I’m running through a second playthrough of Bioshock Infinite, having given some time to digest the complete story from last time.  I mentioned that there was a twist, and to be quite honest, I didn’t see it coming.  I normally have a decent eye for that sort of thing but I think I was just too engrossed in the tale to notice.  There’s just something about a good yarn that makes you put logic at the door, put on your kids’ mind of open wonder and just goggle up whatever the story says.  Sure, there might be some plot holes but they are so slight that you can forgive them.  This isn’t Prometheus!

Back on topic. The thing about the twist is that it pretty much puts the entire game in a different light.  The prime driver of the game changes, the setting changes, the people change. Heck, you change.  Every little tidbit of information, the little tales spread between recordings, the images, everything is in on the twist.  Where once I read rhetoric, now I see truth.

I think that’s Bioshock’s (the series) best accomplishment.  That the entire story can be played multiple times with a completely different mindset.  Where once I was the savior, now I am the criminal.  Where once there was hatred, there is love.  It’s a really weird feeling to be told the EXACT same story, word for word, and get a 180 degree interpretation.  This “grey zone”, if you will, is astounding.  I’m looking forward to seeing this through to the end again.

Here I sit, nearly 2 AM on a tear of a run to finish Bioshock Infinite  done and done.  Irrational has a propensity for twists and turns in their tales and this game is no different.  Expecting a twist is different from expecting the twist, much in the same way you can’t really watch the 6th Sense a second time but you’ll still sit through another one of M. Night’s movies to see what’s next.

I finished the game, in a bit over 16 hours.  I played on the hard difficulty, which I suggest most others do as well.  I had a few problems at the start but after a few upgrades, it was relatively smooth sailing from then.  Up until the last fight.  You know it’s the last fight as the mechanics change a tad but it’s a solid run.  Little note for those trying the game, I highly suggest you upgrade the Murder of Crows and Possession to their highest.  While the game is certainly a FPS it is much less about running and gunning as it is about tactical fights.  Both of those skills give you a lot of breathing room.

There are some issues within the game, I’m sure you’ll find them from time to time, but on the whole, the entire game has a great flow.  The pacing is superb up until the final penultimate act.  You companion, Elizabeth, becomes such an integral part of the game that  when you are separated from her for any amount of time, you feel exposed.  There is something to be said about an NPC character leaving such a mark and I can think of only 2 others that come to mind – the Princess in the Prince of Persia reboot and your horse Agro in Shadow of the Colossus.

I won’t spoil it for anyone as it really is a game to be experienced.  Not played mind you, that comes naturally.  You need to experience the story, the world, the people.  When the twist happens and you think back to the trip you’ve taken, you’ll appreciate it all the more.