BioShockis an iconic title for its haunting art deco aesthetic, its innovative blend of shooting and special powers in combat, and, of course, its infamous plot twist, with the ending of the game being one of the most memorable in video game history. The firstBioShockfeaturesa story twist so well-crafted and impactful that it hasalmost completely overshadowed the actual ending of the game.
Unlike the time-warped and somewhat confusingending ofBioShock Infinite, the first title in the franchise ends on a surprisingly straightforward note.The twist comes a little before the final boss fight,and many players may not even remember the events following the reveal at the story’s climax. It’s worth looking back on that original game to reflect on its events and the ways that its ending punctuates the series' themes of exploitation and false agency. They will likely be important in the new game to come.
BioShock’s Big Twist, Explained
Unreliable Narrators And Missing Identities
Before getting to the game’s actual ending, one must first look at thegame-defining plot twist inBioShock. It comes courtesy of the supposed bad guy, Andrew Ryan, when the player character finally confronts him face to face.The player reaches him at the behest of Atlas, a charismatic and seemingly kind voice over the radio, who guides the player through the underwater city of Rapture to free Atlas’s family, held hostage by Ryan. The player character, named Jack, has to fight through much of Rapture, breaking through locked-down areas and defeating the crazed populace.
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As it turns out, Jack has been led to Ryan on false pretenses. Ryan discloses thatJack’s whole life has been a lie and that he is a sort of sleeper agent created by Atlas.When the player follows Atlas’s instructions without question and fulfills the game’s objectives, it represents Jack’s own subconscious drive to follow instructions that start with the phrase “would you kindly.” Atlas is actually a false name being used bythe character Andrew Ryan’s rival, Fontaine, and he has manipulated Jack into killing his competition so that Fontaine himself can rule over Rapture inBioShock.
Nearly all of Atlas’s assistance comes in the form of instructions starting with the phrase “would you kindly,” a detail that flies under the radar on a first playthrough, but sticks out once players know what’s really going on.
This reveal comes in a mix of flashbacks and haunting dialogue from Ryan, which highlights theplayer’s own unawareness of their character’s backgroundand how Jack has been filled up with false memories. In reality, Jack is Ryan’s own son, kidnapped and experimented upon to turn him into an assassin. After all of this, Ryan knows Jack still needs to obey orders and opts to go out on his own terms by commanding Jack to murder him.
What Happens After The Twist, & What BioShock’s Ending Really Means
Destiny Versus Free Will
Following this twist, the game sees the player being rescued by another NPC, Dr. Tenenbaum, who restores Jack’s free will so he can hunt down Fontaine. Jack confronts the charlatan in person and fights him to the death, after which there aretwo possibleBioShockendingsrelated to characters called the Little Sisters.They have appeared with their robotic guardians throughout the game, and depending on whether players spared them or harvested their energy,Jack will either save the remaining Sisters or harvest them all to gain more power.
The game ends with one of two cutscenes, whereTenenbaum narrates Jack either returning to the surface with the Little Sisters or becoming a power-hungry maniaclike Ryan and Fontaine before him. They are neat endings, but it is easy to see why the massive twist often ends up in the limelight.
There are 21 Little Sisters throughout the game, and if the player chooses to harvest two or more, they will receive the more villainous ending.
The ending is arguably more important than the twist toBioShock’s overall themes, those of free will and morals conflicting with greed and pride. The twist highlights how little control Jack has over his life, whilethe ending makes the only real choice Jack ever makes determine the outcome of the story.If the game ended with its twist, it would be a fascinating but nihilistic deconstruction of story-based games that concludes on the note that free will is a lie; instead, the final scene of the game illustrates howeven someone with limited freedom like Jack can make impactful decisions.
BioShock’s Ending Changed Narrative-Driven Games
A Shock To The Realm Of Video Game Storytelling
Despite this ultimately optimistic ending, many players took much more fromBioShock’stwist. And how could they not? It redefined how players viewed their characters and the objectives they received. It introduced this idea of the game itself lying to players,giving them the illusion of free will while guiding them down a set path.
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The title’simpact on both players and game designers cannot be overstated. Its sequels obviously tooka lot of inspiration fromBioShock’s themes, but othergames likeThe Stanley Parable, Prey,andWe Happy Feware undeniably influencedby the precedentBioShock set. They took advantage of this new paranoia and questioning within the player’s mindset and made those things essential to the gaming experience.
Little is known right now aboutBioShock4, but it will likely explore similar themes to the previous games. However, the series does more than just repeatedly ask the same questions: each game expands on the themes of its predecessor, as we saw inBioShock Infinitewith the protagonist being his own enemy in more ways than one. Players should be on the lookout for how this nextBioShocksubverts and builds upon the themes of the series.
