A Rapturous welcome
As you first enter the city of Rapture, the orchestral tones of Bobby Darin's Beyond the Sea subtly play in the background, offering perhaps the first clue that your adventure in this underwater metropolis will be a wet one - not just because of the watery theme, but because you'll be wetting your pants with fear! You'll be trapped inside from this moment onwards, with only corpses and the genetically modified inhabitants of the city for company, including the aggressive splicers - who won't think twice about burying a hatchet into your skull - scavenging slicers, big sisters (girls who have morphed into monsters and now carry ADAM the genetic material that keeps Rapture turning; and the Big Daddies (huge, lumbering bio-mechanical monsters who protect the Little Sisters from those seeking to kill them for their precious DNA.) Let's make no bones about it, it's a chilling group of enemies and the demo leaves you desperate to discover more about their backgrounds and the storyline of this sci-fi thriller.A simple starter objective, which involves getting from Point A to Point B, making your way to higher ground, up stairwells and through dark, foreboding corridors, introduces you to the musical score and the atmospheric art-deco style locations. The score and the graphical style blend together successfully and create this constant fear that something may be lurking around every corner. I frantically spent my first minutes in Rapture City looking around for any type of weapon to pick up, eager to experience my first taste of FPS action, but more importantly I wanted to make sure I could defend myself should something attack. This state of mild panic looks set to be a theme in the full version of the game and the atmosphere created is so darn good that I was transfixed to the screen throughout the demo.
Click for larger image
Click for larger imageBioshock is set entirely from the first person perspective, with a minimal HUD on-screen allowing you to enjoy an almost un-obstructive view of your surroundings and throwing you right in at ground level to ensure maximum impact on your own psyche. The HUD shows your target reticule and two bars, the health bar which can replenished by picking up first aid kits that you’ll find littered around and the EVE metre which, when full, allows you to use a gene-altering plasmid (secondary weapon) to incinerate or electrocute your enemies. In the demo, you'll only find two plasmids to use and they take the form of a liquid which you inject into your vein. The liquid alters your genes and allows your left hand to release a bolt of lighting or a ball of fire at enemies. Throughout the game you'll find Eve-Hypos as often as you will first aid kits and they allow you to replenish your EVE metre, which allows you to use your active plasmids. Although there are only two plasmids available in the demo, there will be many more in the final version, including camouflage and telekinesis and they can be scrolled through and used appropriately to play against any enemy's weakness.