Summary
- In a poignant interview, Ken Levine discussed all of his works, including BioShock Infinite, including what went right and what went wrong.
- For Levine, he is particularly proud of the ending, though he also did recognize shortcomings in combat.
- Infinite stands as one of the more divisive BioShock entries, with heaps of praise and criticism levied at the project.
While Ken Levine was not part of BioShock 2, the video game director did make his return for BioShock Infinite, the last game in the series. Infinite ditched Rapture for good, instead taking players to the sky-city “Columbia.” To date, it is one of the more divisive entries in the franchise, with players appreciating its combat, but also finding its atmosphere and story to be lacking compared to, say, the original BioShock, which was also directed by Levine.
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But if you were to ask Levine himself, Infinite had the “best” ending. More so, it marked the “first time” the director had ever been happy with an ending of his own creation.
Infinite Represented Many Challenges
In an extensive interview with Edge via Games Radar, Levine discussed all of his works in great detail, including the aforementioned Infinite, as well as his upcoming project, Judas.
As part of the discussion of Infinite, Levine revealed that one of his key goals with the game was for the player character, Booker, to have a deep relationship with the NPC, Elizabeth. “I really focused my energy on the relationship between Booker and Elizabeth, telling that story, and then the thematic elements of the world,” Levine explained.
One thing that stands out about Infinite is the fact that the game’s combat is a stark departure from the first two BioShock games, instead becoming more action-oriented. Levine likened it to becoming more Call of Duty-like, adding that “systemically that game drifted from what I wanted.”
In particular, Levine noted that the Sky-Lines of Infinite added a level of complexity due to the adjustment in combat scope. They were also apparently really expensive to build in-engine, which is why there aren’t as many. “Sky-Lines were a lot of spit and chewing gum and prayers,” he added.
Still, it’s not like Levine was unhappy with the finished product, noting his happiness with the ending. He also had a lot of praise for the development team and voice cast. While it wasn’t exactly what he had envisioned, Levine does recognize its importance to fans. “It may not have been the thing I wanted, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t the thing the audience wanted,” he concluded.
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