Highlights
- BioShock 4 should prioritize capturing the same fascination and amazement with its enemy designs that the original games achieved with Big Daddies and Little Sisters.
- The core themes of inhumane experiments and the horrors of humanity are integral to the BioShock universe and should be continued in BioShock 4 .
- The enemy designs in BioShock 4 will depend on the political, social, and cultural philosophies that the game explores, which could be different from previous games and result in radically new enemy designs.
While BioShock 4 is working its way through development, one of its most important areas of game design that developer Cloud Chamber should not lose sight of is the series' iconic cursed enemies from the original Big Daddy and Little Sisters to Songbird and Handymen. Right from its very first game, BioShock made waves among the gaming community for more than just its submerged city setting and alternative history angle. Practically becoming the mascots of BioShock and BioShock 2, Big Daddies and Little Sisters captivated players' attention thanks to its earliest trailers.
As a result of their popularity, later BioShock games always tried to recapture this same morbid fascination and amazement with its enemy designs such as the Big Sister in BioShock 2 and the Handyman of BioShock Infinite. But while some saw mixed receptions and others became favorites in their own respect, the underlying themes of these enemies and their backstories were and continue to be a core part of the BioShock universe. Therefore, BioShock 4 should ensure it delivers on what has become a staple of the series with its own tragic and cursed enemies.
The Inhuman Humanity of BioShock
Among the various themes that have influenced BioShock, it is arguably the instances of American exceptionalism, libertarianism, and free-market capitalism that led to its iconic enemy designs and lore. Through the unregulated freedom for genetic modification and human experimentation, researchers like Yi Suchong or Jeremiah Fink were able to push the boundaries of science for their own gain. The products of these inhumane experiments can be seen throughout the series, such as the Handyman's dialogue that reveals they are in constant pain, or the Little Sisters forced to be living hosts and harvested for their ADAM.
Though BioShock Infinite might have toned down the brutality of its mad science in favor of its dimension-hopping narrative to bring the series full circle, the first two games and the Burial at Sea DLC emphasized how integral themes of humanity and its horrors were to BioShock. Between the average Splicers fought throughout Rapture to BioShock's main storyline focusing on saving or harvesting Little Sisters the player encounters, players are forced to tackle the gruesome reality the games present. As a result, BioShock 4 must continue the series forward with these ideas, as without them, it wouldn't be true to BioShock's thematic core.
BioShock's Philosophies Guide Its Enemy Designs
Though it's unclear how BioShock 4 will further the series' staple of inhuman enemy designs, these will all depend on which political, social, or cultural philosophies the game explores. For instance, BioShock 2's use of the Big Daddy as the player character directly taps into concepts of enslavement and choice carried over from the first game, while BioShock Infinite's Songbird and Boys of Silence convey control and oppression due to how they are used as jailers and guards respectively. Whichever direction and ideology BioShock 4 takes will therefore inform its own chilling enemy designs.
Speculation among fans about which philosophy will be BioShock 4's new core has varied. Since BioShock Infinite was released a decade ago and the upcoming game is being led by a new developer, some argue that BioShock 4's philosophy should go in a new direction, such as nihilism or solipsism. If this were to be the case, these enemy designs could be radically different from previous games, where nihilism leads to inhuman experiments since morality and ethics are meaningless, or how solipsism's ties to the "brain in a vat" thought experiment could directly inspire BioShock 4's iconic cursed enemy.
BioShock 4 is currently in development.