The BioShock series, known for its immersive action-horror gameplay and unique storytelling, has captivated players since its inception. The franchise, considered a masterpiece by many, deviates from traditional norms, employing a narrative that spans alternate universes and defies chronological order.
Comprising four main games and three expansions, the series’ narrative complexity is navigated through a chronological lens below:
1. BioShock Infinite: Industrial Revolution (2013): This browser-based flash game, a pre-order bonus for BioShock Infinite, serves as a prequel. Players engage in cog-based puzzles, gaining insights into conflicts within Infinite’s world.
2. BioShock Infinite (2013): The third mainline entry follows Pinkerton detective Booker Dewitt as he navigates the floating city of Columbia, unraveling a complex story involving a mysterious girl named Elizabeth and the manipulation of alternate realities.
3. BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Part 1 (2013): This expansion, set in Rapture, follows an alternate-universe Booker Dewitt and Elizabeth as they search for a missing girl named Sally.
4. BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Part 2 (2014): Picking up from Part 1, this expansion shifts control to Elizabeth, focusing on a stealth-oriented gameplay style and aiming to resolve lingering mysteries while setting the stage for the original BioShock.
5. BioShock (2007): The debut entry follows Jack, the lone survivor of a plane crash, as he explores the fallen underwater city of Rapture, facing its mutated inhabitants and uncovering a dystopian society.
6. BioShock 2 (2010): Developed by 2K Marin, this sequel puts players in the shoes of a Big Daddy, Subject Delta, eight years after the events of BioShock, facing a new antagonist in Sofia Lamb.
7. BioShock 2: Minerva’s Den (2010): This expansion, occurring alongside BioShock 2, follows another Big Daddy, Subject Sigma, as he pursues Rapture’s computer mainframe, The Thinker.
For those who prefer a release order, the recommended sequence is as follows:
1. BioShock (2007)
2. BioShock: Challenge Rooms (2008)
3. BioShock 2 (2010)
4. BioShock 2: Minerva’s Den (2010)
5. BioShock Infinite: Industrial Revolution (2013)
6. BioShock Infinite (2013)
7. BioShock Infinite: Clash in the Clouds (2013)
8. BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Part 1 (2013)
9. BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Part 2 (2014)
Regarding the future of BioShock, a new installment, tentatively labeled BioShock 4, is being developed by Cloud Chamber. Additionally, a Netflix movie adaptation of the original BioShock and Ken Levine’s next project, Judas, promises to keep fans immersed in the twisted sci-fi goodness of the BioShock universe.
