- Burial at Sea Episode 2 was reviewed via the BioShock Infinite Season Pass that I purchased.
Take heed of my generic plot spoiler warning, if you are yet to finish Burial at Sea Episode 1, then I strongly recommend not reading on.
Episode 2 follows on directly where Episode 1 left off, but only this time we are playing this episode as Elizabeth. Liz is on the verge of having a bullet put through her head by Atlas and his henchmen, but then an apparition of Booker appears before her eyes (and her eyes only), instructing her to tell them that she can lead them to Doctor Suchong and he will be the key to leading them to the very profitable Little Sisters. Liz doesn’t know if she can trust this apparition of Booker, but considering her brains were to be splattered, she had little choice not to take up his advice and as it turns out, Booker has saved her life…for now at least.
Liz begins her pursuit of finding Doctor Suchong in the hope that she will not only come out of this ordeal alive, but she will able to escape the hellish underwater utopia of Rapture. Though this time, Liz is not the all power tear ripping character that we knew of in the main campaign of Bioshock Infinite, those powers have long gone. Now she must rely on the voice in her head of Booker DeWitt and he will hopefully lead her to some kind of safety and the odd Plasmids to help her take on the bad guys.
This time with Booker officially out of the way (well kind of), Liz brings in a different variation of gameplay to our previous protagonist. As Liz doesn’t have the powers that she once had, she must mostly rely on stealth tactics to make it our alive. While some sections of previous Bioshock games did feature sections that required some stealth, it’s certainly a main focus here in Episode 2. Liz will use the traditional method of sneaking up behind a Splicer in the crouch position, before clubbing them over the head to knock them unconscious. If they see you, events can get a little messy indeed and in most cases will result in a checkpoint restart.
Liz can get by a number of ways, most notably via the simple crouch which will restrict the noise she makes while moving. But beware of objects on the ground such as broken glass, which will alert any nearby Splicer’s. There are also various air shafts that Liz can squeeze into (larger than those used by the Little Sisters); this gives you the added option of sneaking by unnoticed or perhaps even flanking an unsuspecting Splicer.
Thankfully despite not being able to open up tears, Liz will have a number of handy weapons and Plasmids to aid her journey. Weapon wise you mostly have your bog standard weapons, such as the hand cannon, but there is also the very reliable cross-bow gun, which you will rely on a lot. As I’m sure you know, regardless of the game, the cross-bow is one of the most utilised stealth weapons that you can find. Taking down the enemy with silent, but deadly precision. During the opening sections of the game, you will have two kinds of arrow-darts to fire from the cross-bow.
One dart will tranquilise the enemy, bringing them down in an instant. The other dart will ring a very loud alarm noise. Fire this useful dart against the wall and it will alert any nearby Splicer to its location, giving you the opportunity to sneak on by. Another new type of dart that you will acquire is the Knock-Out Gas dart, which does exactly what you’d expect. Its particularly handy when faced with more than one foe.
Also prior to Episode 2 Booker relied heavily on Liz’s lock-picking skills, it was a talent that was taken for granted without much thought. Well now in Episode 2, we get to perform Liz’s lock-picking skills via a mini-game. How this would work is that you’d approach the required lock (and you must have the necessary lock-picks) and then you must press the action button when the lock-pick moves across the blue peg. Pretty simple stuff, but should you land the lock-pick in a red peg, then an alarm will be triggered and the Splicer’s will come flocking to your location. So well timed precision is they ‘key’, sorry I couldn’t help myself.
Liz will also have a number of Plasmids that she can use, some you will find as you naturally progress through the episode and other may require a little searching on the dark corners. Many of these Plasmids you will already be accustom to, such as the Possession, but there is also new additions to aid the stealth mechanic, such as the Peeping Tom. When you trigger the Peeping Tom Plasmid you will be able to see through nearby walls and any Splicer’s that may lurk around the next corner, giving you a distinct advantage whether you want to attack or sneak past those pesky Splicer’s.
I’m not alone in saying that I loved the art style and location of Bioshock Infinite, but considering that 90% of the game is sunny, bright and beautiful, it perhaps took that feeling of dark suspense that previous games in the series had, especially with the original game. So as with Episode 1, Episode 2 returns with its dark, damp Rapture that would not look out of place in any chilling horror tale. From my own personal preference, I absolutely love the dark visuals of Episode 1 & 2, and as much as I loved Bioshock Infinite, I wish it had continued on with this tradition, but perhaps not in the Rapture setting. A dark, eerie Colombia would certainly have been my preference of setting, rather than the sunny glaze that we know of today. Mixed in with the intense stealth gameplay, this returning eerie look is one of the main reasons that I love Burial at Sea, more so with Episode 2.
Despite its more action orientated approach, it was Bioshock Infinites gripping story with its twist and turns that kept many gamers hooked into its world, Episode 2 is no exception. With Liz taking the playable lead, Courtnee Draper does an amazing job being her voice and with the likes of Troy Baker voicing Booker DeWitt and the returning Karl Hanover providing the creepy voice of Atlas, Burial at Sea Episode 2 is one of the most well told stories that you will find in any DLC, perhaps better than most full retain games. But would you really expect anything less from Irrational Games? Through in the spine chilling soundtrack, then you have a conjunction that fans of the series will appreciate as it gives a nod of nostalgia to the original Bioshock.
I can’t remember how long it exactly took me to finish Episode 2, but I would say that it couldn’t have taken much longer than 2-3 hours, which perhaps left many gamers feeling a little short changed and craving more. That is not a problem with Episode 2, of course it all depends on the individual playing, but with this latest episode you could easily be looking at between 3-5 hour’s worth of gameplay.
Though I have no doubts that come the finale of Episode 2, you will be craving for much more, this time for all the right reasons. It would be criminal to play Episode 2 only once and I would always recommend a second playthrough, just in case you may have missed some Plasmids and the hidden audio logs.
Plasmids, audio logs, 1998 mode and difficulty settings aside there is every reason to play both Episode 1 and 2 again, just for the sheer enjoyment alone. Hell, I’d even go as far as saying it may even be worth having a Bioshock Infinite marathon with the main game and both downloadable episodes. I think I may have found a theme for my gaming charity marathon for next year. Bottom line is, regardless of what kind of gamer that you are, you not only have to experience Bioshock Infinite, but you owe it to yourself as a gamer to play both episodes of Burial at Sea.
The tale that has been told in Burial at Sea and the manner in which we have revisited Rapture and its iconic inhabitants, there’s no better way for this game to bow out. Burial at Sea Episode 2 is nothing short of a masterpiece in gaming and is truly the Bioshock series at its peak and when you consider Bioshock Infinite, Burial at Sea Episode 1 & 2, this as a whole is the true sequel to the original classic.
Finishing Episode 2 gave me that same feel of fulfilment after watching a great movie as it gave me a sense of closure, but still left me craving more. Now we must kick start the agonising wait until Irrational Games (now under the name of Take-Two) gift us with another modern day classic. So with that in mind, I would like to openly thank Ken Levine and his extremely talented staff for the amazing work that they have brought us. Now “would you kindly” go and play Bioshock Infinite, Burial at Sea Episode 1 & 2, and whilst you’re at it, why not play the original Bioshock too.