This is one of the ingenious ways Infinite blurs the lines between its component parts Columbia may be a backdrop for the action, but the setting, narrative, and combat all loop back to reinforce each other.īooker wanders Columbia alone at first, but once he saves the young woman named Elizabeth from captivity, the adventure begins in earnest. Whether you’re looking at a piece of propaganda, listening to an audio log, or participating in a horrifying raffle, almost everything you encounter contributes to your understanding of the floating world. Life in Columbia seems perfect, but the real fun comes from discovering the ugly side of the city.ĭealing with themes like religion, racism, and xenophobia, Columbia is a richer and more nuanced setting than even Rapture, and the unveiling of the city’s culture is masterfully executed. As Booker walks down the streets, he is surrounded by a living Norman Rockwell painting kids play in the water from a leaking hydrant, people gawk at technological marvels at the local fair, and a general store sits unattended but for a note about the honor system. The city is beautifully realized, from the early 1900s-era buildings bobbing on the clouds to the zeppelins soaring by. The floating paradise isn’t just Rapture in the sky it is divided by its own political problems, and driven by its own ideals. If just a few things had happened differently, how would my life change? Could I be smarter? Richer? Happier? No matter how many parallel realities I ponder, I cannot imagine one in which BioShock Infinite is not among the best games I’ve played. As hero Booker DeWitt confronted these truths through the abilities of his companion, Elizabeth, I toyed with the same ideas in my own mind. Male here, female there – or never even born at all. A person can be alive in one place, dead in another. What appears to be a peaceful street could be a war-torn battleground in a different version of the world. In BioShock Infinite, players must be comfortable with the concept of parallel realities.
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