Summary
BioShockhas put its stamp on the gaming world and beyond, being regarded as a seminal work. Over the course of three titles from 2007 to 2013, the series iterated and improved upon itself in various areas, usually (although not always) to a positive outcome. Some major elements it expanded on and streamlined were its combat and exploration. With developer Cloud Chamber, formed in 2019, announced to be taking over the reins ofBioShock 4the same year, many fans have been eagerly awaiting to see what the fourth installment will bring to the table regarding these and other aspects.
Avowedis Obsidian Entertainment’s forthcoming first-person RPG, and has also been highly anticipated since its reveal in 2020. It will be set in the world of the studio’s previous CRPG series,Pillars of Eternity, which is a blend of fantasy that also includes bits of more advanced technology. It will be open-world, though on a smaller scale than some contemporaries, and have traditional armaments like swords, axes, etc. as well as spells/wands and even firearms in its array of combat features. Players will be provided the ability to dual-wield combinations of these, something that the latterBioShocktitles also showcased. Given these and other similarities,BS4could end up being the other side ofAvowed’s coin in many ways.
BioShock 4 Might Turn Out to be Avowed’s Sci-Fi Equivalent
BioShock and Avowed’s Combat and Exploration
Dual-wielding as a mechanic has been an increasingly standard inclusion in many action/FPS games specifically, such asSkyrimandDishonored. The freedom this simple, but effective, design choice grants players is always welcome. Though not present in the original,BioShock 2andBioShock: Infiniteallowed players to dual-wield weapons and plasmid/vigor powers, switching on the fly as needed to deal with various enemies and situations. Among the new gameplay recently shown at Xbox’s Developer Direct, it was confirmedAvowedwill feature the ability to dual-wield a variety of weapons, appearing quite similar in function toBS’s use and presentation.
BioShockalso slowly but surely expanded on its level design, starting from a fairly linear progression to giving players a bit more room to poke around at their own pace in manageable locations.Avowedwill be a reduced scope in terms of open-world, but will presumably still allow a good amount of space for players to engage and interact with its world during its adventure, again displaying similarities toBS.
BioShock 4 Could Closely Mirror Avowed’s Design
Although much ofwhatBioShock 4will entail currently remains unknown, as details and updates have been few and far between, with most of the information coming from various leaks and rumors, there have been hints about its possible direction. Some of these suggest thatBS4, likeAvowed, will be semi-open-world, which, if utilized and designed properly, could match well to ensure that both combat and exploration feel satisfying and fresh, but with the familiarBStone and flair.
WhileBioShocklies on the 1950sretro steampunk aestheticscale versusAvowed’s darker fantasy framework, from what can be seen so far, the differences between their combat systems, game space, and a few other factors don’t seem to be all that wide.BS4might be set to build upon its foundations and reflect whatAvowedhas promised in terms of them. Along with whatever new surprises and twists it might have in store,BioShock 4could be shaping up to resembleAvowedin a couple of key ways.
BioShock 4has been officially confirmed since 2019, but little more has been provided about it.Avowedcurrently has a confirmed Fall 2024 release window as a day one Game Pass exclusive.
