The setting is as familiar as they are foreign. Gorgeous architecture, married with incredible technology. An underwater utopia, in ruin. An affluent populace, turned transient. Children, turned from innocence into anything but. As you approach one of them, an odd mehanical whirring fills the hall. What would be a welcome break from omnipresent dripping, were it not for the accompaniment of ground shaking steps, turns into horror as you realize her companion hasn’t forgotten your last encounter. This time, however, you’re prepared. Your surroundings, both oppressive and resplendent in their destroyed beauty, seem to close in around you, a once pristine dance hall becoming a tactical map of choke points, cover spots, and advantageous posts. With a tap of the touchscreen–
…Wait, what?
Yes, a tap of the screen.
Shedding light onto their not so mysterious tweet from about two weeks back, 2K has finally dropped the megaton bomb they assumed they were holding onto…with more of the forceful impact of a wrench against their signature character’s hide. Bioshock, the 2007 masterpiece of shooter and story that assaulted all our preconceptions of agency and player choice, is coming to iOS.
Er….yay?
Prepare to return to Rapture! #BioShock is coming soon to iOS devices. pic.twitter.com/5cqcxyxKRK
— 2K (@2K) August 4, 2014
Following up their success with a fully fledged port of XCOM, 2K seems to want to strike gold again with this iOS port of Bioshock in what looks to be a faithful adaptation of the game’s unique mixture of RPG like elemental attacks and tactical shooter gameplay. Something seems a little bit…off however, as excitable as 2K’s PR team finds this news.
While I am not one to mock the efforts of what is sure to be a highly respectable port of one of the highest rated shooting games of all time, and the most consistent talking point in the consideration of games as art, wouldn’t a fully cranked next-generation port of the console trilogy have been a better use of time and resources? While the look of the game seems to have made it through mostly intact, the haze and smoke effects, along with the texture work that give Rapture its character in the screens below seem paired back more than just a little bit in the transition. For a game that relies heavily on its visual makeup in order to make its impact, this could be something that may hinder the experience as much as the iPhone’s considerable power and responsive touchscreen could help it.
Jury’s out until the summer, I suppose, when the game releases, hopefully somewhere within the realm of a reasonable price for what is essentially a 7-year old game.
..On a mobile device.
