Bioshock Infinite: The Complete Edition

Genre: First-Person Shooter

Players: 1

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in Bioshock: The Collection, along with Bioshock Remastered and Bioshock 2 Remastered.)

Bioshock Infinite is a First-Person Shooter originally released on multiple platforms in 2013, finally making its way to a Nintendo console in 2020 when it was released on the Nintendo Switch. Where the previous games took place in the underwater city of Rapture, the third game’s skyward locale and story is, at least until you dig very deep into the game, completely unconnected. However, the games share thematic similarities and gameplay elements.

Players take on the role of Booker Dewitt, a gruff, violent man who finds himself on a mission: “Bring us the girl and wipe away the debt”. Who the “us” is and what the nature of the “debt” is, players will find throughout the course of the story, but the girl is Elizabeth, a prisoner being held hostage in the city of Columbia, a loosely interconnected amalgamation of buildings floating in the sky. And to paint the contrast between the dank, deteriorating metal structure of the prior games’ Rapture, Columbia is a flourishing city, seemingly a miraculous steampunk-infused version of turn-of-the-century Americana. However, while Columbia is a city at the pinnacle of its glory and in the midst of celebration, it is nevertheless filled with horrors no less monstrous than Rapture’s, though they’re hidden beneath a gilded veneer of religiosity and nationalism. Suffice it to say, this game’s themes of national pride, religious fervor, and despicable racism still feel very relevant even today.

Also, while the first Bioshock was unquestionably far more influential in its use of world-building and post-modernist storytelling, I actually far prefer the world-building and story in Bioshock Infinite, which I feel is a great deal more ambitious in numerous ways. But beyond that, I find this story the most compelling out of the entire Bioshock series, with its memorable, likable characters and much better overall pacing. And while most people found the final portion of the first Bioshock after its climactic showdown to be that game’s weakest part, I think the ending of Bioshock Infinite is its strongest section (though some found it to be overly confusing).

A part of what makes Bioshock Infinite work so well is the visual splendor of the city of Columbia, and that still comes through strong even today, although of course this game is nowhere near as visually impressive as it was when it first released. The city feels much more detailed than the Bioshock games, the lighting is fantastic, and everything down to the slow shifting of the buildings themselves makes the world of Columbia feel alive. On top of this, the character models are much better than the Bioshock games, and while this still looks very much like an Xbox 360-era game, it is clearly a AAA game from the latter part of that era, and as such it still looks very good by today’s standards.

Having said that… okay, good news and bad news here. In terms of good news, this game is based on the PC version of the game, and as a result Bioshock Infinite on the Nintendo Switch benefits from having improved textures and lighting over its original console release. This is definitely a step above what was on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Having said that, out of all three Bioshock games, this is possibly the one that suffered the most compromises compared to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions.

Like with the other Bioshock games, instead of the targeted 60FPS framerates of the other consoles, this version settles for a solid 30FPS, which I found to be sufficient, even though Bioshock Infinite is much faster-paced than its two predecessors. Also, as with the other Bioshock games, Bioshock Infinite has a dynamic resolution of 1080p in docked mode (Dynamic 720p in portable), but this can drop significantly in busy areas, especially the fast-paced “skyline” sequences (thanks to Digital Foundry for all the numbers).

However, even when the action isn’t fast and heavy, there are still some noteworthy issues. There’s abundant aliasing throughout, and while most of this game’s textures are excellent, you’ll occasionally run into some that are simply atrocious, and there are also incidents of texture pop-in, as well as pop-in of objects decorating the area.

Like I said, this game still looks very good thanks to its wonderful artistic design, and it’s still an improvement over the previous-generation versions of the game, but more than any of the other Bioshock games it’s apparent that Bioshock Infinite needed to cut some corners to get the game working properly on the Nintendo Switch.

As for the gameplay, I feel like I can confidently say that this is the absolute best of the lot when it comes to this series. Not only does the combat feel fast and fluid, but the new additions here are really unique, lots of fun, and really change up the dynamic of combat. Firstly, there’s the skyhook, which allows the player to incorporate hooks and suspended rails into combat, leaping up to get a better view, dropping down to stomp on an enemy from above, and even traveling around an area on a rail like a gun-toting roller-coaster ride. Plus, even without using the environment, the skyhook can make for some fun, gruesome melee kills.

However, partway into the game we’re also introduced to one of the better escort mechanics I’ve seen in a first-person shooter when Elizabeth joins you in battle. This is one of those games where your partner character can’t be harmed so you needn’t babysit them. However, even beyond this, she’ll toss you ammo and supplies sometimes when you run out, and she has access to some other unique abilities to change up the battlefield that I won’t detail here for the sake of keeping the surprise. Suffice it to say, while I normally despise escort missions in videogames, this is one that I not only thoroughly appreciated my partner’s presence, I actually felt kinda’ naked on those occasions when we were separated.

A few more notes about this version of the game before I wrap things up. Firstly, there’s no support for gyroscopic motion controls or touchscreen. However, this release does include all DLC content released for the game, including the two-part Burial at Sea expansion that more extensively ties the game to the original Bioshock games, as well as pretty effectively closing out the entire series. There’s also the combat-focused Clash in the Clouds expansion, as well as a slew of optional “costume” modifiers you can wear in the main game to improve various facets of your combat performance.

Overall, Bioshock Infinite is the least-extensive of the three Bioshock remasters on Nintendo Switch, but it’s also the game that had the least that needed changing in the first place. The combat is fantastic, the world is stunning and beautiful, arguably topping the first game in terms of its superb world-building, and the story is one of the best tales I’ve ever played in a videogame. I knock this game’s score a bit for technical issues the Nintendo Switch version has compared to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of the game, but even with those issues this is still an absolute must-have First-Person Shooter, especially if you’ve never played it before on another platform.

tl;dr – Bioshock Infinite takes this First-Person Shooter series to the skyward city of Columbia, resulting in what I believe to be the best story, the best world-building, the best visuals, and the best gameplay in the series. The Nintendo Switch version runs well, but has the most visual cutbacks made to it out of the entire Bioshock trilogy compared to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 counterparts. Even so, this is a phenomenal First-Person Shooter that still looks and plays great on the Switch, and it’s an absolute must-play game for fans of the genre, especially if you don’t already have it on another platform.

Grade: A-

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