The player assumes the role of Jack – a enger of a plane which crashes over the Atlantic Ocean. The protagonist survives and enters the city of Rapture through a mysterious lighthouse. The place is an underwater metropolis designed after the Second World War as a utopian project aiming to give room for the most outstanding individuals. The existences of those inhabiting Rapture were interrupted by the discovery of a new sea snail species cells of which, have become basis for production of a mysterious substance known as ADAM. This enabled human DNA modifications, making the subject acquire supernatural abilities. Soon afterwards, a war outbroke in Rapture – during the conflict, it turned out that ADAM affects human organism the way drugs do, and what is worse, leads to irreversible, horrific mutations.
Those who luckily managed to survive the conflict are now deprived of humanity and their lives have been devoted to the search for the remains of ADAM. As the story unfolds, the protagonist gradually gets to know about the place and learns the history behind it when cooperating with Atlas – it is the voice of this character that leads Jack through subsequent districts of the metropolis. The plot is conveyed here through conversations with NPCs and voice logs found along the way – those were recorded by inhabitants of Rapture. Interestingly, what does not happen frequently in this genre, is that the story is non-linear here and the ending depends on the choices the player has made throughout the adventure.
Mechanics
BioShock Remastered for PC is a first-person shooter. Gameplay as such here was based on a few pillars, namely exploration, solving environmental puzzles, fighting the enemies encountered and developing the protagonist's abilities. Locations damaged as a result of the time ing are even more difficult to explore because of mutants called Splicers residing here – those were once human beings, though now their existences are no more than a ruthless pursuit for any amount of the drug. Separate from them, are the so-called Little Sisters – disturbing little girls that specialize in harvesting ADAM from human corpses. Little Sisters are guarded by Big Daddies – powerful opponents equipped with huge drills. Defeating them requires not only adequate offensive skills, but also being able to develop effective tactics. If the player achieves victory in a fight against this kind of enemy, they can decide either to release the Little Sister, or kill her – in order to acquire more ADAM.
It is worth mentioning that the protagonist is well-equipped here. Jack finds more and more powerful weapons along the way – pistols, shotguns, machine guns and explosives. Weapons can be modifed and their power can be increased through installing different accessories and using deadlier kinds of ammunition. Jack can make a great use of Plasmids as well – those are body modifications based on ADAM; Plasmids give access to the power of the elements or telekinesis for example. Apart from living enemies, the protagonsit encounters robots and guarding towers powered by computers based on complex hydraulic systems. Hacking, which is based on a simple mini-game, allows the player to take advantage of the towers – the player gains powerful, stationary allies as a result. Even the protagonist's camera is useful, because photos taken with it unveil the weak spots of particular adversaries. Moreover, the player receives special bonuses for photos taken in strictly specified circumstances.
Technical aspects
BioShock Remastered for PC is available both as an element of BioShock: The Collection and a stand-alone product. The re-editon brings a set of add-ons, such as concept drawings gallery encoming projects that ultimately, were not used in production of the game. Apart from that, the player can listen to the developers' comments (Ken Levine and Shawn Robertson), as well as take part in special Challenge Rooms in order to put one's skills to the test. The game s Steam achievements and is compatible with many controllers.
The visuals were improved as well. Thanks to raising the resolution to 4K, as well as having higher-quality textures implemented along with an improved interface, these art deco visuals can be still appreciated, even nine years after the original release. "High-quality" applies to the audio here as well – the soundtrack composed by Garry Schyman, the voiced-over dialogues and the sounds of Rapture.
