Ken Levine, the mind behind the critically acclaimed BioShock series, seems to never run short on compelling narratives, as his upcoming title Judas is already showing itself to be a psychological thrill ride. Aboard the Mayflower, a city-sized machine-controlled colony ship floating in space, players are reborn as Judas, someone whom the entire city seems to have it out for and was just killed for reasons she doesn't seem to remember. Aside from the bizarre story and setting that is the signature of a Ken Levine game, the gameplay footage revealed for Judas has serious BioShock vibes. Despite the currently limited information about it, it will likely be similar to BioShock in other ways as well.

BioShock originally grew popular on account of its innovative gameplay, eerie atmosphere, and thought-provoking narrative, but one of its more standout characteristics is the plot twist that occurs at the end of its second act — the enigmatic "Would you kindly" moment. This was a plot twist that almost no one saw coming, and it has somewhat served as a standard for video game storytelling, especially when it comes to Ken Levine's games. Now, Judas has a chance to feature a similar moment, and it likely will, because the mind behind the game is the same one that created the previous plot twist. The only thing Judas will need to be sure of is that it makes its twist feel original, as opposed to a copy of its spiritual predecessor's.

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Why Judas Is Likely to Feature Its Own "Would You Kindly" Twist

BioShock's "Would You Kindly" Twist Played a Huge Role in Its Success

BioShock had a lot of things going for it, but at the forefront of that success was its narrative. What began as a somewhat mild game of "fetch this, do that" eventually revealed itself to be a narrative that was intentionally themed around robbing the player of choice, as each request beginning with "Would you kindly" allowed the speaker to command the brainwashed protagonist through a three-word activation phrase. Essentially, BioShock's plot twist is what makes its entire narrative. Without it, the story would have had nothing to do with the player and their actions and instead would have had more to do with the larger world around the player.

A Significant Twist in Judas Is Both Implied and Expected

Based on what Ken Levine has revealed so far about Judas, it already seems like its narrative will eventually lead to a big twist. When the game begins, Judas is being reborn via some reprinting technology on board the Mayflower. Apparently, she died somehow and has no recollection of it. As such, a twist will likely reveal how she died and the events that led up to her death. There are also three leaders in control of the Mayflower, each with intentions of their own regarding the rest of humanity and the machines that run the city. From the looks of it, they seem to want to use Judas for their own benefit. It could be that a twist happens regarding these leaders and their intentions with Judas.

Based solely on Ken Levine's history and the expectations of fans who may be looking forward to playing Judas, it will more than likely have its own "Would you kindly" moment, though it will need to be just as surprising as BioShock's. At the very least, with how compelling and mind-bending Judas' narrative and setting already seem to be, there is more than enough groundwork for such a twist.

BioShock

2K Games' BioShock franchise instantly grabbed the player's attention when it began in 2007 by taking them on a memorable trip down to Rapture. The first two games took place in the iconic underwater city, while the third took players up to the gorgeous flying city of Columbia.

The critically-acclaimed FPS franchise is considered a spiritual successor to the System Shock series.