Summary
- Ken Levine says BioShock is a “corridor” when compared to the reactivity of Judas.
- Judas’ narrative building blocks promise extreme reactivity and heightened player agency.
- In comparison to BioShock, Judas has been “very, very hard to make.”
BioShock creator Ken Levine has described his best-known work as a “very very long corridor,” while admitting that this description may “alienate” some fans of the series. It’s not often that a creator is so candid about their past work, but Levine firmly believes that his studio’s upcoming title Judas will surpass BioShock by dramatically increasing player agency.
Levine made these comments in a recent interview with GamesIndustry.Biz. The developer primarily spoke about interactivity in gaming – alluding to the “narrative building blocks” that Judas is built upon. Ghost Story Games intends to offer a highly reactive experience with Judas, with Levine acknowledging the game has been “much, much harder” than BioShock to create.
Narrative Building Blocks
“BioShock and BioShock Infinite, if you look at them from a development standpoint—and this may be alienating to some readers—but they’re basically a corridor. A very, very long corridor with a bunch of trigger points that make story elements happen. Judas is made very, very differently and that makes it much more hopefully reflective of players’ agency, but also much, much harder to make,” Levine said.
Levine certainly isn’t incorrect in what he’s saying. BioShock was clever in its use of map design, forcing the player to backtrack through previously explored areas. This had the effect of making Rapture seem more expansive than a straightforward level-based shooter, even though that’s what it essentially was. It’s actually quite an old-school design trick, but BioShock executed it very well.
Levine has repeatedly stressed his intention for extreme reactivity in Judas. The idea of Judas is that no two playthroughs will be alike because of the interaction of “narrative building blocks” which can alter story elements and outcomes. From the sounds of it, Ghost Story wants a more sophisticated type of reactivity than simple triggers and flags which is certainly a tall order because of the limited improv ability of computers, as Levine himself concedes.
It’s certainly difficult to showcase these innovations in trailers and other traditional promotional material, so we’ve only really seen the surface of Judas in trailers. It resembles Levine’s other games, combining shooter and immersive sim elements.
A narrative FPS from Ghost Story Games and BioShock creator Ken Levine, Judas puts you in the role of the titular character, aboard a disintegrating starship.