Should you return to Rapture once more?
BioShock Infinite was the surprise game of 2013. It gave us a great story, memorable characters and a twist that still has me going “WTF” months later. I was interested to return to Rapture with Booker and Elizabeth, but I had no idea what to expect…
Burial at Sea – Episode One sees Booker approached by Elizabeth to find a missing girl in Rapture during its glory days, Fontaine is “dead” and Andrew Ryan still runs the show, although he lacks any impact or appearance in this episode. You do come across a familiar face in Sander Cohen and he’s just as crazy as ever. Booker doesn’t seem to know Elizabeth other than being a client, but I think you can guess why… unless you haven’t finished the game, so I won’t go into details, but expect another twist leading up to the episode’s finale.
Combat remains the same as it did before, Elizabeth can still open tears to bring in objects like ammo, health or motorised allies to assist you in battle. Vigors are re-replaced as Plasmids since its set in Rapture and you’ll gain a new one that freeze enemies, as well as a new weapon called the Radar Range that turns enemies into walking explosives. As with the main game, audio logs are scattered throughout the game and some will require multiple lockpicks to access.
The episode does come at a little on the short side, I breezed through it in just over an hour and that’s including finding all the audio logs and getting the miscellaneous trophies that comes with the DLC. For the price tag, it’s a little steep…but the quality is there, just in small doses. The performance still holds up well and Rapture has never looked better. I hope Episode 2 is just a tad longer to make up for it, but the voice-acting and music are still brilliant.
The Verdict
Episode One tells a very different tale between Booker and Elizabeth, it raises a whole new bunch of questions that hopefully will be answered in Episode 2. It’s gripping from start to finish, it’s just a shame that this trip to Rapture felt like it was cut short…
