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Final Day of the October Horror Reviews: BioShock Remastered
Whew. A bit of a journey to get here, but I'm glad we finally did it. Surprise!
BioShock is a fascinating series, exploring a narrative with themes that *feel* unnatural, but are that way to build that sense of unease. Objectivism, collectivism, and American exceptionalism are all philosophies that the series have explored, and I have to say they've created something fascinating, starting from here.
The series kind of veered away from horror and focused more on the action elements in later parts of the game, and even more so in the sequels, but this is expressly about the first game and its impact on horror.
I've mentioned in a few reviews I've done the concept that humans are, in essence, bigger monsters than most of the monsters we see in some of these games. BioShock illustrates this in an almost brazen way, it looks awful - because it *is* awful. Addiction runs rampant across Rapture, desperate for power and a little spark from more ADAM, the denizens of Rapture have lost themselves to something meant to improve their lives.
I wanna break that down: In a game featuring the flaws of objectivism, it also explores goes into what lies at the heart of objectivism: Capitalism, combined with a meritocracy. You get what you provide, and you provide to get. But if everyone's looking to climb the ladder at once, and this little nook of elites are all trying to get ahead, with experts who *could* in fact be pushed to horrific acts for a chance at ascension... well, capitalism and survival of the fittest at its finest, right? Not gonna get too political here, nor am I being like "boo capitalism", but the game paints the worst aspects of capitalism pretty friggin' brightly.
Playing as Jack feels heavy. The city makes you feel vulnerable, but also invincible with the very much lore-consistent vita chambers, the characters with most of their dialogue told through audio diaries feel tangible, real, and broken - people who are slowly unravelling being in this assumed paradise. Jack's journey through Rapture feels like Dante's journey through the inferno, exploring different aspects of human cruelty, eventually reaching one of the greatest twists in video game history.
Gameplay-wise, the controls feel clunky, even with the remaster, but I think that's almost on purpose. You're meant to be somewhat superhuman, but you're also not invincible (even with vita-chambers). You're not meant to be a perfect shot, you're not meant to be as agile as some of the splicers, or as hulky as the Big Daddies. But you're also not as vulnerable as the Little Sisters, and having that moment where you can decide their fate feels... like pressure. A terrifying, deep-seated pressure: Will you do the right thing for a better ending? Or will you make the most of a bad situation and do the wrong thing to maximise your profit, even if it costs you your soul?
BioShock is one of my favourite games, and while it's not overly scary, it does have its moments where it feels genuinely unsettling - even being equipped to the nines, you still feel Rapture's haunting past threatening to swallow you just as it has so many other lives.
Graphically, not the best but not the worst, sound-wise, the OST has some bangers, the VAs are incredible, and overall: The environments do feel alive, and that's something that I really do appreciate in a game, even one that's getting up there. Weird to think BioShock is 17 years old.
It's an astounding journey, and one that's, to this day, best left unspoiled. Give this one a try, you won't be disappointed: Plus, it's a pretty decent remaster, too. Some remasters are trash, this one was honestly great, and recaptured the original game's charm and magic. 9.2/10
(Thanks for coming with me on the October reviews journey! If you enjoyed reading my reviews, please don't hesitate to thumbs up, or even add/message me if you like!)