Southern Mall

The Southern Mall is a shopping precinct found in Rapture. Located in Fort Frolic, most of the locale's stores stayed open right up until the Rapture Civil War completely brought civilized life to an end. The area is totally optional during the events of BioShock. However, it's highly recommended that Jack explore the mall for supplies.

History
In Rapture's prime, Fort Frolic was the premiere arts and entertainment district in the underwater city. However, the Fort was also known for its high-end shopping. Along with Poseidon Plaza, the Southern Mall was one of several complexes where a variety of stores catered to the needs and desires of Rapture's citizens.

BioShock
The entrance to the Southern Mall is located just off the lower level of Fort Frolic's atrium. A Circus of Values is set up against the wall. It appears that a Splicer made a purchase at the vending machine just before being gunned down; the First Aid Kit he bought still sits in the dispenser tray. Overhead, a Security Camera monitors the vicinity. Further on is a small corridor with a pair of restrooms. It appears Silas Cobb demonstrated his low opinion of Sander Cohen by taking some Napalm to an ad for the artist's album "Why Even Ask?." His audio diary Come to the Record Store is next to the chair. As Jack approaches the area, a Houdini Splicer comes retreating down the hallway pursued by a pair of Thuggish Splicers. As the trio enter the clearing, they engage in combat.

The women's restroom contains a broken Health Station, no doubt shot to pieces by the machine gun turret guarding the place. The men's room is flooded and empty save for a disturbing mixed media (plaster and human) sculpture piece made by Sander Cohen.

Sophia Salon
Further down the hall is a Sophia Salon High Fashion store. A Spider Splicer approaching from further on ahead can be taken out or avoided by ducking into the dark and quiet store. A role of film and a health kit can be found on the clothing shelves, but the most important item is the safe hidden behind a painting. It contains money, two first aid kits, and an Arcadia Merlot bottle. Another area of interest is the store's backroom where the diary The Wild Bunny can be found next to another one of Cohen's plastered "models."

Cocktail Lounge
Next to the Sophia Salon is a Gene Bank set up above some scattered pages of sheet music. Down another short flight of steps is the Cocktail Lounge. Once it was a relaxing spot for the Fort's visitors to get a drink, but now it's damp mess with blood stains, spent shell casings, and a corpse scattered about. A malfunctioning Jukebox sits in one corner opposite a U-Invent and a Security Camera.

Beneath the bar is a small safe (labeled a security crate) containing four film, an EVE Hypo, and nineteen dollars. Sullivan's audio diary Artist's Feud can be found on top of the counter next to some bottles of Chechnya Vodka.

Gardner Delux Modern
The southernmost part of the Southern Mall is occupied by two stores; one is a Gardner Delux Modern. The door at the entrance has malfunctioned and is left ajar; it closes repeatedly on the head of a corpse lying just beyond the threshold. The store is inaccessible thanks to the security gate and almost completely dark. A first aid kit is the only item of value inside.

Le Marquis D'Epoque Tobacco
The last store in the mall is a Le Marquis D'Epoque. In the area around the shop, a Pneumo Tube, Bot Shutdown Panel, Little Sister Vent, and El Ammo Bandito can be found. The interior of the split-level tobacco shop shows the most visible damage of the Civil War of any spot in the Southern mall. The place has been entirely ransacked with merchandise scattered about the store, broken glass and woodwork covering the floor, and bulletholes in the walls. The likely corpse of Albert Milonakis is found on the lower level along with the diary Fancy Cigarettes. Interacting with the Power to the People machine will summon a Houdini Splicer.

Bugs / Glitches

 * The Splicer corpse at the Southern Mall entrance holds a revolver in his hand. However, when the object is highlighted, it's listed as "pistol rounds" instead of as a "pistol."

Behind the Scenes

 * The Southern Mall is one of the earliest shown areas of BioShock. Both the image to the right and the Demo Video above show a version of the mall nearly identical to its appearance in the final game while much of the rest of Rapture is still being fleshed out.
 * The song playing in the Cocktail Lounge is Bobby Darin's "Beyond the Sea."