Thirty Seconds to Columbia - My First Night with BioShock Infinite

Note: This review may contain some spoilers from the beginning hours of the game.

Female Voice - “Booker … are you afraid of God?”

Intro

Back in 2007, players got their first taste of the BioShock world as they were submerged into the cold depths of the underwater city, Rapture. Now, six years later, creator Ken Levine sends us to the sky – to a city above the clouds named Columbia.

Out on March 26, 2013, the initial scenes of BioShock Infinite allow the player to get the chilling flashbacks of the original: the uneasy ocean, the lighthouse in the distance and the stairs that rise to the doorway. This time, escorted by an unnamed couple, ex-Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, is searching for a girl to wipe away his debt owed to what you may only interpret as a bad group of people.

Ascending the stairs, a body tied to a chair and a cover over his head holds a sign for DeWitt - “Don't dissapoint us.” Next to him, a still-lit cigarette pollutes the air with the smoke. As DeWitt climbs higher, he approaches a capsule with a simple puzzle, allowing him to sit in the red chair, ensnaring him for safety in his trip to Columbia.

The City in the Sky

Columbia, with the arial view of airships and floating buildings, may look as though it's a serene society as DeWitt catapults from the land below, is a maniacally religious-driven city controlled by one man, Father Comstock. When DeWitt descends into his first building, a church, he sees Comstock's face plastered on the side of a building. The sense that Comstock will be nothing but a controlling antagonist to DeWitt shivers down your spine as you lose track of sunlight.

Wading through water, you find your way through the church to a sermon. As the clergy notices a new face in the crowd, DeWitt is volunteered to step forward, and is told he must be cleansed. Just wanting passage into the city, he finds himself being baptized by the priest, who does not find DeWitt to ever be fully cleansed. Losing oxygen, DeWitt soon passes out.

When DeWitt comes to, we see a side of Columbia not shown in the church – a bright, vibrant, enjoyable area entitled The Garden of New Eden. Hummingbirds, blooming flowers and bushes and clergymen surround the area as DeWitt finally emerges out of the church courtyard and into the city itself.

The Gameplay

BioShock Infinite is exactly what was to be expected: a solid first-person survival shooter with a brief introduction on how to play before being thrown into the fire of Ken Levine's enthralling story. You immediately gain a connection with DeWitt, and even though you may not feel bad for him or his past, you understand the sense of lack of connection with everyone around him. People staringat him on the streets, stating “Hi stranger” as you pass by, gives Columbia that living sense of "living" that the original BioShock did not have.

On edge from the moment you emerge into the city, you can feel the tension that something, though you may not know what yet, will happen, causing the city to turn against you. The Vox Populi, what the citizens of Columbia teach you to hate as you pass by, is a name mocked by the general public, setting a story suppressed in the back of your mind for later on.

As issues arise, the fluidity of DeWitt's character is what really makes me enjoy the BioShock series. Using the left trigger to use powers earned from the storyline and right trigger to use weapons much like in the past, the shining weapon known as the Sky-Hook is what brings the story together. From the moment DeWitt loots it off of a dead policeman, you have a sense of power that only the wrench from the original can bring you. This tool, doubling for travel, is attached with three rotating hooks that can be used to both defend DeWitt and allow travel on Sky-Lines throughout Columbia.

Although I've only played for a few hours, I'm hooked. There are a lot of similarities that I was looking for in comparison to the original BioShock: a melee weapon that can be just as effective as guns, smooth, progressive controls, and a hero that is guided by, from my time with Bioshock Infinite, a helping hand that will have a much greater part in the game than expected. With a great storyline and memorable scenes, this game will have multiple playthroughs.