Highlights
- Judas, the upcoming game from Ghost Story Games, bears a striking resemblance to BioShock in terms of its art style, abilities, atmosphere, and characters.
- Judas features abilities that are reminiscent of BioShock, such as flame bursts and telekinesis, but also introduces unique abilities not seen in the BioShock series.
- The similarities between Judas and BioShock are not necessarily a drawback, as Judas could be a satisfying placeholder for BioShock fans eagerly awaiting the release of BioShock 4.
It has been over fifteen years since 2K and Irrational Games released BioShock, the dystopian first-person shooter that shocked the world with its unsettling atmosphere and what is considered one of the best plot twists in video game history. Now, Ghost Story Games, the development studio led by Ken Levine (Creative Director of System Shock 2, BioShock, and BioShock Infinite), just released an official story trailer for Judas, its upcoming IP that looks strikingly similar to BioShock.
The next entry in the BioShock series, BioShock 4, was confirmed to be in development in 2019, but other news of its progress has yet to surface. Now that it's been over a decade since the release of the last BioShock game, BioShock Infinite, it looks like Judas might, at the very least, be a placeholder for fans until BioShock 4 arrives. In fact, the trailer revealed at PlayStation's 2024 State of Play looks and feels so much like BioShock that the game could pass as BioShock 4.
BioShock 4 Can Still Beat Judas to the Punch
While Judas might appear to be further along than BioShock 4, Cloud Chamber's game could still make it out the door before Ghost Story's new IP.
Judas Bears a Striking Resemblance to BioShock
Judas was first revealed at the 2022 Game Awards ceremony with a brief trailer backed up by a fairly dark remix of "Leave Her, Johnny," a century-old sea shanty that rose in popularity after it appeared in 2013's Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. The game's original reveal trailer showcased little more than Judas' familiar art style and some cinematics and ends with a very ominous message: "Fix what you broke." The recent story trailer, however, showed a bit more of the crazy world of Judas, including several BioShock-esque abilities, weapons, enemies, and characters.
Judas' Abilities Look Straight Out of BioShock
Veteran BioShock fans will likely pick up on one feature in Judas' story trailer much quicker than anything else: its abilities. In the story trailer, it appears the player will be able to use an ability that causes a burst of flames to erupt from their hand, which is very similar to BioShock's Incinerate Plasmid, although the animation is different. Additionally, after a little over a minute into the trailer, the player is seen using a telekinetic ability to throw an item at an enemy, which, of course, is almost identical to BioShock's Telekinesis Plasmid.
Despite the BioShock abilities seen in Judas' story trailer, it nonetheless appears that some unique abilities are coming to the game that can't be found in BioShock in any way. It's unclear just how many, but the player is at least seen late in the trailer using some sort of green rope ability to latch onto and briefly stun an enemy. This is likely an indication that there will be more unfamiliar abilities introduced in Judas.
Judas' Atmosphere, Tone, and Characters All Look and Feel Like BioShock
The BioShock series is known for its psychotic enemies and characters, who, especially in BioShock and BioShock 2, have been radically genetically altered due to the use of a dangerous drug known as ADAM. While ADAM is most likely not present in Judas, its characters still look just as mad as BioShock's. Furthermore, these dark characters wouldn't fit anywhere but in a world that accommodates their bizarre characteristics, and Judas seems to keep them right at home with a foreboding atmosphere and tone that feels like it could be just another location in BioShock.
It would make sense for Levine to carry over and improve upon BioShock's award-winning formula, particularly as it was such a successful series. As such, there's not necessarily anything wrong with the similarities Judas shares with it. In fact, Judas may be exactly what BioShock fans want until they can get their hands on BioShock 4, especially since it could be a much longer wait than they originally anticipated. There is currently no release date set for Judas, but it is possible for players to wishlist it on PS5.
