BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter video game created by 2K Marin and published by 2K Games. It was released worldwide for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360 on February 9, 2010. Feral Interactive later released an OS X version on March 30, 2012. The game is set in the underwater city of Rapture, eight years after the events of BioShock. In the single-player story, players control Subject Delta, an armored character who fights Splicers—people in the city who have mental issues—using weapons and genetic changes. The game also includes a multiplayer mode that takes place before BioShock, during Rapture’s civil war.
After the success of BioShock, 2K Games created a new studio, 2K Marin, to develop the sequel. 2K Australia, Arkane Studios, and Digital Extremes helped with the project. The developers improved gameplay elements from the first game and returned to the Rapture setting to explore a new perspective of the city. The story changed significantly during development. Garry Schyman, who composed the music for BioShock, returned for the sequel. He added more blues and religious music to match the game’s themes.
BioShock 2 received positive reviews for its story, themes, art style, characters, endings, and gameplay. Some critics noted a slow start and said it did not clearly differ from the first game. Later reviews were more favorable, with some calling it the best game in the series. The multiplayer mode had downloadable content, and a single-player expansion called Minerva’s Den was released in August 2010. The game sold over 3 million copies but did not meet the publisher’s sales goals. A remastered version, BioShock 2 Remastered, was released as part of BioShock: The Collection for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Synopsis
BioShock 2 is set in Rapture, an underwater city hidden from the world. Rapture was created in the 1940s by billionaire Andrew Ryan to build a society free from religious rules and government control. The city’s people began using ADAM, a substance taken from sea slugs, to genetically alter themselves. This process, called “splicing,” allowed them to gain special powers, such as creating lightning or controlling fire. However, the misuse of ADAM worsened conflicts between different groups in the city. Children who were genetically modified and trained, called “Little Sisters,” collected ADAM from dead bodies and returned it to adults known as “Big Daddies,” who protected them. Over time, Rapture fell into chaos and became a ruined city filled with people who had used ADAM, called Splicers. After Andrew Ryan died in the first BioShock, Sofia Lamb, a leader who opposed Ryan’s ideas, and her followers, called “the Rapture Family,” took control of the city.
BioShock 2 begins on New Year’s Eve, 1958. Subject Delta, a Big Daddy, walks through Rapture with his Little Sister, Eleanor. Sofia Lamb, Eleanor’s mother, separates them and forces Delta to kill himself. Later, Delta is brought back to life in 1968 by a Little Sister under Eleanor’s orders. Brigid Tenenbaum, who cares for Little Sisters who have been healed, tells Delta that he will die unless he finds Eleanor because of a special connection between them. With help from Augustus Sinclair, a friend of Tenenbaum, Delta searches for Eleanor, who is being held in Sofia Lamb’s fortress. Lamb plans to use ADAM to transfer the minds and memories of all Rapture’s people into Eleanor, creating a leader who would act selflessly. As Delta moves through the city, he meets members of Lamb’s group and can choose to kill them or let them live.
Delta reaches the room where Eleanor is held, but Lamb captures him and stops Eleanor’s heart temporarily, breaking their connection. Delta weakens as the bond cannot be fixed. Eleanor changes into a Big Sister to save Delta. Together, they go to an escape pod prepared by Sinclair to leave the city. They discover that Sinclair has been turned into a Big Daddy by Lamb and must kill him. Eleanor and Delta reach the escape pod, but Delta is seriously injured by a trap set by Lamb.
The ending depends on how the player treated the Little Sisters and the choices made about members of the Rapture Family. Eleanor can choose to save her mother or let her drown. Delta dies from his injuries, and Eleanor can either take his ADAM, personality, and memories to help the world with the Little Sisters or remove his ADAM to pursue power over the world.
Gameplay
BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter game. The player controls Subject Delta, the main character, eight years after the events of BioShock. The player explores the city of Rapture and fights enemies called Splicers using weapons, environmental dangers, and special powers called plasmids. Plasmids give abilities like telekinesis. These abilities must be recharged with "EVE" before they can be used again. The player can also use tonics, which are passive bonuses that improve abilities such as speed or reduce the need for EVE. Some weapons in BioShock 2 are only available to Big Daddies, including a strong drill and a rivet gun. Players can use weapons for close-range attacks and can hold both a weapon and a plasmid at the same time. If the player dies, they are revived using a Vita-Chamber.
As the player explores Rapture, they gather ammunition and supplies. They can buy items from vending machines found throughout the city. Weapons can be loaded with different types of ammunition to be more effective against specific enemies. Weapons can be upgraded at certain machines. Three upgrades can unlock special effects, such as a modified rivet gun that fires hot projectiles that burn enemies.
Some game features were simplified compared to BioShock. For example, hacking security systems and turrets is now a shorter timing puzzle instead of a long Pipe Mania-style minigame. Players must stop a needle on a colored gauge. Landing the needle on the green area completes the hack, while landing on blue areas gives extra rewards. If the needle lands on white or red areas, the hack fails and may hurt the player or trigger an alarm. The research camera now records videos instead of still images. Using it while damaging enemies in creative ways gives players rewards or new abilities.
ADAM is used to upgrade plasmids and tonics. Upgraded plasmids add new abilities for better strategy, such as an upgraded Electro Bolt plasmid that causes electric damage to multiple enemies instead of just one. As a Big Daddy, the player can fight other Big Daddies and choose to adopt their Little Sisters, who collect ADAM for the player, or take ADAM directly from the Sisters. After adopting a Little Sister, the player must protect her while she gathers ADAM from corpses around Rapture. Once enough ADAM is collected, the player can choose to take it from the Little Sister or save her. Either choice causes attacks from Big Sisters. ADAM can also be found in slugs in the ocean surrounding Rapture.
BioShock 2 includes a story-driven multiplayer mode called Fall of Rapture. In this mode, players control citizens of Rapture during a civil war in 1959–1960. A company called Sinclair Solutions asks players to test their weapons and plasmids as part of a rewards program. The mode includes many of the same weapons and plasmids from BioShock, as well as new ones like a chain gun and the Aero Dash plasmid. Players customize their character, weapons, and plasmids from their apartment, which also serves as a visual representation of the game's menus.
The multiplayer mode includes seven different game types. These include "Survival of the Fittest" and "Civil War," which are deathmatch modes. "Capture the Sister" is a capture the flag game where players must capture or defend a Little Sister. "Turf War" involves teams competing to control areas of a map. Maps are based on locations from BioShock. As players progress, they unlock new weapons, tonics, and plasmids. Story-related audio diaries also become available in the player's apartment.
Development
The game BioShock, created by 2K Boston and Irrational Games, was very well received by critics and sold strongly. A 2K Games executive named Christoph Hartmann wanted BioShock to be the start of a series. In 2007, 2K asked 2K Boston if they would make a sequel. However, 2K Boston and its lead designer, Ken Levine, decided not to do so. Instead, some former BioShock developers formed a new studio called 2K Marin in Novato, California, in late 2007. 2K Marin began working on BioShock 2 in November 2007 with a team of eight people. At its peak, the team grew to 78 members. The developers had three main goals: to release the game for PlayStation 3 (the first game was only for Xbox 360), to include a multiplayer mode, and to finish the game within two and a half years. The game was developed in five countries across five time zones. 2K Marin received help from 2K Australia, 2K China, Arkane Studios, and Digital Extremes, which created the multiplayer component.
Jordan Thomas worked on BioShock’s "Fort Frolic" level at 2K Boston. He later joined 2K Marin as creative director for BioShock 2 after being hired by Alyssa Finley, who became an executive producer at 2K Marin. Thomas said that creating a sequel meant finding new ways to surprise players while keeping the story exciting and fulfilling their expectations. The team decided to set BioShock 2 in Rapture, the same city from the first game, but added new locations and stories. They wanted to welcome new players while surprising those who had played the first game. Thomas and artist Hogarth De La Plante believed Rapture had many untold stories and was a good place to explore new ideas. They said that since they had played BioShock for thousands of hours, they could judge whether the setting was still interesting. The team made the player a Big Daddy in BioShock 2 to tell the story from the perspective of someone inside Rapture, not an outsider.
The developers of BioShock 2 aimed to improve parts of the first game that players did not like. For example, the hacking minigame was changed to make the gameplay more urgent by removing the ability to pause. Another change was allowing players to adopt Little Sisters instead of just harvesting or saving them, which made the choice more meaningful. The game also added more characters and gave players more decisions that affected the story and ending. Each level was designed by an artist and level designer working together, which helped make the game world feel real. The team used a version of the Unreal Engine 2.5, which was familiar but outdated and caused some challenges, like building the user interface with an unsupported Adobe Flash library.
Because of the short development time, Digital Extremes simplified some multiplayer ideas, such as removing a persistent multiplayer format and focusing on match-based gameplay. Players found team-based rules and character customization more enjoyable than changing rules during a match. To keep gameplay fast-paced, the team limited the number of weapons and plasmids players could use at once.
The story of BioShock 2 changed a lot during development. It was originally planned to include flashbacks showing Rapture in its prime, but this idea was abandoned because it made the game feel boring. The game was also meant to feature only one Big Sister character, Eleanor, who would hunt the player and could not be defeated. This was changed to give players a sense of accomplishment. The story also shifted from the first game’s focus on libertarianism and Ayn Rand’s ideas to exploring collectivist ideals, similar to Karl Marx and John Stuart Mill’s philosophies. The game asks players to consider both sides of debates when extreme views are taken. Themes in BioShock 2 include community versus the individual, cults of personality, technocracy, moral absolutism, fatherhood, class war, equalitarianism, parenthood, childhood, and family.
Character modeler Brendan George said the team had to be careful when adapting concept art to avoid animation problems and the "uncanny valley," a term for characters that look almost human but unsettling. Concept artist Colin Fix explained that costumes were adjusted to match the time period of Rapture. For example, a character’s early design with a Hawaiian shirt was changed because it felt too modern for the setting. Fix also noted that Splicers, the mutated enemies, were based on the distorted forms of idealized figures from artists J. C. Leyendecker and Norman Rockwell. Early designs had translucent, glowing skin, but the team changed them to more human forms to evoke stronger emotions. Digital Extremes created over 26 character ideas for multiplayer, eventually narrowing them down to a few that represented different parts of Rapture’s population.
Release
BioShock 2 was first shown through a teaser trailer hidden in the PlayStation 3 version of BioShock in October 2008. The teaser had a subtitle called Sea Of Dreams, but this name was later removed. Before its release, an alternate reality game called There's Something in the Sea was created. Over one year, players were directed to a website that told the story of a father named Mark Meltzer searching for his missing daughter and eventually finding Rapture. Players who wrote to "Meltzer" received mysterious audio messages, and strange objects that appeared to be from Rapture were found on beaches worldwide.
BioShock 2 was released on PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360 on February 9, 2010. A special edition, made in very limited numbers, included the game, three posters with fictional Rapture advertisements that show hidden messages under black light, the orchestral score on CD, the BioShock orchestral score on vinyl, and a hardbound art book with 164 pages. The package had special artwork on the slipcase and box cover. A smaller limited edition, called the BioShock 2 Rapture Edition, was announced on December 2, 2009. It included the game and a smaller art book with 96 pages. This edition was also made in very limited numbers. The game’s release included midnight events around the world, such as a gala in San Francisco where developers attended.
Later, BioShock 2 was sold together with BioShock as part of BioShock: Ultimate Rapture Edition.
After its release, BioShock 2 received updates and downloadable content (DLC). The first DLC, called the Sinclair Solutions Test Pack, was released on March 11, 2010. It added new player characters, cosmetic items, and a multiplayer level increase. The Rapture Metro Pack, released on May 11, added achievements and six new maps. Along with this pack, new characters and a game mode called Kill 'Em' Kindly were also released. The Protector Trials Pack added a single-player challenge mode where players defend Little Sisters from enemy groups in different rooms. This content included six maps from the main game, three difficulty levels, seven achievements, and unlockable concept art and videos. It was released on consoles in August 2010 and on PC in March 2011.
The final DLC, called Minerva's Den, was released on August 31, 2010. It was a separate single-player story not connected to the main game. Players take control of Subject Sigma, another Alpha Series Big Daddy, as he explores Minerva’s Den, the home of Rapture’s central computer. This DLC added three new levels and expanded the story of Rapture. It included new weapons, a plasmid, and new enemy types. Minerva's Den was released for Windows on May 31, 2011.
In October 2013, the Windows version of BioShock 2 was updated to replace Games for Windows – Live with Steamworks support for online features. Minerva's Den was given for free to players who owned BioShock 2 before this update.
A remastered version of BioShock 2 was released as part of BioShock: The Collection for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in September 2016. Existing Windows owners received a standalone update. A standalone version of BioShock 2 Remastered and The Collection was also released for Nintendo Switch on May 29, 2020.
Reception
BioShock 2 received positive reviews. Review aggregator Metacritic gave the game an average score of 88 out of 100 from critics across all platforms. Reviewers said the game was similar to its predecessor, but had different opinions about whether this similarity was a problem. GamesRadar’s Charlie Barratt wrote that the game made new progress while respecting the original’s strengths. PC World’s Will Herring said BioShock 2 improved upon the original. In contrast, critics such as The A.V. Club’s John Teti, The New York Times’ Seth Schiesel, and GameSpy’s Anthony Gallegos believed the game either failed by sticking too closely to the original or did not add meaningful changes.
Critics often said the gameplay changes were improvements. Gallegos noted that using two plasmids and weapons at once made combat easier. Reviewers for GamePro and Computer and Video Games praised the new enemies as well-designed. Edge appreciated the gameplay improvements but pointed out that some issues from BioShock remained, such as boring fights with Splicers and unsatisfying weapon controls. Team Xbox said collecting supplies was tedious and suggested improvements to make the game more convenient. 1UP.com’s Justin Haywald and others were frustrated by the repeated scenes where the player had to protect Little Sisters.
The campaign was generally well received, though not as highly as the original BioShock. Computer and Video Games’ Andy Robinson wrote that the game used the best parts of the original’s levels by weaving the story in a satisfying way. Some criticism included a slow start to the story and too much similarity to the original. Haywald said the way plasmids were introduced and the player’s experience felt too similar to BioShock. He added that the story seemed to support the game’s mechanics rather than the other way around. Entertainment Weekly’s Adam B. Vary said the improvements to the morality system were BioShock 2’s biggest strength. He noted that the game included many choices that affected the story throughout the game.
The multiplayer mode had mixed reactions. Haywald and GamePro’s Will Herring said it worked better than expected. Gallegos and Chad Sapieha of The Globe and Mail thought the mode was unnecessary, predicting few players would buy the game for multiplayer or play it much. GameSpot’s Lark Anderson believed the multiplayer mode would increase the game’s lasting appeal. Destructoid’s reviewer said the mode was not unique and relied more on luck than strategy.
Retrospectives have reconsidered BioShock 2’s place in the series and in video games overall. Game Developer and Kotaku said BioShock 2 was an early example of the walking simulator genre, which focuses on storytelling. Eurogamer wrote that while BioShock told a story about a city, BioShock 2 focused on the people inside the city, offering more emotional moments and becoming the “human heart” of the series. Critics who liked the improved gameplay and emotional depth said the game was underappreciated. GamesRadar and Vice said it was the best game in the series.
BioShock creator Ken Levine, who did not work on the sequel, praised the BioShock 2 team for “completing the story of Rapture.”
In its first week of release, BioShock 2 was the top-selling Xbox 360 game in the UK and North America. In the U.S., NPD recorded it as the best-selling game of February, with 562,900 units sold on the Xbox 360 and 190,500 on the PlayStation 3. Gamasutra suggested that the Xbox 360’s greater sales might be because the original BioShock was exclusive to that platform for 14 months. BioShock 2 was first and second on Steam’s release charts. In its first month, it was number one on the Xbox 360 and number 12 on the PlayStation 3. By March 2010, BioShock 2 sold 3 million copies across all platforms, close to the original BioShock’s 4 million lifetime sales at the time. Take-Two Interactive’s chief financial officer noted sales slowed faster than expected. Before the release, Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick predicted 5 million copies would be sold.