Originally released in 2007, Bioshock is a narrative driven FPS, and one of the most influential games of its decade. Bioshock Remastered, released in 2016, brings visual and audio improvements as well as some quality of life updates.

The strongest aspect of the game is undoubtebly the story. Players descend into the underwater art-deco city of Rapture, once a utopian haven for its citizens, and instead discover chaos and horror. The populace has been altered by the use of ADAM, modifying their bodies and minds, and disposing them to violent and aggressive behaviour. The game delves into various themes such as power, corruption, free will, ethics and the human condition. Throughout the game, players will have moral choices to make, such as deciding to save or harvest Little Sisters, or allowing certain characters to live or not. Audiologs can be found strewn across the levels to give us insight into what perpetuated the city's demise. The game eventually reaches a crescendo, and presents one of my favourite plot twists in a story. We are left asking; does free will actually exist or is it merely an illusion? There are several unique endings available, based on the choices we make.

The environments are atmospheric, with lighting and textures receiving an overhaul in this remaster. The water effects are also much improved. Sound work is as good as ever with strong voice acting and sound effects. Hearing the hum and footsteps of Big Daddies is always haunting. The 1950s/60s era music throughout the game is crucial in enhancing the immersion into this world. The core mechanics and gameplay remains largely the same as the original; players need to collect ADAM to upgrade their abilities and progress through the objectives. Combat is creative with various plasmids and weapons that can be mixed and matched, resulting in unique outcomes. Unfortunately the remaster does have some known performance issues. Notably, crashes and freezes have been frequently reported by many players. I had several instances where the game would repeatedly crash at certain points, interrupting the flow of the experience.

Overall Bioshock Remastered, despite some performance problems, does a great job of updating this title with current generation standards. The story, atmosphere, gameplay, and audio all remain iconic, cementing itself amongst gaming's greatest achievements. So if you haven't already, would you kindly play this game right now?

Very fun game with some slight issues. If you do play this game try to save as much as possible as it might glitch out after about an hour of not saving. Other than that it took me 23 hours to 100% and I will definitely replay this after I get through the series as a whole!

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