

The combination of environmental puzzle-solving and close-quarters FPS combat will be familiar to many, but there are also lots of ways to make this feel fresh and exciting. Set inside a massive space station with multiple levels to explore, System Shock perfectly utilized its environment to convey a sense of claustrophobia and give players lots of locales to uncover. The influence is clear from its use of audio logs to convey parts of the narrative to its immersive sci-fi environment. Its use of environmental exploration to collect items, progress through levels, and build the narrative was revolutionary, and its DNA can be seen in many popular releases like BioShock. System Shock was an innovative title that blew players away and had a sizable impact on subsequent games. Moving toward its System Shock inspirations would be the perfect way to help BioShock 4 stand apart from its predecessors. Many hope BioShock 4 moves away from the settings and storylines in the first three games, while still maintaining the core elements that made BioShock such a successful franchise. Luckily, BioShock 4 was confirmed to be in development by Cloud Chamber in 2019.

Many wondered how a sequel could fit in, and doubts began to emerge that there would ever be a BioShock 4 – fears compounded by Irrational Games revealing BioShock Infinite would be its last game.

This narrative DLC closed the loop on the overarching story and fed into the franchise's themes of inescapable fate. The third game may not have had the same dingy, gritty aesthetic embraced by its predecessors, but BioShock Infinite still had spooky moments and dark thematic undertones.īioShock Infinite was also well-received despite its departure from a lot of the elements that made up BioShock and BioShock 2, and the Burial at Sea DLC neatly tied all three games together. While Rapture remains at the top when it comes to innovative video game settings, BioShock Infinite's Columbia did have its merits. With BioShock and BioShock 2 fully exploring the submerged world of Rapture, some were skeptical about BioShock Infinite's departure from the familiar flooded metropolis.
