Since its release, the BioShock series has had a major cultural impact, both inside and outside the gaming world. Many of its elements have been referenced in other media.
Andrew Ryan[]
- In the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Gun Runners' Arsenal, the player is tasked with a challenge titled "A Slave Obeys" where they must assassinate Mr. House, the leader of New Vegas, using a golf driver.[1]
- In two other Fallout: New Vegas add-ons: Dead Money & Old World Blues, a poster for a movie called: Love Sets Sail! is seen, produced by a man named Andrew Levine which is a mash-up of Andrew Ryan's and Ken Levine's names. The movie also appears to have a sea theme.
- Blizzard Entertainment's MMORPG World of Warcraft features a reference to Andrew Ryan, that appears as an NPC named "Anderov Ryon" in Stonetalon Mountains, who gives a modified version of the very first speech Andrew Ryan gives.[2]
- In the fourth DLC add-on for the original Borderlands, Claptrap's New Robot Revolution, Claptrap gives a modified version of Ryan's first speech.[3]
- In 2016, a new species of gastropods was discovered. In honor of Andrew Ryan, the deep-sea snail was named Rapturella ryani.[4][5]
- In the 2018 video game title We Happy Few, there is an Achievement/Trophy for killing a random NPC named "Ryan Andrews", a clear reference to Andrew Ryan. The Achievement/Trophy is also named Shocking Biology, which references BioShock's title.[6]
- In a second season episode of the Disney Channel animated series Big City Greens, during a scene in which main character Cricket Green howls at the moon while in a feral state, a character resembling Andrew Ryan exclaims "Now that boy's got the right idea! No gods or kings, only moon!", parodying Andrew Ryan’s iconic "No gods or kings, only man" quote.
Big Daddies and Little Sisters[]
- In The Simpsons episode "The Food Wife", Homer Simpson takes his eldest children, Bart and Lisa, to the Expensive Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E4. In a character gallery features the game's iconic Bouncer in between Halo's Master Chief and John Madden.[7]
- An Alliance or Horde quest chain in World of Warcraft requires the player to help Alice/Clarissa, a little girl, repair Mr. P/Mr. D (short for Big Papa/Large Daddy), a massive robot in the shape of a diving suit, before piloting him and killing several enemies using fire, ice and lightning attacks. The little girl's dialogue is sometimes identical to the Little Sisters', and at the end of the quest chain she offers the player "Mr. Bubble's Shockingly Delicious Ice Cream".[8]
- In 2009, DC Comics released The Flash: Rebirth with the secondary story "Power Girl". This issue featured invading aggressors that look similar to Bouncer Big Daddies on a two-page spread.[9]
- The "Long Live Play" advertisement campaign for the PS3 features a commercial in which several well-known characters from a variety of popular video games meet in a tavern to toast "Michael", the player of their featured games. A BioShock-era Little Sister, in a slightly modified purple dress, makes a silent cameo appearance.
- In the hidden object mobile game, Criminal Case: Pacific Bay, there is a diving suit with a "Drill" object on the right arm in the diving shop location of Case #3 "What Dies Beneath", which alludes to the Big Daddy.
- In Team Fortress 2, a weapon called the Vita-Saw bears resemblance to the ADAM Harvester used by the Little Sisters throughout BioShock.
- Steam users who bought the BioShock Infinite Season Pass during a promotional period before the release of Burial at Sea - Episode 2 received a Big Daddy plush misc. for the Engineer class.
- People who pre-ordered LittleBigPlanet Vita received a Bouncer Little Sister costume to be used in-game (later released for sale in the PlayStation store).
- The crossover fighting game PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale features a Bouncer Big Daddy as one of the playable characters, as well as being aided by a Little Sister. Their rival is Sackboy from LittleBigPlanet. There are also alternative costumes for the Big Daddy, including a Rosie Costume (although it also uses the Bouncer's Drill) and a Big Daddy plushie costume (resembling an early version of Eleanor Lamb's doll from BioShock 2).[10] During its Level 3 Super, various quotes can be heard from Andrew Ryan via radio.
- In Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty, an add-on pack for Borderlands 2, there are two unique enemies: Mr. Bubbles and Lil' Sis. If the player kills Mr. Bubbles without hurting Lil' Sis, the latter will give a unique weapon called "Little Evie".
- There are some enemies called Megaliths in Secret Agent Clank that wander through an underwater base on a planet named Rapshore (which also has a similar name to Rapture). Despite being enemies, they are also recognized for being "excellent babysitters", referencing the Big Daddy and Little Sister relationship.
- In The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, a Big Daddy plush doll, identical to those found in BioShock 2 can be found on a shelf in the upstairs barn area during the side mission Operation: Guardian in Great Falls, Montana.
- In the video game Dead Island one of the quests is entitled "Big Daddy, Where Are You?". This is a reference to the Big Daddies and Little Sisters.
- In BattleBorn there is a playable heroine called Beatrix, who has some similarities with Little Sisters in her visual design: she looks like a 11-15-year-old girl and has a giant prosthetic syringe instead of her right arm for a weapon. However, the actual reference to Sisters is her "Sleeping Angel" taunt in which she injects her virus agent in the "player" with an evil grin and waves at him while screen fades into the dark by closing eyes.[11]
- In the 2015 video game Rocket League there is an Achievement/Trophy named "Get Up, Mr. Bubbles!" which references some of the quotes said by the Little Sister while mourning by her killed Big Daddy.[12]
- In the 2015 video game Fallout 4, a random encounter titled "A Girl and Her Robot" involving a young girl accompanied and protected by a robot named Gus resembles a Big Daddy and Little Sister. In the same game, a line of dialogue by the companion Nick Valentine heard when near a random NPC mentions "Mr. Bubbles" and a lost doll, possibly as a reference to BioShock 2.
- In the 2018 sci-fi film Ready Player One a Big Daddy can be seen entering the Oasis and is seen in the final battle getting zeroed out by the cataclyst.[citation needed]
- In the 2018 video game NBA Playgrounds 2, the player can re-skin the basketball to look like the head of the Bouncer Big Daddy.[13]
- In the 2019 video game Princess & Conquest, an obtainable outfit for Golem Princess is called "Big Mommy Suit". When Golem Princess has it equipped, she will have an appearance that makes her look like the Bouncer.
BioShock[]
- In Fable II, one might come across a group of children discussing the underwater city of "Beersock" full of "creepy little girls". "Beersock" is an obvious pun on the name BioShock.
- In the level Alien Abduction of South Park: The Stick of Truth the player will come across several audio logs, that look almost identical to the Audio Diaries found in the majority of the BioShock series, except for their color. The logs are found on the spaceship the level takes place on and poke fun at games using audio logs to expand the story. The location where the logs are found could be a reference to System Shock 2, which was one of the first games to use recorded audio logs.
- In the vintage-setting horror game Bendy and the Ink Machine, while the game itself contain inspirations from BioShock.[14] Frank Fontaine's name is found in the appointment schedule from the fifth chapter.
- In Far Cry 4, the item hypodermic needle references BioShock, with allusions to Rapture and the EVE Hypos in its description: "Filled with glowing liquid. If this were a failed underwater utopia, you wouldn't think twice about jamming this in your arm."[15]
- The video game Little Big Planet 2 released the BioShock Mini Pack/BioShock Costume Pack in 2013, a pack featuring BioShock-themed costumes for the Sackboy character and stickers. The pack contains a Big Daddy (Bouncer) and Little Sister (BioShock 2 variant) costume.[16]
- A bust seen in the background of the HBO television show Westworld (Episode 3: "The Stray") looks to be that of Sander Cohen. Johnathan Nolan is a big fan of the BioShock series and reported to have spoken to Ken Levine while doing research for the show.[17]
- In season 2, episode: "Cougars" of 30 Rock, Liz Lemon gives a copy of BioShock as a surprise gift to her boyfriend Jamie, to which he responds: "BioShock, no way!"[18]
- The video game Genshin Impact names the nation of water Fontaine after Frank Fontaine in BioShock. The nation of Fontaine features underwater ruins like Rapture.
- The 2023 video game Atomic Heart has been been compared to BioShock by numerous news outlets and reviewers.[19][20][21] Although the developers have stated that the comparison is not fully accurate.[22] However, the game feature numerus references to the game and even a homage: Would You Kindly is mentioned, and the Maya Plisetskaya Theater level feature ballerina cyborgs as enemies and an immobile ballerina covered in what appear to be plaster, a reference to Fort Frolic's Plastered Splicers. The Neptune Complex shows a clear homage to the game: The player enters through a lighthouse via an elevator to an underwater complex. While descending, the player sees the underwater structure and mentions rapture (in the biblical sense) while viewing the underwater facility through the window. This is a reference to the first level of BioShock, where the player enters Rapture in a similar matter. The music even mimics BioShock's "Welcome to Rapture", which is heard while descending into the city.[23]
BioShock 2[]
- In the anime series SoniAni: Super Sonico The Animation, the character Super Sonico can be seen playing a video game that is based on BioShock 2: The player appears to be Subject Delta in Rapture, wearing a helmet with his drill and glove visible. He attacks a man and woman with red glowing eyes and torn clothes (resembling the Splicers) with the plasmid Incinerate! and then turns around to see two other Splicers, one larger, as the frame cuts out from the game and focuses on the gaming Super Sonico. Later on, Super Sonico is disturbed and dies in the game by two Splicers attacking Delta, the screen turns red from blood and a "Game Over" sign appears.[24]
- The 2013 game Gone Home was worked on by several former BioShock 2 developers and features numerous references to the game, the Minerva's Den DLC and a BioShock Infinite reference mentioned below.[25]
- Kaitlin Greenbriar's luggage and plane tickets are marked with an updated version of the Apollo Airways logo.
- The front hall closet hangs a Goodfellow High School jacket with a Pacific Northwest inspired owl logo meant as a reference to the owl logo used in Minerva's Den.[26]
- A birthday card by the front door is signed "Uncle Harvey" and features Harvey Smith's handwriting, co-creative director of fellow BioShock 2 developer Arkane Studios which later released Dishonored in 2012.[27]
- The Adrian Rollini song "Got a Need for You" can be played on the record player in the music room. Developer Karla Zimonja came across the song while sourcing the BioShock 2 Soundtrack which features another Adrian Rollini song "Sweet Madness".[28]
- A Super Nintendo (SNES) cartridge entitled "Super Spitfire" can be found in Sam's room. It is an update to the Spitfire game and was published by CMP Interactive, standing for Charles Milton Porter.
- In the vein of System Shock game series and Deus Ex, the game also features a 0451 code.[29]
BioShock Infinite[]
- In season 3, episode: "The Empty Hearse" of Sherlock, a poster for BioShock Infinite is briefly seen.
- In the video game Gone Home, one can find a bottle of salad dressing in the kitchen's pantry. The bottle's label is very similar to the cover art for BioShock Infinite. The name of the dressing is "Levine's Own", which is a parody of "Newman's Own" and a reference to Ken Levine.
- The video game Little Big Planet 2 released the BioShock Infinite Costume Pack in 2013, a pack featuring BioShock Infinite-themed costumes for the Sackboy character and stickers. The pack contains an Elizabeth, Booker DeWitt, Songbird, Handyman and Motorized Patriot costume.[30]
- The video game Genshin Impact names the newspaper of Fontaine after the Steambird guarding Elizabeth's Tower.
BioShock Infinite Enemies[]
- The Uncharted level of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is set on the damaged airplane from Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. While the match escalates, the player will see a Vox blimp being attacked by the Songbird in the background. During the match, a Handyman will fall and release a hatch and struggles to hold on to the crashing airplane as he loses his grip and falls.
BioShock cosmetics for Team Fortress 2[]
- As a part of a special promotion for BioShock Infinite, several characters of Team Fortress 2 appear in special skins modified to resemble enemies encountered in the game including Songbird, the Fireman, Cornelius Slate, and a member of the Vox Populi.
- A further promotion for the BioShock Infinite Season Pass for Burial at Sea - Episode 2 contained two Motorized Patriot-themed masks (one of the George Washington variant, the other of the Benjamin Franklin variant) and a Big Daddy toy.
Exclusive items[]
- Big Daddy is a promotional cosmetic item for the Soldier. It is a cracked, white porcelain face mask with grey, colonial style hair, and a large piece of porcelain missing from the left cheek.
- Blind Justice is a promotional cosmetic item for the Demoman. It is a Pinkerton badge that covers the Demoman's left eye, replacing his default eyepatch, and a large, grey handlebar moustache.
- Doe-Boy is a promotional cosmetic item for the Soldier. It is a team-colored Brodie helmet. This item has two styles, named "Peek-a-boo..." and "I see you!". The "Peek-a-boo..." style covers the Soldier's eyes, while the "I see you!" style has the helmet tilted back on the head to reveal the Soldier's eyes.
- First American is a promotional cosmetic item for the Soldier. It is a white, porcelain face mask with long, light grey hair on the sides and spectacles.
- Mister Bubbles is a promotional cosmetic item for the Engineer. It is a small, homemade, floppy doll with a spiral-like torso, arms made of springs with hands made of spools, with one arm sporting a corkscrew meant to resemble a drill, and a large, circular head with bottle caps attached to both sides of the head with six sown-on yellow hexagon buttons in a circular formation.
- Person in the Iron Mask is a promotional cosmetic item for the Pyro. It is an iron mask painted gold, with a bolt ridge on the side of the mask to hold the two pieces together. There are also eye slits and ear holes that issue a team-colored glow.
- Pounding Father is a promotional hat for the Heavy. It is a white magistrate's wig accompanied by a bow in the team's color located at the back, forming a small ponytail.
- Steel Songbird is a promotional cosmetic item for the Sniper. It is a small bird made out of scraps and rags that sits on the Sniper's shoulder. When players equipped with this item kill an enemy unassisted by another player, the killfeed shows everyone in Pyroland that it gets the assist, with its custom name if it has one.
- Sydney Straw Boat is a promotional cosmetic item for the Sniper. It is a boater with a team-colored ribbon tied around it.
- Vox Diabolus is a promotional hat for the Engineer. It is a mask with team-colored horns and visible stitching.
Videos[]
Columbia[]
- BioShock Infinite's floating city of Columbia serves as a backdrop in two of the levels in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, featuring some of the game's elements, including Sky-Lines and Security Zeppelins.
- It should be noted however that this seemingly is based on an earlier version of Columbia as seen in the trailers, differing from the city seen in-game. Examples include the trailer-style Skyline system and posters that were not included in the final game.
- "Sackboy meets BioShock Infinite" introduces BioShock Infinite-themed costumes and stickers to be used in LittleBigPlanet 2 and Playstation Vita.
- The video game Disney INFINITY features a downloadable map (or "Toy Box") called: Toy Columbia which is a flying city heavily inspired by the city of Columbia, with rails representing the Sky-Lines.
Consumables[]
- The advertisement for Chechnya Vodka and Cocktail Lounge appears in the 2010 video game Mafia II, which was also published by 2K Games.
Elizabeth[]
- A non-playable character in World of WarCraft named Elizabeth Birdsong can be found in Stormwind City. Her surname "Birdsong" is a conspicuous reference to the Songbird, Elizabeth's guardian. She has short black hair and wears a blue dress similar to the outfit worn by Elizabeth in BioShock Infinite. If the player speaks to her, she might say:
- "The possibilities are infinite."
- "I never imagined such a world."
- "I must be going, there's so much to see."
- "Me? Oh. I'm not from around here."
- "What an interesting door."
- "Good to see you again. Have we met?"
- "What an odd outcome."
- "This world is so different."
- Which are all references to the world of BioShock.
Splicers[]
- In Prototype 2, you might come across an infected citizen that uses the same model as the Lady Smith Splicer from BioShock 2. She isn't special in any way, except for her appearance.
The Luteces[]
- Two background characters strongly resembling pony versions of Rosalind and Robert Lutece with a hovering cage in front of them appear in the animated show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic in the Season 4 episode "Trade Ya!" These ponies were given the names of Infinity and Beyond. The show has been known to have occasional subtle references to other pop culture ranging from Doctor Who to Metal Gear Solid. Ken Levine later tweeted the shot of the Lutece-resembling ponies.
Plasmids and Vigors[]
- In Issue #9 of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comic book "Zen and the Art of Gazebo Repair", page 16, a sign reads: Plasmids and Vigors.
- In PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, the player may obtain the Murder of Crows Vigor and use it as a weapon.
- In Dead Island, one can unlock a special weapon named "Left Hand of Glova" which gives the player an ability to shoot electricity from their left hand, with the cost of the player's remaining stamina. The power resembles the Electro Bolt plasmid. If one would try to use the power when the stamina is out, the player will make the same animation they would use when injecting a medkit, without anything to inject: This is a reference to when the player in BioShock is out of EVE and most use an EVE Hypo.
Would You Kindly[]
- The famous quote is heard in Far Cry 3 Deluxe Edition. In the "Lost Expedition" mission, Jason Brody asks the player "Would you kindly activate" in an Irish accent.
- In Mafia II, when the player is in prison, a guard asks you to remove your clothes and shower and ends the statement with "Would you Kindly". The guard's name is Frank, which is a reference to Frank Fontaine, the abuser of the term.
- The online game RuneScape features enemies named "Grimterns" and "Attendead" in the quest "A Clockwork Syringe". When the player examines the enemy, the text reads: "Would you kindly kill these slicers?" The word "Slicers" is a reference to the Splicers from Rapture.
- In Fable Anniversary, an achievement for Xbox 360 is named: "There's Always a Lighthouse", which is a reference to BioShock Infinite. The description reads: "Would you kindly rid Albion of its greatest traitor".
- In the Black Mirror season 3 episode "Playtest", as Katie instructs Cooper around the house, she says "Would you kindly open the door". The episode is about an American traveler short on cash signing up to test a revolutionary new gaming system. The episode features other video game references.
- The video game League of Legends features a playable champion named Veigar. Veigar has an unlockable "Final Boss Veigar" skin which changes his appearance into a video game boss. While wearing the "Final Boss Veigar" skin, Veigar's quotes will consist of various video game references, including BioShock: "Would you kindly (Stop moving!)".
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ "A Slave Obeys" article at Nukapedia: The Fallout Wiki
- ↑ "Anderov Ryon" NPC article at Wowhead.com
- ↑ "Claptrap and Andrew Ryan? New Borderlands DLC" article by Raine Hutchens on Gamerfront.net
- ↑ Taxonomic revision of the fossil genera Bulimactaeon, Hemiauricula (= Liocarenus) and Nucleopsis, with description of a new Recent genus and species (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Acteonidae) on the Oxford University Press
- ↑ We're named after a new genus species! on Reddit
- ↑ I found a Bioshock reference in We Happy Few's trophies on Reddit
- ↑ "The Food Wife" episode article on Wikipedia
- ↑ "Just Ask Alice" and "Dream of a Better Tomorrow" quest articles at Wowhead.com
- ↑ "DC Universe Meets Bioshock In Flash Rebirth" article at MTV.com
- ↑ PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, article on Wikipedia
- ↑ Battleborn: Beatrix Skills Overview ("Sleeping Angel" taunt)
- ↑ Rocket League's BioShock inspired achievement on Reddit
- ↑ Interesting that there is a Bioshock ball in NBA Playgrounds 2 on Reddit
- ↑ "Creating a Monster: Bendy and the Ink Machine" - Gamereactor
- ↑ Far Cry 4 - BioShock and Far Cry 3 Easter Eggs on YouTube
- ↑ BioShock Mini Pack on LittleBigPlanet.com
- ↑ Was there a BioShock Easter Egg in last nights Westworld? on Polygon
- ↑ Frank Becomes Gay - 30 Rock on YouTube
- ↑ Atomic Heart: 5 Things The Game Does Differently Than BioShock on Game Rant
- ↑ Atomic Heart - Review on IGN
- ↑ Atomic Heart Review on PC Gamer
- ↑ Atomic Heart Bonus Q&A – Exclusive Full PC Specs Reveal & Shader Comp Info; Devs Talk Final Build Improvements on WCCF TECH
- ↑ ATOMIC HEART - Bioshock Rapture Easter Egg and Comparison on YouTube
- ↑ A clip of the event
- ↑ "Gone Home and BioShock Take Place in the Same Universe" IGN interview
- ↑ Gone Home developer's commentary: Karla & Steve - The Goodfellow Owl
- ↑ Gone Home developer's commentary: Steve & Karla - Uncle Harvey
- ↑ Gone Home developer's commentary: Karla - Adrian Rollini
- ↑ Gone Home developer's commentary: Steve & Karla - 0451
- ↑ BioShock Infinite Character Pack on LittleBigPlanet.com