TheBioShockseries has found its way into most player’s favorite game list over the last 14 years.BioShock,BioShock 2, andBioShock Infiniteare each, in their own way, a truly beautiful piece of art. Of course, these games have had their inspirations, with 2K openly stateing that one of the maininfluences forBioShockis theSystem Shockseries.
Resident Evil 4and Ayn Rand’s literary magnum opusAtlas Shruggedare also included in the prestigious list of influences. Now, asBioShock 4looms in the distance along with a rumored Netflix series, it’s interesting to think about the new games that have been inspired by its legacy.
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Close to the Sun
Close to the Sunis a first-person horror adventure game that imagines a world where all of Nikola Tesla’s ideas come to life. The style, level design, and themes played out in the game, which was developed by Italian developer Storm in a Teacup and spans 10 chapters, all of which are very similar to theBioShockseries. The idea of ‘objectivism’ which Ayn Rand described as “Full, pure, uncontrolled, unregulated laissez-faire capitalism” is a horrifying theme that can be found throughout both narratives, asClose to the Sun’s trailer made Nikola Tesla scary.
ThoughClose to the Sunmight not be as polished asBioShock, its art-deco design still creates a wonderful opportunity to get lost in a mood-rich and beautiful environment. The gameplay does not require any combat, which might be a welcomed feeling after some of the intense firefights to be found in the halls of Rapture. It’s a slower moving, puzzle-based, world-building exploration game, full of lovely voice-over work that gets players excited to swim in the horrors of an alternate reality.
Gears 5
Gears of Warhas cemented itself as one of thebest third-person shooting games available today. The reason it’s been able to stay that way is its ability to change and improve with each new title.Gearsdeveloper The Coalition decided to take influence fromBioShock Infiniteand adjust its combat system compared to past installments.
Typically, when a player enters a hostile area inGears of War,all of the enemies are alerted about the presence of an intruder and they start attacking. InGears 5, the fighting system has been slightly altered to resembleBioShock Infinite’s use of player-initiated combat. Players can now experience a more personalized approach to battle with the choice to either sneak up on enemies, hold back and attack from far away, use the environment to fight, or run in and be as aggressive as possible. In addition to thestory and lore inGears 5, players get to experience more choice in how the levels should be handled, which creates infinitely more possibilities for how the game can be enjoyed.
Bugsnax
Bugsnaxdelighted PlayStation 5 owners with its silly premise and cartoonish character designs, and its popularity may soon allow gamers toplayBugsnaxon more platforms. It exists in a world where bugs are made of various foods that, once they’re eaten, have a mutating effect on the consumer. Overall, the look and feel of the game doesn’t necessarily echoBioShock,but the developer t team has stated that it was a major influence.
According to Creative Director Kevin Zuhn,Bugsnax’s core gameplay loop has a lot in common withBioShock. “The plot does involve you going to a strange location after being invited by this charismatic leader character,” Zuhn explained in the interview, “but also,BioShock, mechanically, has a lot of setting traps and playing different characters off of each other. It’s a very reactive world and very explorable world.”
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Bendy and the Ink Machine
Bendy and the Ink Machineis a puzzle action horror game developed by Joey Drew Studios and TheMeatly games. The player character is a cartoonist name Henry who gets invited back to his old workshop, Joey Drew Studios, 30 years after he worked there in the 1930s. From there, the story takes a surreal and horrifying turn as Henry quickly realizes that a large ink machine is bringing cartoon characters to life.
The game design definitely nods atBioShock, as fans will recognize that both games feature a gloomy atmosphere and the use of audio logs to give exposition throughout the story. Both feel as though they’re set in similar eras. The story ofBendygave life to a great book seriesthat paints a world as substantial asBioShock. Though it is not very similar toBioShockin terms of gameplay,Bendy and the Ink Machineis a truly wonderful experience that echos the aesthetic ofBioShockand is worthy of its popularity.
Prey
Not to be confused with a game under the same name developed by 2K in 2006, the first-person shooterPreyhad fans ofBioShockraving when Arkane Studios released it in 2017.Preytopped UK game sales chartsin its second week, and it felt likePreycould be the next installment in theBioShockfranchise.Preyis often described as ‘BioShockin space,’ which is interesting because the firstBioShockwas initially supposed to be set in space. It really feels like theBioShockthat never was.
The style, interface, and even puzzles required to unlock doors feel and look likeBioShock. However, it does stand alone as its own game and never really crosses the line in terms of feeling like it’s copyingBioShock. Players have the ability toturn into inanimate objects inPrey, which is a unique and interesting gameplay device.Prey’s immersive story and brilliant environments coupled with tremendous RPG elements informed by other inspirations culminate into an experience that can easily turn into 40 hours.
BioShock: The Collectionis available on PC, macOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
