ANDREW RYAN’S OFFICE – BioShock
BioShock toyed with our minds when it was initially released in 2007, and then it happened all over again when it was re-released with the HD collection last year. In a game that prides itself on great gameplay mixed with deep philosophical questions, we should have guessed that the ending would cause players to question everything that came before.
The end goal of Bioshock is to kill Andrew Ryan. In a jaw-dropping reveal, Atlas, a mysterious figure who we thought was helping us, has actually brainwashed our hero into doing his evil bidding. When you meet Andrew Ryan, he explains that we have been under Atlas’ control, and he decides to prove that to you in the most disturbing of ways.
In a power shift, Andrew Ryan strips the power from the player in his reveal that you are nothing but a slave to Atlas. Every time Ryan shouts the word, “Obey,” the player must beat him with a golf club. The scene is downright haunting. There is nothing players can do to stop it. The game forces you to push that button, repeatedly hitting him, if you want to progress any further. Up to this point, players had killed numerous enemies, but this time casts a dark feeling over the situation as well as all of your previous actions.
This caused many questions to float through players’ minds. How much of the game was by your doing or his command? In a game with stunning art direction and a rich storyline, this plot twist was the cherry on top.
This post was originally authored by Brandt Prescott.
