[HTML1]

Fans of BioShock: Infinite who can't help but long for the underwater architecture and story lines of Rapture have much to look forward to. After Irrational Games announced that the first DLC for the game, "Burial At Sea" would be sending players back to Rapture, elation quickly gave way to questions.

How would the characters of Booker and Elizabeth being present in Rapture be explained, if at all? As the launch of "Burial at Sea: Episode 1" approaches, the studio has released another documentary-style trailer hinting at the larger mysteries of the game's story. It seems one young woman escapes the fate of Rapture, but how she's related to either of the leads will only be explained when the developers decide.

Irrational boss Ken Levine has already offered a few details concerning the structure of "Burial at Sea" to keep fans from pulling their hair out. First, the DLC will allow players to once again step into the shoes of Infinite's hero Booker DeWitt, now a private investigator in the underwater city. The overall mystery he's been hired to solve (by a femme fatale version of Elizabeth), and how the pair have been dropped into Rapture will make sense eventually, but we do know that the first episode will bring a new type of combat, while the second lets players take control of Elizabeth.

The first(?) meeting between Booker and Elizabeth kicks off on New Year's Eve 1958, meaning players will be able to see the sprawling art deco city of Rapture at the height of its opulence, just hours before it began its sharp decline into decay. Expect Booker and Elizabeth's mission to intertwine with that fall in ways that should enrich the memory and experiences of every fan of the original BioShock.

Despite the setting, Irrational maintains that the DLC is a continuation of Infinite's story specifically, even if the slower pacing (and increased importance of setting traps ahead of combat encounters) may take more of its cues from the first game in the series.

[gallery link="file" columns="2" ids="203720,203721"]

Casual observers might wonder how a campaign set more than twenty years after Infinite's, with the characters located elsewhere, un-aged, and with no memory of one another could make sense. But for those who actually completed (and understood) Infinite's ending, anything is possible. And since Levine has gone on record as saying that the questions players will immediately ask are going to be answered, we'd bet that the DLC will end with a surprise revelation of its own.

For a look at the new environments of Rapture, and some firsthand impressions, check out Gamespot's video preview below:

[HTML2]

Since this is only the first episode of a story-based expansion, fans should likely keep their expectations in check, both in regards to campaign length and the amount of mysteries that will be put to rest in "Burial at Sea"s first act. Especially if the campaign will be taking its cues from the much slower burn of BioShock.

We'd say the journey to Rapture would be worth it simply to be treated to more top-caliber voice acting from Troy Baker (Booker) and Courtnee Draper (Elizabeth), but what are your hopes for the DLC? Are you willing to wait out a strong story, or does the time required to finish each episode of the DLC have you anxious? Share your thoughts in the comments.

_____

BioShock: Infinite is available now for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. “Burial at Sea: Episode 1” is expected to release by the end of 2013.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

Source: Gamespot