Players have long been speculating when they can finally get their hands on a new entry in the classic BioShock series. The currently announced game, tentatively called BioShock 4 by most, has had a few seeming leaks while in production, with Cloud Chamber job listings suggesting that the game will take place in an entirely new setting. And while it seems intriguing that BioShock 4 likely won’t return to Rapture or Columbia, there is still so little known about this new game.
Perhaps the biggest questions players have is what sort of tone the game will be going for. While the original BioShock had sinister horror-like elements to its themes, the third game in the franchise, BioShock Infinite, seemed to be aiming for the action genre. And while there may not be one “correct” answer for how Cloud Chamber should address the tone of BioShock 4, there is one franchise that it could look to for inspiration if it wishes to split the difference between these two genres.
Over the past few years, fans of the Resident Evil franchise have been treated to a cavalcade of games from Capcom that have been seen as major critical successes. Even with the recent remake of Resident Evil 3 having not been as well received as the previous year’s game of the year contender, Resident Evil 2 Remake, it seems that players have begun to put their faith back into how Capcom is handling the franchise in the wake of Resident Evil 6‘s controversy.
It’s no secret that Capcom has seemingly struggled with the tone of the Resident Evil games in the past. While the first few Resident Evil titles were steeped in the survival horror genre, the thematic elements shifted slightly with the release of Resident Evil 4, which leaned more towards a happy medium of horror and action. Unfortunately, Capcom began straying farther from that compromise with Resident Evil 5 and 6, leading some players to feel like the games had lost touch with what they originally were meant to be.
However, with the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, Capcom seems to have rediscovered this balance, and this is where Cloud Chamber can take notes for BioShock 4. It doesn’t need to be a game where players feel the sense of existential dread as they round every corner; nor does it need to feel so packed to the gills with epic set pieces that players never fear for their character’s safety. Rather by subtly blending these two genres together, BioShock 4 could be set up for major success in this next generation.
There are a few things that BioShock 4 could do to accomplish this goal. One addition in particular would be the inclusion of a Big Daddy-esque enemy with the tendencies of a constant foe like Mr. X. For many players, while he is an unkillable foe in Resident Evil 2, Mr. X as an entity isn’t what causes some players to fear him. The way he stalks either Claire or Leon throughout the Raccoon City Police Department with footsteps echoing in its haunted halls as a constant reminder that he’s following is what becomes terrifying. Then players are able to finally finish off Mr. X entirely in an epic set piece at the end of the game, in a moment full of explosives and bullets. This could give BioShock 4 the feeling of straddling the line between horror and action.
Creating this blood-pumping, haunting atmosphere won’t be easy for Cloud Chamber, and the team will likely need to pull out all the stops in order to push BioShock 4 to its limits. However, by studying the examples provided in both the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remakes, the developer will likely have a much easier time crafting a sensational sequel in one of gaming’s most celebrated series.
BioShock 4 is reported to be currently in development.
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