After a rather lengthy hiatus, theBioShockfranchise is finally set to make a return sometime soon, with publisher 2K officially announcing thatBioShock 4had entered development back in December 2019. While a release date is still unconfirmed and any official details on the game are being kept tightly under wraps, it was leaked thatBioShock 4would be adopting an open-world design. And though an open-world approach naturally fits the large-scale worlds ofBioShock, it’s an approach that doesn’t work for every franchise.
343 Industries' latest attempt to continue theHalofranchise has been met with a rather mixed reception. Despite some strong gameplay foundations,Halo Infinite’s lack of game modes, disappointing customization system, and lackluster approach to the live-service model has left a sour taste in fans' mouths, and the game’s campaign didn’t do much to help that. Though its story was serviceable and its gameplay was fun,Halo Infinite’s campaignfelt a little confused, and that’s primarily due to its open-world design - a design thatBioShock 4should stay clear of.
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What BioShock 4’s Open-World Can Learn From Halo Infinite’s
One of the biggest lessonsBioShock 4can learn fromHalo Infinite’s open-world is that traversal is one of the most important elements.Halo Infinitemade the incredibly smart decision to jump on the bandwagon andgive the Master Chief a grappling hook. Called the Grappleshot, this ability lets the player swing themselves off trees, up mountains, and grapple directly onto vehicles. The Grappleshot could also be used to great effect inHalo Infinite’s combat, letting the player grab weapons from afar or pull away a Jackal’s shield.
Ideally,BioShock 4wants a similar traversal system, capable of both moving the player around the map in a fun way, and having a use in combat.BioShock Infinite’s Sky-Line systemis a good blueprint forBioShock 4’s own traversal system. The Sky-Line let players quickly zip around an arena, and get the drop on enemies from above.BioShock 4could implement a similar system, though it might feel a little better if the player can directly control the line themselves, similarly toHalo Infinite’s Grappleshot.
Another incredibly important lesson forBioShock 4to learn is to make sure its open-world is actually populated with things to do. Despite being an ambitious first effort on 343 Industries' part,Halo Infinite’s open-world did feel a little empty. Aside from its story missions, a handful of collectibles, and some enemy camps to liberate, there was little to do inHalo Infinite’s open-world.BioShock 4should make sure that its own open-world is filled with things to do. That said,BioShock 4shouldn’t then take the Ubisoft approach to open-world design, where the map is filled with countless icons that boil down to simple fetch-quests. Instead,BioShock 4should fill its open-world with meaningful, well-written side quests.
Though it certainly felt nostalgic for its opening hours,Halo Infinite’s open-world visual design should also be learned from. Despite using imagery from across theHalofranchise’s history,Halo Infinite’s Zeta Halo settingstarted to feel a little stale after a while, with much of the map appearing as just green mountain ranges. There was little visual variety acrossHalo Infinite’s map, and that’s something thatBioShock 4should certainly avoid.BioShock 4should ensure that its own open-world feels cohesive and logical, but also make sure that there’s enough variation in terms of different explorable biomes. With one of theBioShockfranchise’s defining features being its settings, it’s imperative thatBioShock 4’s stands out among the crowd.
BioShock 4is in development.
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