Highlights
- Cloud Chamber's BioShock 4 remains shrouded in mystery, leaving fans anxious and eager for updates on its progress.
- The iconic Big Daddies and Little Sisters are crucial to BioShock's core themes and should be reimagined for the next installment.
- With rumors of a potential alternate 1960s Antarctica setting, BioShock 4 has the opportunity to reintroduce these beloved characters in a fresh, modern way.
Bioshock 4 has been in the works for just under 5 years now, after its official announcement in 2019. The fourth installment of the iconic series is being handled by a new development team, Cloud Chamber, and will be the first game released by the studio. However, there has not been much word from it about the progress and status of Bioshock 4 since being confirmed, which has made many fans anxious about if, and when, it will be completed.
With the wait stretching out, as well as rumors and leaks continuing to surface regarding what BioShock 4 may entail, speculation has only grown in the time since about its future. There is one element though that has been present since the beginning - Big Daddies and Little Sisters - who are essentially the dual faces of the franchise, even beyond other recognizable characters like Andrew Ryan and Elizabeth. The Big Daddies and Little Sisters represent BioShock's core themes and exploration of ideology in their nature and presentation. Given that, it might be a good idea for Cloud Chamber to look into reworking them in some fashion for BS4 in order to keep an important part of its identity intact, while simultaneously moving it forward.
March 25, 2024, will mark 10 years since the last piece of BioShock content , with fans hoping for some comment or update from the studio on its progress.
BioShock 4: The Case For Bringing Jack Back
Sparse details are known about BioShock 4 currently, but given the series' setup, Jack could make a return in the next installment.
Why Bioshock 4 Should Reprise Big Daddies and Little Sisters in Some Form
Big Daddies and Little Sisters Are BioShock's Most Iconic and Resonant Elements
Big Daddies and Little Sisters are deeply ingrained in BioShock's DNA, as the hulking diving suit-clad monstrosities whose creation was the result of the loose ethics and lack of restraint rampant in Rapture's Objectivist philosophy embody the series' message. The similarly twisted experiments that produced the Little Sisters, who are symbiotically bonded to the Daddies, added to the tragic circumstances and confronted players with a narrative moral dilemma versus mechanical/gameplay rewards. Choosing to harvest the Sisters for resources granted a larger initial haul, but saving them paid off more in the long run, although this wasn't made clear, thus forcing players to decide how cruel or compassionate they were going to be without knowing the consequences.
Bioshock 2 then had an interesting turn where the original Sisters had grown, becoming Big Daddy-like in their own right, but much more agile in terms of combat. BioShock: Infinite also had its version in the form of Handymen, and though not exactly the same as either the Daddies or Sisters, they still were generally thematically and mechanically in line with them. BioShock 4 faces some imposing decisions both story and gameplay-wise, and reprising the Daddy/Sister dynamic might be a good way of coherently tying the next title to the franchise's essence.
BioShock 4 Could Reintroduce Big Daddies and Little Sisters
Since there is currently not much firm information about BS4's plot or setting, this leaves room for a variety of possibilities. Some of the aforementioned rumors/leaks point to Bioshock 4 being set in an alternate timeline 1960s Antarctica, which would open up paths for it to branch into untapped philosophical mindsets, and subsequently incorporate Big Daddy/Little Sister characters that are tailored to the specific angle and interplay that it may be embracing in terms of this. BioShock 4 need not necessarily repeat the previous design precisely, but through iterations of updated mechanics/abilities and player agency regarding them, this might serve to bridge the feel and tone of the original to the latest effort.
If BioShock 4 is to stay true to the series' original vision, then there are plenty of reasons for Cloud Chamber to seriously consider taking the blueprint of the Big Daddy/Little Sister pairing and applying it to its modern BioShock game. If integrated well, it could please players who are likely expecting the modern game to contain many of the established and familiar aspects from the iconic series.
