination of the player to hit frequencies more than solving puzzles involving plumbing, as in the previous game.

All the Plasmids that were already known are back with even more improvements to be conquered and with the addition of a few others that make the combat experience more exciting. And the player will need to plan many fighting strategies carefully, as his main enemies this time are not only the tormented Splicers but the countless Big Daddies that populate Rapture and hunt Delta without rest by order of Sofia Lamb.

Worst of all, although Sofia Lamb is the rock in Delta’s diving boot, her biggest concern on this journey through Rapture’s most inhospitable and desolate places are the Big Sisters. These feminine versions, more agile and more deadly than any Big Daddy are the fruit of Lamb’s experiments with artificially matured Little Sisters.

With their minds twisted and totally susceptible to their masters’ orders, these monsters roam Rapture collecting ADAM and getting rid of any enemy, be it a Splicer or a Big Daddy. To get rid of them, Delta needs to be careful in setting traps and be quick on the trigger because, once in combat, the Big Sisters do not give rest.

The game still has the presence of an item that, for fans of the first game, may be unnecessary because the surrounding story plays a big and important role in the title, but for others, it was really missed. We are talking about multiplayer. In “Fall of Rapture”, players take on the roles of opposing combat groups during the Rapture Civil War, about a year before the Bioshock events.

With a variety of character options to choose from, combatants can engage in gigantic and deadly battles, generating score rankings in addition to earning more ADAM to exchange for new Plasmids or new skills. The experience is very useful especially for those players who are not very good at FPS style and want to practice a little with friends before facing the long dangerous journey of Singleplayer.

One of the most interesting DLCs in the game is on account of “Minerva’s Den”. The special content tells the curious story of the Rapture Computer Center and the mysterious “The Thinker” machine. In the role of another Big Daddy in the Alpha series, Subject Sigma, the player must venture to a special level discovering more details about the history of this forgotten sector of the city, as well as facing several enemies with a new type of weapon and a new type of weapon. Plasmid.

Even though it doesn’t have a story as surprising and engaging as its predecessor, Bioshock 2 is a great continuation of a game that was voted the best FPS of all time. The work manages to extend the world of Rapture to a proportion never imagined before, showing more details of the city, its history, its characters and enriching the universe of this underwater metropolis of fiction.

Do not hesitate to dive deeply into this adventure and revisit Rapture because, as the City Reception Center sign read: “All good things flow through this city”. After all, manic Splicers, angry Big Daddies and deadly Big Sisters are just gameplay details, aren’t they? Rapture will always be the main character in this story.

Originally published at https://www.gameblast.com.br.