BioShock 4 tease isn’t enough to make us forget Judas
At this point, it's fair to say the BioShock series has grown a few barnacles. It's been 11 years since BioShock Infinite rose from the depths of Rapture and soared up to Columbia. While many feel it didn't hit the 'highs' of its predecessors, that hasn't stopped die-hard fans from begging for BioShock 4.
After years of whispers and rumbles of reboots, 2K finally announced BioShock 4 back in 2019. Five years later, we're no closer to knowing what's next. We've heard about a brand-new locale of two warring cities, a period piece set in 1960s Antarctica, or even a possible return to Rapture.
2K finally teases BioShock 4
Each passing month (and now year) of radio silence further hammers home those fears that BioShock 4 is stuck in development hell. When the 2K Twitter account celebrated 11 years of BioShock Infinite, one fan asked whether a new game is still coming. In a surprise update, 2K has teased that BioShock 4 is out there somewhere.
It's only small, but by sharing a chef emoji, the implication is that we need to let 2K cook for a little longer. Still, after so long of nothing, players are getting incredibly impatient. One disgruntled gamer wrote, "Man's been cooking for years...," while another grumbled, "Let's cook fast my man."
We could be reading between the lines, but 2K's post has some suspicious timing when we remember Ken Levine just dropped a tonne of information about Judas. You might remember that Levine was BioShock's creator, and after founding Ghost Story Games, is releasing Judas as a spiritual successor to BioShock.
Sorry BioShock, you need to make room for Judas
Click to enlargeWith so long between BioShock entries, we can't blame Levine for swooping in with Judas. Set for release before March 2025, there's no way BioShock 4 is coming out before then. Even if 2K is trying to steal Judas' thunder by simply reminding us BioShock exists, the former is looking pretty special.
Levine has started Judas' marketing campaign early, giving outlets a preview of what's to come. IGN was invited to the Ghost Story Games studio and gave us a peek at this dystopian horror when Ryan McCaffrey got to play six hours of the game.
There's an emphasis on "narrative LEGOs," which interact with the three main NPCs of Tom, Nefertiti, and Hope to make "good levels." Three storylines are playing out at the same time, with the decisions you make as the player character of Judas massively affecting how the story goes.
Expect Judas to die a lot, and with roguelike elements alongside an ever-changing ship, there's all the usual hype that no two playthroughs will be the same. After Levine says BioShock Infinite felt like "a huge action movie," he wanted to "turn more back into the player interaction."
While it's clear we've only scratched the surface of Judas, it already looks like an evolution of BioShock. Like BioShock was a spiritual successor to System Shock, Judas looks like it combines elements of both gaming legends and gives them a new-gen overhaul. Whether BioShock 4 can compete remains to be seen, but for now, the franchise lies at the bottom of the ocean.
