Mask

"Why do they wear those masks? Maybe there's a part of them that remembers how they used to be, how they used to look. And they're ashamed."

- Atlas

Masks are important items to the narrative of the BioShock series. Most Splicers encountered wear masks to cover the severe cosmetic damage they've experienced from Splicing.

History
As Plasmids became more prevalent in Rapture, so too did ADAM abuse. More and more people began to experience the harsh side effects of Splicing, the most visible of which are mutations and facial deformities. In an attempt to save face, citizens sought to cover their disfigurement via surgery or other means. Small wonder that the theme for the 1958 New Year celebration was a masquerade ball. Thousands of ornate, animal-themed masks were created in the Venetian style for the event and distributed throughout the city.

During and after the Rapture Civil War, masks continued to be worn by an increasingly desperate polucace looking to hide their worsening malformations and war scars. The most prevalent one seen is the Rabbit Mask.

BioShock
Various masks are worn by the Splicers to hide their facial deformities. Atlas even makes note of this as Jack enters Worley Winery. Despite the year-long fighting, the masks continue to be in very good shape. The player can remove Splicer's masks using Telekinesis and hurl them at the enemies for damage.

Masquerade Masks
These masks are worn by the Baby Jane, Breadwinner, Lady Smith, and Toasty model Splicers.


 * Bird Mask
 * Rabbit Mask
 * Butterfly Mask
 * Cat Mask
 * Owl Mask
 * Spider Mask

Saturnine Masks
The Cult of The Saturnine wear improvised masks made from nature for ceremonial purposes. Fastened using twigs and straw, these masks are only found in Arcadia.

Surgical Masks
All Dr. Grossman model Splicers wear surgical masks. The mask is a part of the model's texture and cannot be removed like the other masks.

Welding Masks
Rosebud and Waders model Splicers can wear industrial welding masks in the up or down position. Other models can wear welding masks, but only during Scripted Events.

Character-Specific
In Fort Frolic, Sander Cohen wears a special black Rabbit mask with gold filigree. His disciples (Kyle Fitzpatrick, Hector Rodriguez, Martin Finnegan, and Silas Cobb) wear unique Bird masks with yellow beaks, cyan facial feathers, and magenta crown feathers.

J.S. Steinman is a retextured version of the Dr. Grossman Splicer, so he wears the surgical mask as well in the Medical Pavilion.

Peach Wilkins is a retextured version of the Waders Splicer who wears a welding mask in Neptune's Bounty.

BioShock 2
Eight years after the events of BioShock, masks are still worn by Splicers to hide their even more deformed faces. The masks have taken severe damage with time so cheaper ones have been adopted to make up for the lack. Unlike in the first game, these masks cannot be removed using Telekinesis, but they will fall of when the Splicer dies.


 * Butterfly Mask. Similar to the one from BioShock only green, damaged, and slightly smaller.
 * Cat Mask. Similar to the one from BioShock only black, damaged, and slightly smaller.
 * Grinning Devil Mask. A black and white mask with 1/3 of the face broken off.
 * Plague Doctor Mask.
 * The Rapture Family Mask. These "moretta" / "servetta muta" style masks are plain white with a blue butterfly painted on them.
 * Rabbit Mask. Identical to the one from BioShock except large pieces have broken off from the face and ear.
 * Red Feathered Mask. Seen on many upperclass citizens during the game's opening cinematic.
 * Welding Mask.

BioShock 2 Multiplayer


Masks are used in BioShock 2 Multiplayer by the playable Splicers engaging in the Sinclair Solutions Home Consumer Rewards Program. Character start off with a few masks, but earn more by ranking up. There are 18 different masks:


 * Rabbit
 * Goat
 * Pink Feather
 * Eagle
 * Tragic Comedy
 * Moon
 * Indigo Feather
 * Peacock Feather
 * Sun god
 * Octopus
 * Demon
 * Fancy Rabbit
 * Fish
 * Crab
 * Starfish
 * Seahorse
 * Bucket
 * Golden Bucket

BioShock & BioShock 2 Downloadable Content
Downloadable content for BioShock and BioShock 2 includes The Challenge Rooms, The Protector Trials, and Minerva's Den. Most of the masks seen in the original games also appear in these downloadable content games as well. The Rapture Metro Pack for Bioshock 2 Multiplayer includes seven new masks; The Fancy Rabbit, the Crab, the Fish, the Starfish, the Seahorse, the Bucket, and the Golden Bucket.

BioShock Infinite
Some of the soldiers in Columbia wear face guards to cover their faces. The male ones have goggles with eyes that glow, while the females wear porcelain masks with glowing eyes and metallic masks in the likeness of Lady Liberty. Unlike all other games in the BioShock series, the masks in Infinite are purely for protection or to intimidate opponents, rather than hiding unsightly malformations.

Burial at Sea - Episode 1


In order for Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth to gain entrance to Cohen's, they must first retrieve a special Invitation Mask given out to the club's sponsors Rapture Records, The Golden Rule, and The Artist's Struggle in order to meet with Sander Cohen.

The Splicers imprisoned in Fontaine's have made impromptu masks from items found in the Department Store and Housewares. Some have been made from torn posters and the Circus of Values clown mascot can be seen on several male Splicers; some even use crates to hide their faces. Female Splicers have made papier mâché masks from newspapers and make up.

Behind the Scenes

 * Concept art from BioShock: Breaking the Mold reveals that Pigskin model Splicers were originally planned to wear face guard.
 * Early promotional images reveal that masks in BioShock were originally going to be colorful. In the end, only the ones worn by Sander Cohen and his confidants are colored.
 * The bird mask from BioShock, with its long, exaggerated beak, is based off the Venetian "medico della peste" or "plague doctor" mask. The black mask from BioShock 2 is a more classical version of this mask.
 * Some Unique Cosmetic Options for the playable characters in BioShock 2 Multiplayer are not masks, (such as Zigo d’Acosta's Fisherman's Hat) but are labeled as masks.