Among Bioshock games, Bioshock 2 is often seen as weakest. Bioshock is loved for its strong atmosphere and philosophical depth while Bioshock Infinite is held as fast, daring and glamorous. It is said Bioshock 2 has been found weak on both fronts. But for me, it is the best in the series. I agree that, indeed it is not epic or grand-scale as the other games, and that's precisely what makes it so good, it's purely a journey of sadness, melancholy and happiness.
The game starts with an extremely impactful intro. (take a look, content warning for violence and suicide) You see a glimpse of the Rapture before total collapse. It's just a glimpse, but it is enough to see the moral rot that made it collapse, you see the inhabitants who got addicted to ADAM were just as monstrous before they got lost all of their sanity. Then, after a violent but a cathartic rescue , you watch from your eyes, as the only person you care, the only person who cares about you, the entire reason of your existence is being taken away from you, You don't know anything about this person besides him being a Big Daddy, but it is still so heartbreaking. Especially the part where the Big Daddy tries to resist the suicide order, a brief moment where he tries to assert what's left of his will is always chilling to watch. Then, 10 years later, you wake up again, with one thought in your mind: Reaching to your daughter...
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You start the game by a clear sense of purpose, a simple goal which has emotional stakes for the player as well. But it's not just about saving a person you care about, it is an entire journey of asserting your humanity. You are Subject Delta, a Big Daddy whose personality and humanity is not completely crushed. Throughout your journey, you come up with a group of choices you have to make? Are you a beast who crushes everything in your path, can show mercy and compassion despite all the hostility and pain you have been suffered or are you something in between? You can determine what kind of person left in you after your brainwashing.Of course, you are not only shaping your personality but also your daughter Elenaor's. The reveal that she has been learning from your actions and the many endings that come after that is quite poignant. The endings are complex and include actual gray areas, (not stuff I complain about) An interesting example here is Dr. Gilbert Alexander, who was responsible in creation of Big Daddies and tuned into a deranged aquatic monster from taking massive amounts of ADAM during an experiment. His lucid self wants you to put out of his misery but the monster wants to be alive? Which is more merciful here? The game does not give an answer as either way it won't prevent you to get the most merciful ending. Merely writing about Eleanor and the endings does not make them justice, they are so terrifying, bittersweet and heartwarming. The game is indeed a wild emotional rollercoaster.
Amidst this drama, the Rapture takes a back seat. While the side characters are great and the voice recordings you get are quite well-done, you don't get a delightful villain as Sandor Cohen. But, the second game wouldn't benefitted to have such a villain either, not as much the first game at least. Because Bioshock 1 was about the Rapture itself as much as or arguably more than Jack's story. In the second game, it has merely become a dungeon to save your daughter just the Rapture has got rotten with time and water, lost its importance and glamour more and more. In this way, Bioshock 2 is an excellent sequel to Bioshock 1, Rapture fades away both in-story and literally.
Speaking of villains brings us to Sofia Lamb. Much has been said about her: She is a cheap mirror of Andrew Ryan, her stance on collectivism is hypocritical, "collectivism" is itself an incoherent mess that doesn't stand for anything in real world, she is just a power-hungry cult leader. I agree mostly too except for maybe first part, because she is excellent as a villain. It is good that she has an inconsistent ideology, that's not what's important. What's important is she is an abusive biological mother who gives up her humanity in delusions of godhood. Which is a brilliant contrast to Subject Delta, whose humanity is stolen and works through to gain it back through the real bonds he made with his daughter. Bioshock 2 isn't ideologically empty, the game's main point is Subject Delta is the real parent, parental bonds aren't a product of blood but developed by actual caring and love. This is a theme that hits so hard for so many people, it's such a shame that it gets lost in the expectations people had about the game.
Dad stories have become a thing in video games for last couple of years. While they can be engaging, I can't personally connect to them very easily. They are very masculine stories --that's not bad thing in itself -- but they are (mostly) by men, for men and about men. When I played Bioshock games in summer 2016, I had not discovered my transness yet, but I was holding similar feelings about gender deep inside and yet, I was instantly able to see myself as Subject Delta. Perhaps, this is because his erased personhood, or because you don't see his actual face. More than anything else though, the game gives the feelings of a very primal parenthood, where Subject Delta isn't the central figure, as you can only directly witness the emotions of the Little Sisters and Eleanor.
And what emotions indeed! Did I say Bioshock 2 is heartwarming yet? Because it very much it is! While it still has (in some places, a lot) creepiness to it, the game just feels cozier than Bioshock 1. Even Little Sisters are remodeled to look less uncanny (Perhaps you are seeing them so as a Big Daddy?) and their dialogue is pure cuteness - and just a tad creepy. Especially in the parts of the game where you see the world in the eyes of a Little Sister, while a lot of it feels sad and creepy in hindsight, the parts where you see the statues of yourself is not. You are really a hero for them, their only source of light in the dark and cruel world they live and by your actions they can see the surface and escape their horrible fate.
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Bioshock 2 is about small heroisms. It's not about getting surrounded by constant horror or experiencing the fall of utopias. It's a clearly game from System Shock heritage but does not feel like one It is a game people expect epicness and greatness, but it puts the that in the background and gives a very personal story instead. But I feel what made Bioshock really Bioshock is having a scary and crushing environment contrasting the optimism of the story, I liked Bioshock in its human moments the best and Bioshock 2 just makes these moments central to the game. Theses games compliment each other very well.Even two years later, the feelings Bioshock 2 gave me are still very much alive. Some "defend the Little Sister" sections could be a little shorter, but other than that the game is a constant stream of... well, I said emotions a lot in this essay am I? Perhaps I like the game so much because I am just a saccharine person who gets emotional easily. Still Bioshock 1 and Bioshock 2 are definitely deserve to be played, especially when their remastered versions are out.
This article is written thanks to my dearest Patrons and special thanks to: Acelin, Alexandra Morgan, Laura Watson and Spencer Gill.
