There is little known of BioShock 4 at the moment, but there is cause to suggest that the new game will take players to a new world. BioShock 4 is currently in development for next-generation systems from a new developer, Cloud Chamber. Job vacancies for various positions at Cloud Chamber have hinted towards a new setting that hasn’t been realized before in the BioShock multiverse. The game is presumably years away from release, but that hasn’t stopped fan speculation regarding what the new title will look like.
There is currently nothing known about the setting for BioShock 4, but recently Shannon Woodward (known for her role as Dina in The Last of Us Part 2) has mentioned her support for the new BioShock game to be set in space. This has gone on to fuel further fan speculation, especially considering how little is known of the upcoming game. A space adventure isn’t too hard to believe and could be seen by some fans as a natural next step. BioShock 1 and 2 were set in the underwater city of Rapture, BioShock Infinite took to the sky with Columbia, and a space setting now could fit the series perfectly.
A new Bioshock game is hotly anticipated, and it hands a huge challenge to the new developer, Cloud Chamber. There is a lot of pressure on the developer to craft something comparably good to the older games in the series. This is also going to be the first game in the franchise without its creator, Ken Levine, overseeing the project. Going in a radically different direction might be the best course of action for the developer, who is surely looking to craft a unique experience for fans. A space setting would be different enough from what has come before to discourage too much comparison, while also allowing Cloud Chamber to work in an entirely new space.
A space-set game could also see BioShock take some inspiration from its spiritual predecessor, System Shock. The System Shock games were hugely influential, and went on to spawn the Deus Ex and BioShock series. A new BioShock title would not only give Cloud Chamber the room to work with something new, but also create a game in reverence to the series’ roots. While some could argue this would be a step backward for the series, it’s easy to see the BioShock game hallmarks working in a setting like space while retaining individuality.
Beyond the setting and story, there is similarly little known about what the gameplay in BioShock 4 will be like. BioShock 4 looks set to retain the first-person perspective, but not much more is known or can even be presumed at the moment. A space-set game offers the developer a huge opportunity to change up the formula and get creative with the sci-fi environment. The vigors and plasmids in the series so far have been enjoyable additions to combat and have been creative in their design.
Sci-fi-styled powers could see the developers allowing players to play with gravity, the cold of space, and anything else that ties into the setting. It would be in keeping with the BioShock style to have access to such supernatural powers, while also giving the developer a chance to do something different.
The multiverse twist in BioShock Infinite handed the series an interesting challenge. As established in the last game, there is a multiverse and there’s always a man, a city, and a lighthouse. While this could be seen as a creative constraint, Cloud Chamber could adapt this template for the space setting. Like the games that have come before, space could be where “the man” goes to build his city, away from the rest of society where he can express his own political ideologies.
The lighthouse could still act as the starting point for the protagonist, launching them into space to where this new society dwells. Arguably, it could be better for Cloud Chamber to work around the template as established in the older games, but it seems more than manageable if they must adhere strictly to the rules of the multiverse.
BioShock has enough potential to fit into many different genres but perhaps space makes the most sense as a next step. While nothing has been confirmed, players are likely to see a new, undiscovered world in BioShock 4. Space could be the right setting for the game, not only from a gameplay and narrative perspective, but for Cloud Chamber to craft something unique. Returning to a familiar setting would be welcomed by fans, but going somewhere new might be better for everyone involved.
BioShock 4 is currently in development.
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