…While Moving the Series Forward
Rapture itself was founded so that great minds could further mankind freely, without moral impediment or fear of the intervention of church or state.
So too should the new BioShock push boundaries, and seek to expand what the series can be. While it might seem trite, I think this can be achieved by adopting some of the better trends of recent years.
A lot of games these days incorporate some kind of RPG-lite system to deepen the gameplay, and BioShock games have always straddled the line between RPG and shooter. The BioShock trilogy already offers a sort of build variety, with the plasmids and tonics you have equipped defining your “class.”
I would like to see this explored upon, and expanded manifold. The classic fighter/mage/rogue trinity could easily be adapted, with characters focusing on firearms, plasmids or gadgets/hacking respectively.
And while it might be a little overplayed at this point, I can’t imagine a series that would be better served by some Souls-like elements. Increase the difficulty to up the tension and make gear choice more meaningful, and introduce some more fearsome mini-boss encounters, like the aforementioned Big Sister adaptation, and I think you could have something truly special.
