BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2 Review (PC)

excellent
key review info
  • Game: BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: N/a
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BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2

BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2 puts the BioShock series to rest, tying up its storyline quite neatly and leaving players with the same feeling of having participated in some grandiose spectacle.

In the fashion its developers already accustomed us to, it manages to both drive its point home and be somewhat ambiguous, in order to appeal to Lost fans. You get a general sense of what's going on but the full story is never bared in front of your eyes, leaving many threads open to interpretation.

Nonetheless, it is a notable continuation of the epic narrative-driven adventure displayed in BioShock Infinite, allowing players to revisit an embellished Rapture, the underwater haven of those who do not fit within the rigid norms of the society above, as well as to return to the familiar setting of the flying city of Columbia and unravel more of its mysteries.

Story

The Burial at Sea Episode 2 DLC starts off with a "previously on BioShock" type of introduction meant to get players up to speed with past events from Episode 1, at the end of which it is revealed that Comstock is once again trying to hide from his past and that Elizabeth has decided to hunt him down and deliver the justice he deserves.

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The only thing missing here is a mime in a striped shirt
This won't ring a bell until the second playthrough
In Episode 2, gamers get to play as Elizabeth, only the tables are turned now, and she is no longer in control of the entire universe. Instead, she’s a regular human being with no notion of what is going on, and she has to explore the story in order to first make sense of why she is in a place she does not belong to.

The game debuts with a picturesque scene, with Edith Piaf's La Vie en Rose singing in the background as Elizabeth enjoys a croissant and a glass of Pinot Noir while gazing at the Eiffel Tower. There's also a kid dancing while holding a baguette and various other French stereotypes, and it all looks just a bit too idyllic for my taste.

That is, of course, until BioShock reveals the underneath of its glossy veneer, and as always nothing is as it appears at first and the adventure begins. Or rather, continues.

Episode 2 is scattered with various references to both the original BioShock and BioShock Infinite and expands on the idea of their two universes being interwoven and part of a single story arc.

For instance, if it has been hinted at before that Fink and Suchong were spying on each other and drawing inspiration from each other's creations, Burial at Sea Episode 2 shows that they actually collaborated in developing their unheard of and outlandish feats of engineering.

Episode 2 allows you to explore even more of the connection between the two worlds and also offers some insight into certain events in the past, which offers a welcome behind-the-scenes outlook on the Vox Populi uprising and the Songbird / Big Daddy parallel, among others, and ends with a big surprise that will both wow and frustrate you and make you start digging through the series again.

Gameplay

The DLC has some very nice ties with both BioShock and BioShock Infinite, and if Episode 1 was a bit on the light side, this one delivers the same exciting and engaging experience found in the original game, with a few notable twists.

First of all, playing as Elizabeth is a bit more difficult, as she is not a trained soldier and, therefore, must rely on stealthily navigating the map and quietly taking down her enemies instead of going in all guns blazing.

Sneaking around feels a bit unnatural though, as although story-wise it is a fitting mechanic, as Elizabeth no longer possesses her extraordinary powers, from the point of view of the actual gameplay it turns out rather weird at times, with enemies not noticing you stealthily approaching from the front or hiding in plain sight.

Ammo is still pretty scarce and you cannot afford to waste shots, but having more weapons to choose from will ensure that you never run out of stuff to throw at your enemies.

Furthermore, the addition of the crossbow pretty much decides what weapon you'll be using most of the time. Aside from having a very cool aura about it, the crossbow is also very effective, a single precise bolt being enough to render most enemies unconscious, after which it can be recouped from their body.

Overall, it kind of works because it has the sort of difficulty level where, if you aren't careful, you'll die an abrupt death; but if you are, and you use a bit of strategy, you'll be able to take out an entire army by yourself. You'll never feel like an overpowered turret, but rather like a clumsy ninja taking advantage of your enemies' not quite stellar AI.

The smart use of plasmids can turn many bad engagements around, and there are moments when you'll find yourself overwhelmed and you'll have to set some traps and backtrack in order to pick off enemies one by one. The use of established powerhouses such as Possession will once again take down the difficulty of fights by a considerable margin, but by far the most interesting one is the newly introduced Peeping Tom.

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Shut up Male Splicer, i'm loading AutoCAD here
Wonder how much I can get for that on Ebay
This plasmid allows you to see various things of interest such as enemies, vents and supplies through walls and also gives you the possibility to turn invisible for a small period, facilitating your sneaking around and permitting you to take your enemies by surprise with your stealthy instant knockout melee attack.

As is the norm in BioShock, you find all kinds of information lying around, helping you piece together a bigger story by allowing you to see it through the eyes of other actants. The gameplay is peppered with various short cutscenes delivering the story, and it feels like it has a great rhythm of exposition and action, never throwing more than you can handle your way and never delving into prolonged narration.

It feels easy to play through, but it's the kind of easy where you know it's that way because you're doing the right thing, apart from the fact that your enemies seem to have a lot of blind spots.

It's an overall satisfying feeling, as seeing through walls and being easily overpowered means that some planning can greatly reward you.

Visuals and sound

The game's visuals are superb just like in the original, the beginning at least is filled with the same kind of wonder and awe I experienced while first laying eyes on the floating city of Columbia, and seeing it suddenly give way to the gloomy outlook of Rapture was quite an experience.

From a graphical point of view, BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2 is quite a journey, from finding various schematics laying around and offering valuable insight, from the crowded desks and labs and decrepit hallways of the sunken city, to the colorful opulence of Columbia, there has been a lot of detail put into every aspect and it all works together wonderfully.

Revisiting a higher quality, Rapture is always a thrilling journey, and I particularly liked the fancy manner lockpicking was rendered in, showing how Elizabeth's scholarly knowledge translates into real life skills. Speaking of which, the codes were also a nice touch, if a bit trite due to the expeditious nature of the video game medium.

The sounds are also up to par with the original, from the ambient music that slows to a crawl during Elizabeth's moments of introspection to the tense and lively chords that follow an adversary spotting you, the score follows the action closely and never feels out of place.

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That is the exact definition of an understatement
These church guys have an eye for the dramatic
The various sounds of the cities and their inhabitants also add to the atmosphere, from engines and mechanisms and running water to the casual whistling of patrolling guards and their pre-rendered dialogue, completed of course by the quality voice acting delivered by the story's protagonists, convincing and captivating just like in the original.

Another nice touch was the fact that stepping on various surfaces either muffles or amplifies the sound of your steps, which makes being careful not to tread on water or glass an important aspect of stealth gameplay.

Conclusion

BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2 definitely feels worthy of the BioShock name, and delivers a fitting conclusion to the franchise. If Episode 1 was a bit lacking in both depth and length, Episode 2 is filled with the same brilliant direction Infinite had, making it easy to overlook its few lacking areas while being engrossed in the convoluted story, enjoying the flavorful dialogue and the gorgeous visuals.

It manages to gracefully redeem some of the failings of BioShock Infinite, such as the Vox Populi revolt turning into a bloodbath, and gives a nod and helping hand to some other areas of the game which felt a bit murky, while also managing to present something of its own for players to rummage.

Episode 2 attempts to tie many loose ends and answer at least some of the questions left unanswered in the BioShock series, while not completely breaking the mystery surrounding its complex storyline. The way in which it delivers closure to the series' fans also raises some new questions, leaving some room for interpretation but largely closing the loop that the original BioShock initiated and doing it justice.

All in all, albeit a bit pricey, it presents a convincing conclusion to BioShock, it delivers quite the amount of fan service and it feels very satisfying, making the entire story seem even better, and leaves you with the same haunting feeling BioShock Infinite did.

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story 9
gameplay 9
concept 10
graphics 10
audio 10
multiplayer 0
final rating 9.5
Editor's review
excellent