Highlights
- BioShock 4 should draw inspiration from BioShock Infinite's memorable features, particularly its deceivingly idyllic city and the imposing enemy, Songbird.
- The setting of BioShock 4 is still uncertain, but it is crucial to capture the narrative importance and scale of Songbird in the development of a new recurring enemy.
- The use of large scripted set-pieces and open combat segments with the enemy can create memorable interactions and keep players on their toes in BioShock 4.
With over a decade having passed since the franchise's last entry, a lot of eyes are beginning to turn towards BioShock 4. Despite being confirmed to be in development, very little is actually known about what the title will involve, but 2013's BioShockInfinite has a wealth of memorable features that the IP's next release should take inspiration from.
One of the largest questions around BioShock 4 concerns its setting, with Infinite doing away with the underwater Rapture in favor of a deceivingly idyllic city in the skies. As well as this, it is extremely important that BioShock 4 looks to Infinite's Songbird enemy, which plays a looming role throughout the game's narrative. An enemy as narratively important and imposing as the Songbird did wonders for Infinite's worldbuilding, and BioShock 4 needs to take heed of this in its own development.
BioShock 4: Going Beyond Infinite's Songbird
The BioShock franchise was built on the themes and feel of Rapture, the primary setting of the IP's first two games. The decay of a once-thriving underwater city gave a stunningly sinister feel to BioShock's origins, with the deranged inhabitants of the location and iconic enemies like the Big Daddy putting the franchise on the map.
BioShockInfinite was forced to innovate in a lot of ways to make up for the loss of Rapture's iconography in its heaven-like setting of Columbia, and the Songbird enemy was an example of just how well this innovation was handled by Irrational Games and 2K. Songbird is a massive creature that was made through an experimental blend of cutting-edge technology and genetic material, sharing the same kind of purpose and temperament as the Big Daddies of past games.
The player consistently encounters Songbird throughout BioShock Infinite as it is driven by the sole task of protecting Elizabeth and keeping her in captivity. With Elizabeth joining the player for most of the game, Songbird tracks down and attacks the protagonist quite frequently, with its immense size and power often devastating large portions of Columbia. This creates a great level of nervous anticipation throughout Infinite, with Songbird being an insurmountable threat that can strike at any moment.
Big Daddies did well to create a similar tension in past BioShock games, but they are easily killed by experienced players, eventually causing them to lose the threat-factor that made them so compelling at the start of the game. Songbird never loses this feeling throughout Infinite, and creating a recurring enemy that looms over the player in the same way should be a top priority for BioShock 4.
The player often encounters Songbird in large scripted set-pieces, leading to memorable interactions that tie well into important narrative moments. BioShock 4 should maintain this with its own take on Songbird, but also introduce more open or random combat segments with the enemy to keep players on their toes even more.
With the confirmed links between Big Daddy and Songbird technology, the potential for other similar enemies is endless in the BioShock universe, and can be adapted for any potential setting. Even a return to Rapture could see the introduction of a twisted leviathan-style creature that stalks the player, with Songbird setting a precedent for the size and power of enemies created by this technology. Songbird was definitely one of the most innovative and memorable aspects of BioShock Infinite, and the growing expectations behind BioShock 4 should be met by a recurring enemy of similar narrative importance and scale.
BioShock 4 is currently in development.