BioShock Infinite



""Bring us the girl, and wipe away the debt," that was the deal. The details elude me now. But the details wouldn't change a goddamn thing."

- Booker DeWitt

BioShock Infinite is the third game in the BioShock series. Announced on August 12, 2010, it was Irrational Games' final project. It was released on March 26, 2013 for PC (Steam), Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3; August 29th, 2013 for  Mac (Mac App Store and Steam) and March 17th, 2015 for Linux (Steam). BioShock Infinite is not a direct sequel/prequel to any of the previous BioShock games, and it takes place in an entirely different setting, although it shares similar features, gameplay and concepts with the previous games.

Overview
The game takes place in the airborne city of Columbia, in 1912, where the player assumes the role of Booker DeWitt, a disgraced Pinkerton agent. Booker has been given the job of finding a woman named Elizabeth, who has been confined by a hulking beast called Songbird and the city's "Founder" leader Zachary Hale Comstock.

Following in the footsteps of previous BioShock games, the world of Infinite explores the chaos that results when strong ideals are taken to an extreme. Here, the philosophical concept of "American Exceptionalism" is perverted into ultra-nationalism, religious fanaticism, and social Darwinism. Flags, patriotic music, and propaganda posters promote the idea that Columbia is a 'haven' from the so-called 'unwanted' of the world.

Storyline
In 1912, Booker DeWitt is taken by the mysterious Lutece twins to an island lighthouse off the coast of Maine. With instructions from the Luteces to "bring us the girl and wipe away the debt," DeWitt enters the structure which houses a rocket silo that transports Booker to the flying city of Columbia.

Booker's presence in Columbia goes unnoticed until a policeman identifies the letters "AD" branded on Booker's hand. This is a sign of the 'False Shepherd' which city leader and prophet, Zachary Comstock, prophesied would corrupt 'the girl' Elizabeth and bring about Columbia's downfall. Booker, now a wanted man, fights his way to Monument Island where Elizabeth is held within a tower. Along the way, he discovers a large device called the Siphon and the ability Elizabeth wields which can open Tears, rips in the space-time continuum that lead to other parallel worlds. After freeing Elizabeth, her warden, the Songbird -- a thirty-foot tall bird creature -- attacks and destroys the tower she was held in, and Booker and Elizabeth narrowly escape with their lives. The pair work towards the Aerodrome, planning to take an airship to Paris, a city Elizabeth has always wanted to see. When Booker directs the ship to New York City with the intention of delivering Elizabeth to the Luteces, she knocks him out. He awakes to find the airship under the control of Daisy Fitzroy and the Vox Populi, a rebel organization. The 'Vox' are made up primarily of those of the working class, foreigners, and people of color, all of whom suffer in some way at the hands of Columbia's government and society. Fitzroy offers to return the airship if Booker recovers a shipment of weapons from the slums of Columbia.

Booker rejoins Elizabeth and they venture deeper into the city. While Elizabeth uses her ability to manipulate Tears to aid their journey, she grows disturbed by the physiological and psychological consequences of manipulating reality on Booker and the other citizens of Columbia. One Tear leads them to a world where Booker has become a martyr for the Vox Populi cause, where there is open warfare between the Vox Populi and Columbia's Founders. That universe's Fitzroy believes that this Booker undermines her Booker's sacrifice, threatening to weaken the Vox Populi cause, and so turns her forces against him. Elizabeth kills Fitzroy to prevent her from executing a Founder boy. Later, as Booker starts up the airship, Elizabeth comes out with a changed appearance (blue dress, shorter hair, pale makeup, etc.). As they prepare to leave Columbia by airship, Songbird attacks and they crash back to Columbia.

Realizing they cannot leave Columbia without stopping the Songbird, Booker and Elizabeth seek the instrument to control it. While continuing their search for escape, they begin to unravel a conspiracy behind the founding of the city, through Tears and an alternate-specter of Lady Comstock brought to life by the Siphon. The Lutece Twins are revealed as not actual siblings, rather as being two versions of the same quantum physicist from two different realities. "Rosalind", the female Lutece, is originally of this reality whereas "Robert", the male, comes from another. Comstock had taken Elizabeth from his alternate self in Robert's universe and adopted her as his daughter, groomed to be the city's future leader. He had been rendered sterile from his use of the "Tear" device while obtaining his 'prophecies'. Comstock had the Luteces construct the "Siphon" to subdue her powers. He then plotted their murder, along with that of his wife, to conceal the truth about Elizabeths origin, and to blame their deaths on the Vox Populi. However, in the process, Comstock inadvertently spread the Luteces throughout the multiverse through the attempt on their lives, giving them the same powers as Elizabeth. On reaching access to Comstock House, Elizabeth is captured by Songbird and is taken to the mansion. Booker follows but is drawn into the future by an elderly Elizabeth who has suffered decades of torture and brainwashing in Booker's absence; she has inherited Comstock's cause and wages war on the world below. She reveals that Songbird would always stop his rescue attempts in the past, and implores Booker to stop this future from coming to pass by offering the means to control Songbird.

Booker returns to the present and rescues Elizabeth, and the pair pursue Comstock to his airship. Comstock demands that Booker explain Elizabeth's past to her, and why Elizabeth is missing a finger. Booker becomes enraged and drowns Comstock when he begins to assault Elizabeth and is blaming Booker for all her hardships. Booker denies knowledge about Elizabeth's finger, but she asserts that he knows but does not remember. Booker decides to destroy the Siphon so Elizabeth can access her full power and learn the truth. With Songbird under their control, the pair fend off a Vox Populi attack, before ordering Songbird to destroy the Siphon. When the device Booker used to control Songbird is destroyed, it attempts to attack him. Elizabeth opens a Tear, transporting the three of them to the underwater city of Rapture, Booker and Elizabeth remain safe inside, but Songbird appears outside in the water and is crushed by the immense pressure of the ocean.

Elizabeth takes Booker to that reality's surface and lighthouse. They travel out through the building's door to a place outside space and time containing countless lighthouses and alternate versions of Booker and Elizabeth. Elizabeth explains that they are within one of an infinite number of possible realities both similar and drastically different due to choices that have been made. She shows Booker the truth, that on October 8, 1893, Robert Lutece approached Booker on behalf of Comstock, requesting that he "give us the girl and wipe away the debt," referring to Booker's infant daughter, Anna DeWitt –- the origin of Booker's "AD" branding. Booker reluctantly agreed to sell Anna, but soon changed his mind. He arrived too late to stop Comstock escaping to Rosalind's universe through a Tear; the closing of which severed the child's finger. Comstock subsequently raised Anna as Elizabeth, his daughter. Due to the severed finger, Elizabeth exists in two realities at once, her finger in Robert's reality and the rest of her body in Rosalind's. This is what gives Elizabeth the ability to open and create Tears at will. Later, Robert, angry at Elizabeth's treatment and Comstock's betrayal, convinced Rosalind to help him bring Booker to Columbia in Rosalind's reality to rescue Elizabeth. Hence the rowboat at the beginning of the game. Elizabeth explains that whatever actions Booker takes against Comstock, Comstock will still remain alive in at least one of these universes; the Luteces have tried to enlist a Booker from different universes numerous times to end the cycle, but the result is always the same.

The only way to break the circle is to prevent Comstock from being created in the first place. Elizabeth transports Booker to the place he went to be baptized and cleansed of his sins after his actions at the Battle of Wounded Knee. Booker avoided baptism at the last moment and later fathered his daughter Anna in Robert's universe, while in Rosalind's universe he took the baptism, found religion, became Comstock, and never had children. Comstock, sterile from exposure to the Luteces' technology, was aware of his identity as Booker and engineered Anna's abduction to provide him with a blood-related heir for Columbia. Booker and Elizabeth, at the baptism, are joined by alternate versions of Elizabeth from other universes. Booker allows them to drown him, preventing his baptismal choice from ever being made and thus stopping Comstock and Elizabeth from ever existing. One by one, the Elizabeths begin to disappear, the screen cutting to black on the original.

In a post-credits scene, a Booker awakens in his apartment on October 8, 1893. Hearing a baby in the next room, he calls out for Anna and opens the door to her room before the screen cuts to black.

Main Characters



 * Booker DeWitt
 * Elizabeth
 * Robert Lutece
 * Rosalind Lutece
 * Zachary Hale Comstock

Locations

 * The Lighthouse
 * Town Center
 * Comstock Center Rooftops
 * Monument Island
 * Battleship Bay
 * Soldier's Field
 * Hall of Heroes
 * Finkton Docks
 * Finkton Proper
 * Shantytown
 * Factory
 * Emporia
 * Downtown Emporia
 * Comstock House
 * Hand of the Prophet
 * Sea of Doors

Overview
Infinite features a range of environments that force the player to adapt, with different weapons and strategies for each situation. Interior spaces feature close combat with enemies, but unlike previous games set in Rapture, the setting of Infinite contains open spaces with emphasis on sniping and ranged combat against as many as fifteen enemies at once. Combat also take place while the player is traveling at great speed along the Sky-Lines, a major transport system of Columbia.

Booker gains powers and abilities by using Vigors and Gear that are found throughout Columbia. Booker can find up to 8 different Vigors and multiple Gears (separated in hats, shirts, pants, and boots). Unlike the previous games Booker can now change Vigors and Gears whenever he wants to and does not have to search for machines similar to Gene Banks.

Vigors grant active powers such as telekinesis, electricity manipulation, or animal control (exemplified by Bucking Bronco, Shock Jockey, and Murder of Crows respectively).

Once DeWitt has found Elizabeth, she will accompany the player throughout much of the game. Elizabeth has her own set of abilities complimentary to DeWitt's. Elizabeth has the ability to open up Tears to create cover, ammunition, or other useful objects during combat. The players are able to command Elizabeth on what tear they want her to open. Elizabeth also occasionally provides DeWitt with ammunition, Salts, health kits, and money based on what the player needs the most at the present situation, and will also revive DeWitt if he is killed during a fight.

Infinite features several varieties of enemies. These range from seemingly average humans with weapons to the iconic Handyman seen in trailers. Unlike the previous BioShock games, sometimes enemies will not attack on sight but instead will remain neutral to DeWitt unless the player performs an action that causes them to become hostile.

On January 12, 2012, Irrational Games announced the 1999 gameplay mode, which is designed to make the game more challenging for hardcore players.

Enemies

 * Police (Columbia)
 * Columbia Citizen
 * Soldiers
 * Basic Security Automaton
 * Gun Automaton
 * Rocket Automaton
 * Mosquito
 * Barrage Automaton
 * Security Zeppelin
 * Boy of Silence
 * Zealot of the Lady
 * Fireman
 * Beast
 * Handyman
 * Motorized Patriot
 * Siren

Weapons
Sky-Hook apart (which acts as a non-upgradeable melee weapon requiring no ammo), the player can only hold two weapons at a time, but most can be picked up if found. Each one of them has its own ammo type and can be upgraded four times. It takes 21,984 Silver Eagles to upgrade all of them in the game.


 * Burstgun
 * Carbine
 * Crank Gun
 * Hail Fire
 * Hand Cannon
 * Heater
 * Machine Gun
 * Pistol
 * Repeater
 * RPG
 * Shotgun
 * Machine Gun
 * Sky-Hook
 * Sniper Rifle
 * Volley Gun

Vigors
The player has a selection of Vigors (or abilities) to use in addition to usual weapons, which like them are limited to two at a time to be equipped. However unlike weapons, the player can switch them at any time with previously found Vigors from a game menu. They all require Salts to be used, independently on which ability this resource is used, and each one of them can be upgraded twice. Not including purchasing the base Vigor, it takes 14,481 Silver Eagles to upgrade all Vigors in the game.


 * Bucking Bronco
 * Murder of Crows
 * Shock Jockey
 * Devil's Kiss
 * Possession
 * Charge
 * Return to Sender
 * Undertow

Gear
The player has access to a large assortment of gear which confers special passive abilities. Each gear is an article of clothing, and only one of each type can be worn at a time. These can be changed at any time in their related option menu, however, a slot can't be left empty once it has been filled with a gear. The four types of gear are as follows:


 * Hat
 * Shirt
 * Pants
 * Shoes

Premium Edition


BioShock Infinite Premium Edition is a collector's edition of the game. It costs $79.99.


 * This edition includes
 * The Art of BioShock Infinite mini art book, including art and comments by the developers, and a hand-distressed cover.
 * An exclusive 25 millimeter Handyman figure from the board game BioShock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia.
 * A 5 x 7 lithograph of an advertisement for the Vigor Devil's Kiss.
 * 3-inch Murder of Crows Vigor bottle key chain.
 * Digital soundtrack exclusive to the editions, featuring music from the game.
 * Three exclusive in-game Gear power-ups:
 * Bull Rush: Melee strikes from a sprint have a chance to knock the enemy down.
 * Extra! Extra!: Audio logs also grant a bounty of Silver Eagles, the game's currency.
 * Betrayer: Killing possessed enemies causes them to explode in a damaging fireball.
 * Platform-specific Downloadable Content:
 * Xbox 360: Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth Avatar Costumes.
 * Booker's Avatar Costume features a fedora, blue tinted goggles, a jacket, and high boots.
 * PC and PlayStation 3: BioShock Infinite Themes (Backgrounds, icons, etc.).
 * PC and PlayStation 3: BioShock Infinite Themes (Backgrounds, icons, etc.).

Ultimate Songbird Edition
This edition includes all of the above, as well as a Songbird statue. It costs $149.99. The statue is a "highly detailed, hand painted, resin-cast 9.75" statue" which is packaged in its own collectible packaging.

BioShock Infinite: The Complete Edition
BioShock Infinite: The Complete Edition is a re-release of BioShock Infinite including all its downloadable content, exclusively for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms.

Retailer-Exclusive Pre-order Bonuses
BioShock Infinite featured a wide range of retailer-exclusive bonuses for pre-ordering the game:

BioShock Infinite: Industrial Revolution


BioShock Infinite: Industrial Revolution is a flash game provided to those who pre-order BioShock Infinite. It can be used to unlock exclusive in-game content.

Steam Trading Cards and Postcards


On July 11th, 2013, Steam added BioShock Infinite to their list of games supporting the Steam Trading Card system. This came about at the same time as the start of their annual Steam Summer Sale, which also included Trading Cards for the game specific to the sale.

Downloadable Content
The followings are the downloadable contents (or DLC) related to BioShock Infinite, and the detailed packs they include:


 * BioShock Infinite Patches
 * Season Pass
 * Early Bird Special Pack
 * Columbia's Finest
 * Industrial Revolution Pack
 * Upgrade Pack
 * Comstock's China Broom Shotgun
 * Comstock’s Bird's Eye Sniper Rifle
 * Clash in the Clouds
 * Burial at Sea - Episode 1
 * Burial at Sea - Episode 2

Related Media
The followings are all the other media (books and music) related to BioShock Infinite, prior and after its release.


 * BioShock Infinite: Mind in Revolt (Novel) - A short prequel to the game.
 * BioShock Infinite Signature Series Guide - Official strategy guide.
 * The Art of BioShock Infinite - Official game artbook.
 * BioShock Infinite Soundtrack

Development


Prior to its announcement on August 12, 2010, Irrational Games had used the moniker "Project Icarus" to describe their next game, creating a teaser site in late July 2010. Over the weeks leading to the announcement, the animation on the teaser site slowly built up to an animated infinity symbol on the day prior to the announcement. Employees of Irrational Games later revealed that the moniker "Icarus" began as an internal codename for the project, used in email correspondence etc., to avoid any leaks about the nature of the game.

Irrational had been working in secrecy on Infinite for two and a half years since completing the original BioShock. The original BioShock engine, a modified Unreal Engine 2.x, was inadequate to support the game mechanics of the new game, thus the development team chose to work with Unreal Engine 3, modifying it with their own lighting engine and means to simulate the movement and buoyancy of the buildings in Columbia. Because of this, all of the assets for BioShock Infinite had to be made from scratch.

In March 2012, the initial release date of BioShock Infinite for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 was announced to be October 16 of that year. However, on May 9, 2012, the release date was delayed to February 26, 2013, in order for Irrational Games to add some "specific tweaks and improvements." On December 7, 2012, the game was delayed yet again to March 26 "in order to give the team a few more weeks of this polish." The developers even included a humorous self-reference to this when Elizabeth enters the Duke and Dimwit game room in Battleship Bay. There she mentions that the latest version of the Duke and Dimwit game was "delayed three times". On February 19, Ken Levine was proud to announce that BioShock Infinite has gone Gold, stating that it has been approved by Sony, Microsoft, and the PC makers.

This new engine and technology would have allowed the buildings to work dynamically from any scripted events. They float on their own and can be affected by changes in weather and such without assigned fashion. During a demo, a bell tower tilted over and collapsed, with the bell breaking off and sliding to a stop right at the player's feet. This entire event was unscripted and was generated by the combination of the physics engine and the in-game weather system. It should be noted that the finished game product had no such dynamic environmental systems.

Behind the Scenes

 * Ken Levine revealed in an interview with Gamasutra that the plot's conflict would have been originally about tech geeks against Luddites, those who resist the proliferation of technology.
 * The previous site for BioShock Infinite was WhatIsIcarus.com. When searched now, it redirects to the main BioShock Infinite age gate.
 * One scene from the trailer has "Revenge of the Jedi" playing in the theater. This is a reference to the original name for Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in 1983. The name wasn't changed until a few weeks before the movie's premiere after quite a lot of promotional material was released.
 * A newspaper in Battleship Bay mentions the RMS Carpathia and a list of those rescued, indicating that the game takes place in April 1912, just after the sinking of the RMS Titanic. However, this is not the case, as Booker arrives in Columbia on July 6, two days after America's Independence Day.