BioShock 4, or whatever it will be officially called, has been confirmed to be in development by an entirely new studio, Cloud Chamber, which was set up by 2K Games. 2K’s President David Ismailer claims that the new Bioshock game will not radically break the formula of the previous three installments, but will focus on the series “powerful narrative and iconic, first-person shooter gameplay.”
BioShock has been a hugely successful franchise, but while the settings and stories have been acclaimed, combat has been criticized as dull and repetitive across each game in the series. There is one logical step forward that BioShock 4 needs to take if the next game’s combat is going to overcome these common criticisms of the series.
There have been ways to upgrade the protagonist’s weapons in every BioShock game so far. The original BioShock had Power to the People machines, which were vending machines manufactured by Frank Fontaine that could be used one time each to upgrade a weapon. These were usually statistical upgrades rather than mechanical changes.
For example, the machine gun’s damage could be increased by 25%, the pistol’s magazine could be quadrupled, or the bolts of the crossbow could gain a reduced chance of breaking on impact. Each BioShock weapon had two different kinds of upgrades, usually one for damage and a secondary effect like increasing clip size, decreased kickback, or immunity from splash damage.
In BioShock Infinite, players could buy upgrades for all their weapons at the Minuteman’s Armory. These upgrades followed an extremely similar pattern to the ones in the original game, with each weapon getting two damage upgrades as well as two other available upgrades for things like fire rate and clip size. BioShock 4 needs to take the next logical step when it comes the setting and the game’s weapons. The next BioShock needs to allow players to customize their weaponry, using some technology which has already been established in the BioShock universe.
The other main weapons in the BioShock games are, essentially, sci-fi super powers gained through the use of Plasmids in the games and DLCs set in Rapture and Vigors in Columbia. These allow the player to throw lightning bolts and shards of ice, knock back enemies, control hostile technology, and even summon animals like bees and crows to attack targets. As a result, the gunplay looks lackluster in comparison.
BioShock 4 should begin by implementing a more in-depth weapon modification system. This would be particularly immersive in settings like Rapture when the main character is defending themself using whatever they can find in the failed city. It would also help allow for far more diverse combat styles, which could help avoid the common criticism of combat in BioShock games as too simple and repetitive.
Games that Cloud Chamber could look at for gun modification systems include Fallout 4, Escape from Tarkov, and Ghost Recon Future Soldier, but the studio should also be careful to put an emphasis on playstyle over simple statistical upgrades like previous games. Such a change would go a long way in terms of fun factor and replayability. Once this system is in place, the developer should consider including ways to add some of the effects which integrate the science-fiction angle of the games, primarily seen so far in Plasmids and Vigors.
If players can change their guns with found parts and modify those weapons which special abilities and strange effects, BioShock’s action could become as iconic as its settings and stories. BioShock 4 should look to the areas where the games have garnered acclaim as the basis for creating an extensive and original weapon modification system.
BioShock 4 is in development.
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