Bioshock Infinite: 10 Important Details You Didn't Notice
1. There’s More To Bird And Cage Than Simple Choice
Well received as it was, Infinite took some flack from players for offering seemingly intriguing symbolic choices but failing to follow up by having those choices come to nothing.
The most glaring example is the brooch players are asked to choose for Elizabeth, one in the shape of a bird and the other a cage, a choice with a straightforward, if still mind-bending, cosmetic consequence.
But there is far more here than a simple choice.
An early 20th century toy (the game is set in 1912) featured a card on a string with a bird printed on one side and a cage on the other. Twist the string and the card flips rapidly back and forth, creating the illusion of a bird in a cage.
Near the end of the game, Songbird, Elizabeth’s jailer, is used to destroy the remains of her tower, thus giving her full use of her powers and allowing her to kill him.
Now, the notes she uses to control him? C-A-G-E. And the tower? Her own former cage. Ergo, the bird flew into the cage, ironically un-caging her powers, and allowing her to crush them both.
The choice was less about a brooch, and more about what was coming.
It’s a brilliant bit of foreshadowing, and provides ample proof that Infinite should never be taken at face value alone.