BioShock Infinite Updated Preview

BioShock Infinite is shaping up to be one disturbing game. Anyone who has played the original BioShock knows this is territory that Boston-based Irrational Games knows very well. And, after getting a tease of what the developer will be showing off at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, we can say that BioShock Infinite is unsettling in a whole new way. The brief demo of a work-in-progress version of the game we saw showcased the game's setting, the floating city of Columbia, the cast of troubled characters you'll encounter, your relationship with the mysterious Elizabeth, and offered a deeper look at some key gameplay mechanics. Although the meaty demo did a fine job of answering many of the questions we've had about the game, it wound up raising even more as we got a sense of the intriguing adventure's scale.

Our last look at BioShock Infinite offered an introduction to the airborne city of Columbia; Booker Dewitt, the game's main character; Elizabeth, the mysterious and powerful woman Booker is sent to retrieve; and a taste of how the game would play. The short but captivating demo did an excellent job of painting a vivid picture of what to expect from the upcoming game. For this update, creative director Ken Levine served up another 20-minute chunk of the adventure from roughly one-third of the way into the game that focused on Booker and Elizabeth's journey to the home of Z.H. Comstock, the locale at which he's supposed to drop her off.

The demo kicked off with the pair entering a sundries shop filled with candy and assorted knickknacks. The scene offered a snapshot of Booker's evolving relationship with Elizabeth as they explored the store. Elizabeth, given her years of "Rapunzel"-like confinement in her prison, was literally acting like a kid in a candy shop and darting from one item to another. The pair's conversation veered from silly to serious with Booker coming across like an older brother at times. During the exchange, Booker collected items hidden throughout the shop, ranging from money to the Bucking Bronco "vigor" which is the game's version of plasmids. Shortly after Booker collected a gun, a wind kicked up around the shop and Elizabeth had a bit of a freak-out. A quick glance around the room revealed a figure moving outside, visible through the shop window drapes that were mostly closed. Booker moved next to Elizabeth, who was hiding behind a stack of crates, as the room became flooded with a green glow from one of the windows. A massive eye of some kind was shown peering in, obviously looking for something. When the creature stopped its search and moved on, Elizabeth ran to the shop's side door. When Booker caught up, the pair had an awkward conversation in which Elizabeth made it clear she'd rather die than go back to her prison.

When they left the shop, they head in the direction of Comstock House, but Elizabeth wandered off. Booker found her near a dying horse. Although the poor animal was clearly ready for the glue factory, the game even offered a "euthanize horse" option, Elizabeth sensed a tear and offered to tap into it. This kicked off an exchange between the two that had Booker sternly telling her not to tap into the spatial rift as she didn't have control over her powers. Elizabeth argued and wound up using her powers on the tear. Unfortunately, despite initially appearing to be in control, Elizabeth lost her mental handle on things and wound up warping the world around the pair. The next bit left us wondering just what was going to happen as it appeared that her losing control caused the tear to shift them in time, if not space. The two went from standing in a grassy area next to a horse to the middle of a street across from a movie theater showing Revenge of the Jedi. Booker didn't deal well with the unfolding events and yelled at her to "close" the tear. His requests gained more urgency as sirens were heard and a fire truck came barreling down on them. Fortunately, Elizabeth was able to close the tear and return them to their original spot. After Elizabeth had another freak-out about not being able to control her powers, the pair moved deeper into the city.

What's interesting to note about the city as Booker and Elizabeth explored it more fully was the population. As Levine noted in his presentation, the original BioShock had you arriving after everything went down in Rapture, which created a unique, solitary atmosphere for the experience. BioShock Infinite puts Columbia's turmoil squarely in your face, which makes for an entirely new kind of uncomfortable experience. As the pair moved into the city, the environment became more populated and the atmosphere got an uncomfortable charge. The vibe changed slowly at first with massive propaganda posters touting a "Daisy Fitzgerald" and screens playing video of what we assume was her speaking. At the heart of the disturbances was the clash of the Vox Populi, an anarchist movement focused on destroying Columbia, and the Founders, the nationalist organization that created Columbia led by Z.H. Comstock. From the look of the demo, the Vox Populi was definitely having an affect on the citizens with looting and general anarchy starting to occur. In one instance, Vox Populi members came across someone being assaulted and Booker warned them off and saved the victim, who thanked him profusely.

The Vox Populi are not a friendly bunch.

As the two continued their exploration, Booker found a Murder of Crows vigor and they discussed Elizabeth's situation, highlighting the complicated relationship the two will likely have. After a bit, Elizabeth asked Booker if he wanted to head straight to Comstock House or look for more supplies. The choice selection appeared to be done by following Elizabeth or continuing on the obvious path to Comstock. In our demo, Booker followed Elizabeth to another part of the city, which was even more populated. What was especially unsettling about the sequence was, oddly enough, all the people milling about. There was much staring as the pair moved around that lent an air of unpredictability, which was uncomfortable. This was especially true when the pair came across the start of an execution. While the exact players weren't totally clear, the fact that they were going to shoot a mailman was a problem. When the option to stop the execution came up and Booker selected it, the small mob of people turned on him and the action quickly shifted to combat; it seems like a "good deed" in BioShock Infinite can lead to problems.