Speaking of adrenal glands, Infinite’s combat will be satisfyingly familiar for BioShock veterans. These moments will overwhelm your adrenal glands, and feel like incidental heroics instead of manufactured, scripted events. Then you hear Elizabeth shout your name, spin around to catch the ammo she’s thrown, quickly reload, and blast your assailants in the face with hot lead. Picture this: you’re nearing the bottom of a machine gun clip, heart pounding as swarms of Comstock’s goons charge at you. Her companionship acts as a lifeline instead of a liability, and effortlessly generates thrilling moments during battle. Elizabeth is a reliably helpful partner, seeking out the items you need and tossing them to you just in the knick of time during an intense firefight. Knowing that you won’t have to face your enemies alone will make you feel empowered-quite the switch from the original BioShock’s desolate, chilling atmosphere. Once you’ve grown accustomed to Elizabeth’s mannerisms, the vacant stares and limited reactions from lesser characters can make them feel lifeless by comparison-though no worse than any other great game.Įlizabeth’s presence also brings the tone firmly into action territory and away from survival horror.

When patiently waiting for you to finish surveying a room, her gaze will shift to sights beyond the player, rather than fixating on your head like so many video game NPCs. Elizabeth’s behavior makes you forget she’s a video game character: She’ll explore environments all on her own, humming to herself or beckoning you over to point out something you might’ve missed. Her body language delivers emotion without words a glimmering smile at Booker when he makes promises, an averted gaze and crossed arms if he breaks them. Through a combination of affecting voicework, convincing facial animations, and brilliant AI, Elizabeth feels like a completely autonomous companion-a friend. The pacing of the level design is excellent, never dawdling on any one set piece for too long but giving you just enough time to appreciate their magnificence.Ĭentral to this story is Elizabeth, your strong-willed, super-powered ally who dreams of escaping her life in captivity. Going from a cheerful, vibrant street fair into less congenial settings (like a church of raven-worshipping cultists who idolize Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth) is surprising in all the right ways, and no two environments feel alike. The city is downright beautiful, with striking colors and brightness in some vistas and an ominous duskiness in others. You’ll also find yourself in awe as you explore Columbia.

Columbia feels like an inhabited world, and your curiosity into its inner workings will be rewarded-and built up-at every turn. The simple act of walking its cobbled streets and browsing through gift shops turns into a mesmerizing experience, where propaganda posters, eavesdropped conversations, and children’s toys all give you a glimpse into this society’s warped sense of patriotism.

As with the previous BioShock games, this fantasy environment is stunning to behold and layered with an incredible ambience. You're Booker DeWitt, an ex-Pinkerton agent with the machismo of Harrison Ford, sent to extract a woman from the dizzying heights of Columbia’s aerial metropolis.

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