Why Bioshock Is Secretly One Of The Best Horror Video Games Ever

Somewhere, Beyond The Sea

The chilling notes of Django Reinhardt's rendition of Beyond the sea and a smattering of quirky early 20th century jingles quickly become an essential source of tension throughout, and never provide anything other than pure terror. Creaking passageways and falling water droplets are a constant --albeit slight-- reminder that the city under the sea is crumbling before your very eyes.

Audio diaries crackle under the weight of the voice it presents, further adding to the 1950’s aesthetic and the patter of footsteps through damp hallways is a constant reminder of the city’s fragility with each uneasy step.

There are no grand gestures in the noise department, instead, the minimalist approach to sound design is one of Bioshock’s greatest strengths, as every plasmid used, a bullet fired and footstep taken feels like you’re disturbing the ‘peace’. Jack is an outsider naively barreling through the city in search of escape, and blasting baddies away with a whole host of firearms that are picked up on the journey reeks of desperation.

Arriving in the rundown city, desperately seeking refuge from a disastrous plane crash only to find a decaying dystopian nightmare is unsettling enough, but the tension skyrockets when Bobby Darin’s soothing voice echoes through its walls. The often-uplifting soundtrack is a constant reminder of how far the city has fallen, and when jolly jingles begin during a tense firefight with a pocket of deranged enemies the anxious atmosphere only increases.