BioShock 4 is on the horizon with new developer Cloud Chamber at the helm, and theories have been circling about where the franchise will go next and how it will connect to its predecessors. The locations available for publisher 2K to explore are limitless, but although Rapture and Columbia are fantastic worlds for truly gripping stories to take place, they are each molded by the people that call them home. From Andrew Ryan's tight grip on the city under the Atlantic to Jeremiah Fink's profit-driven desires in the clouds, the true stars of any BioShock game are the characters who give the setting so much more critical context.
BioShock Infinite relies on plenty of personalities to flesh out its story. While many may think it's a somewhat linear tale about Booker Dewitt's heroic saving of Elizabeth, the reality is that so many cogs are turning to give it far more depth. Daisy Fitzroy's Vox Populi play a huge role in the story, as do Comstock and the Founders, but none of it would have ever come to fruition without the Lutece twins, two unassuming and comedic figures that are more responsible for the story that unfolds than anyone else. They have more to give the series, and BioShock 4 would do well to see them return.
Who Are The Lutece Twins?
BioShock Infinite has so many layers across its ~15-hour journey. On the surface it's the story of a man leading a girl to safety in return for a forgotten debt, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Columbia is hiding many secrets in plain sight. The Lutece twins, Rosalind and Robert, are the first people the player and Booker come across, rowing them to the lighthouse to be skyrocketed into the city. When Booker steps out into the gorgeous false utopia of Columbia, he does so with no knowledge of how he would quickly become accustomed to the pair's bickering.
The Lutece twins are not only pivotal to the events of both BioShock Infinite and the world outside it, but they are delightfully amusing characters that frequently steal every scene that they're in. Rosalind found fame in her universe by finding a way to keep Columbia afloat. Later, she would find a way to communicate with Robert Lutece, her male counterpart in another reality, and the two of them devised a way to create 'tears' between said universes. Upon knowing this, it's clear to players that BioShock Infinite is a multiverse story, and the Lutece twins are at the forefront of it, frequently checking up on Booker's development through the hostile streets of the city.
BioShock 4 Needs The Lutece Twins
At the close of BioShock Infinite, it came to pass that Booker and Elizabeth's journey was just one of several outcomes, and that they are at the mercy of the multiverse that Columbia resides in. Comstock, the ruler of Columbia, is actually a baptized, born-again version of Booker, and the Lutece twins were the catalyst for the discovery of the alternate dimensions that BioShock Infinite's story leans so heavily on. When a franchise introduces a multiverse and has no intention of using it in the next game, it leaves so much potential on the table. The Lutece twins and their technology has series-wide implications, so using the infinite possibilities they coined while forgoing the opportunity to include them is a significant omission, and one that is thoroughly undeserved.
It's undeserved because not only do Rosalind and Robert have such an impact on the story of BioShock Infinite, and even indirectly the original BioShock too, but they are also two of the most entertaining and amusing characters in the entire series. BioShock and its Rapture-set sequel are decidedly glum, and while BioShock Infinite is far from an uplifting affair, the Lutece twins offer so many moments of genuine comedy. Their omnipresence and immense knowledge of the events that have already taken place over and over again makes them so fresh, and they're condescending to the point of caricature, with endless bickering and 'told you so' moments making it feel like a genuine sibling rivalry when, in reality, it's anything but.
BioShock 4 is likely still a while away, and 2K Games has remained tight-lipped about its development. It's a game that is anticipated by many, but while it may be in the hands of an all-new developer, that doesn't mean that BioShock 4 should shy away from the things that made the first three so good. The Lutece twins are one such example, providing essential story beats but also sublime character moments. Many players may be asking 'what if' they return for BioShock 4, when the question that should be asked instead is 'when' they do.
BioShock 4 is in development.