There are two kinds of narrative, or there could be if one took proposition A: there are two kinds of narrative, to be true; then it logically follows that there are two kinds of narrative. What are those two kinds of narrative, well we can’t know with proposition A alone so let's introduce another element quickly before i loss your attention and through analysis we might discern what those kinds of narrative are. Bioshock: infinite is a the sequel to bioshock that strips away the tight, claustrophobic and thrilling atmosphere of the first game, Set underwater; and swaps it out for a the open sky, which admittedly is much harder to make feel claustrophobic.
The game takes place in the floating city of Columbia, seemingly idyllic with it’s wholesome christian veneer; only it turns out there all a bunch of racists, who’d of guessed. I had it in my head that when i was forcibly baptised on a arrival that things could only work out well. Mistake numero uno, that’s number one for our non spanish speaking readers, they built a city in the sky Acrophobia puts one in an awfully jumpy state, ironically enough. Just when the bathophobia fleeing from the city of rapture thought they were safe, BAM! Dunked in water quick enough to make your head spin, which we will call mistake number 2.
The list goes on until one realised it’s probably okay to start gunning these people without so much as a second thought, which is when the game hands you a gun and tells you to go nuts. Gyaliaphobia is not very common, so nuts most people tend to go. So far we’ve been talking about the interactions of an individual with society but there’s more… there are characters too. That being said just because there is a thing doesn’t mean they’re particularly worth talking about; unless that lack of interest, therein, is a point i can use to sledgehammer my misgivings, which this sentence is doing while also describing its own purpose. D E E P
Cognitive dissonance aside, the game has another more interesting aspect to itself. The so called ‘infinite’ part of the title. This isn’t some cheap attempt at sequel naming you’d see from the likes of the game industries resident puss bloated sequel behemoth. They’re instead playing the ace high of all stand alone ideas that make whatever their applied to really deep and meaningful for some reason… The mindfuck multiverse. If you can hear me sigh when i say that, it’s probably you’re end, i’m not tech savvy enough to rig that up. I’ve got a real fear of technology, which makes me, you’ve guessed it, a luddite.
As Stephen king once said hypothetically in my head, “what if all my stories were one big story, that’d be sick init.” the multiverse, in scifi terms, is time travel +1. Any story that takes place across multiple independent realities is automatically a meta deconstructionist satire and can be used to hand wave or link up just about anything: Like the reappearance of the freaky power ups from bioshock. The only downside is you’ve played the highest card in the deck and so there’s not a lot one can do in terms of escalation.
I myself, sat here with toes curled up to shield by aching feet, have been wondering just that and as i do i create two branching realities, each their own narrative both rather Geliophobic in their own rights. It’s amusing that at the time of bioshocks: infinite's release The moral choice stuff was still quite prevalent, and that in a world of infinite branching realities the game and narrative are extremely linear, except for some backtracking in both. Apart from some meaningless coin flips, which when you think about does make it rather satirical in a sense or it would were it not played straight.
Quick fire round:
Gives the feels? it’s got some spicy notes here and there.
Do things get edgy in the dlc? what a leading question! You seem to already know.
Why did you avoid major story spoilers to shield to more interesting aspects of the narrative from scrutiny, thereby ruining your ability to answer your own initial question? no one expects me to answer it plus my tautology is invincible, it proves itself.
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