When the first BioShock game hit the stores in 2007, it was met with critical acclaim for its atmosphere, unique setting, and a story that is still being talked about to this day. With BioShock 4 currently in the pipeline by Cloud Chamber, the series will be making a comeback at some point, and many fans are no doubt excited about that. As a franchise, it's still very much in the cultural consciousness, especially with the next installment in development, and one fan has decided to put a different twist on the games' environments.
In a recent video uploaded to YouTube, creator Flurdeh has used a form of camera trickery to give the world of BioShock an almost adorable look. Using a technique known as tilt-shifting, which essentially changes the orientation or perspective of the lens, the camera shows the city of Rapture and its inhabitants as though they are tiny miniatures. The citizens can be seen milling about the place, and there's even a sequence showing a Big Daddy stomping about, but the tilt-shift trick suddenly makes them look less menacing.
Given how dark the games are, in terms of visuals and themes, Flurdeh's video offers a unique perspective on the underwater dystopian city. Specifically, they say that the tilt-shift footage was taken from the DLC Burial at Sea, which released for BioShock: Infinite. This is also not the first time they've done something like this. A while back, they also used the same camera trick to make the world of Elden Ring look like a miniature model. Both of these examples are not fan-made animations, as they are taken straight from the games themselves, just with this isometric technique implemented.
Even though the first BioShock has one of the most dysfunctional families in gaming, as well as one of the most talked about plot points in recent memory, Flurdeh's tilt-shifting produces quite an effective result, almost detracting from the games' more serious tones. It's actually quite beautiful to look at, especially with the orchestral music playing over the top.
It's been a good while since fans have seen the return of Rapture or the floating city of Columbia, but the first BioShock still influences other games to this day, such as Arkane Studios' Prey in 2017. For that reason, many are undoubtedly looking forward to the next offering, so here's hoping that Cloud Chamber can create something just as memorable as the games that came before it.
A new BioShock game is currently in development.