Bioshock Infinite – Elizabeth’s Abilities

Bioshock Infinite looks to engross us all in more epic surroundings, just like Rapture. But while it may have came as a shock to many gamers that the 3rd installment would take place in the air, the biggest jaw-dropper of all, was with a certain characters abilities…

Bioshock Infinite will continue to offer its trademark epic game world, but Irrational Games have something else up their sleeve...

Side-kicks are nothing new to us gamers but Irrational Games have taken your companion to the extreme! Your future accomplice Elizabeth, will begin BioShock Infinite in confinement. Once your character frees her (whilst avoiding and surviving the threats of civil war) your character will have access to Elizabeth’s awesome abilities. Is this just another player switcheroo? No. Is this just another muzzle flash in the enemies direction? No. Elizabeth will use an ability that will push the game coding and design to new levels! This cleaver cookie can open ‘tears’, used to pull objects through from another universe! Yup, she can get all FRINGE on your foes and this is something that can seriously enhance the gameplay, giving Bioshock’s current game-style a much welcomed level-up!

Elizabeth's abilities will not only push the boundaries of game design, it will enhance the experience of replayability

Elizabeth’s abilities sound incredible, adding more strategic options to Bioshock’s existing “magic or might” system. Do you bring in new weaponry from another universe or create a new means of escape? Irrational Games can get very creative with this new system, so lets hope to see strategic skill that can give Valve’s Portal a run for its money!

Alterations in your surroundings and instant weapons may make you feel invincible at first, but Irrational Games have also thought hard about how such a system will balance the games difficulty. ‘Opening ‘Tears’ sure doesn’t sound like making a sandwich, so Elizabeth will become weaker the more you use her, adding a new strategy of “when” rather than just “what”. Elizabeth will need time to recharge her abilities but instead of a simple indicator, Irrational Games spoke of going all-out on Elizabeth’s character. They want to make her as “believable as possible”.

Irrational Games will make Elizabeth's character so powerful and believable, it will dramatically influence the players strategies

With Elizabeth said to have a “fragile grip” on this ability, could this mean that Irrational Games will pull on the emotional heart strings of the player? Will Elizabeth’s incredible abilities punish her in any way, forcing the player to use them as little as possible? The new ‘Tear’ game mechanics are one thing, but if Irrational Games can pull it off with Elizabeth’s on-screen presence…we could all find ourselves playing a truly immersing and emotional FPS adventure.

What do you think of  the new ‘Tear’ mechanic as well as the hard focus on Elizabeth’s character? Over ambitious or Game of the Decade? Get posting!