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

A Slave Obeys

Bioshock’s sordid tale is rooted in political permutations and objectivist ideals. Springboarding from the often revered works of libertarian novelist Ayn Rand, the Rapture experiment is made all the more unsettling knowing that its inception was born from a very legitimate real-world political theory.

Andrew Ryan’s pioneering feat of mass aquatic residence was intended to be free from the clutches of a higher power, rejecting any religion or governmental interference in its bid to create a society dedicated to individual rights and personal betterment. The result of such liberties forged the decimated setting that Bioshock presents, and uncovering the truth behind how Rapture went from the Atlantic City of the Atlantic Ocean to an abandoned asylum for the affluent is as intriguing as it is frightening.

With the exception of a few scenes here and there, storytelling in Bioshock is largely environmental, and audio diaries collected along the way presented in the past tense, and delivering a narrative set after the city’s downfall invokes a wonder of just how such a place could descend into villainy. Audio diaries do well to introduce compelling characters, from the soft heart of Brigid Tenenbaum to the eccentric ego of artist Sander Cohen, who’s differing personalities are always a source of tension. Each character Jack meets is just the wrong side of insane and, especially in the case of Cohen, all it could take to tip them over the edge is one wrong move.

There are no friends in Rapture, and though the mysterious Atlas offers a helping hand in the game’s first half, the budding friendship is short-lived. You’re on your own, and understanding Jack’s involvement in a far wider narrative offers no comfort when we discover that his stumbling upon the underwater city wasn’t a coincidence.