I associate Irrational Games with its BioShock games so it’s only fitting for them to create a final piece of BioShock content before riding into the sunset. Burial at Sea was a marriage of the two BioShock titles created by the ill fated developer.
As Booker and Elizabeth, I visited Rapture and Columbia for one last time. Booker was like his old self in BioShock: Infinite while Elizabeth’s play style drew inspiration from the stealth action of Deus Ex. It was entirely possible to finish episode two without killing a soul. I enjoyed the mix up a lot. I welcomed the deemphasis of high octane action and I savored the exploration and rummaging like I did in Deux Ex: Human Revolution.
I loved walking through Rapture again. The familiar sights and sounds brought back many pleasant memories from the first BioShock game. Seeing Sander Cohen, Atlas and the Big Daddy and Little Sisters helped me remember how original and crazy Rapture was.
But as crazy as Rapture was, the fiction they concocted to connect the two BioShock universes together was crazier. They retconned and implied there were numerous ties between Elizabeth, Columbia and Rapture. It was tough to wrap my head around it all but at the same time it somehow all fit. I’m sure if I questioned the tale they wove, everything would have collapsed like a house of cards, so I left it alone and just enjoyed everything on face value.
And it was easy to enjoy the sights and sounds the modern take on Rapture. I’m not 100% certain what they did exactly but the visual style of Burial at Sea seemed to be more appealing than it was in BioShock: Infinite.
To me, Burial at Sea was the perfect farewell note from Irrational Games. It perfectly encapsulated everything BioShock — including its flaws. I’m not exactly looking for more BioShock in the future but I am looking for more Irrational Games developed universes. Unfortunately that’s it for Irrational Games. A universe where a floating city and an underwater metropolis was made reality, was the last universe with their name on it. And that’s a damn shame, if you ask me.
Verdict:
Highly Recommended
For more information on BioShock: Infinite Burial at Sea, visit the official website.
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