This last weekend I got a chance to spend a little time with the Bioshock add-on rooms for the PS3. This PSN download consists of three extra scenarios, completely unrelated to any plot points in the main game, but each of them have quite a bit of fun and challenge, and were a pleasant way to spend a few hours.
The first scenario, A Shocking Turn of Events, is a puzzle-based event. A Little Sister is trapped atop a Ferris wheel somewhere in a Rapture amusement park, and it’s up to the players to rescue her. To start things off, players have no weapons or plasmids (and are, in fact, trapped in a room without any). Through some (often unconventional) means, players must solve puzzles to power the Ferris wheel enough times to free the little tyke. With the bonus presence of a few of Rapture’s denizens, and some severely limited offensive capabilities, this presents a fun little challenge.
The next scenario, The I in Team, is also primarily a puzzler. Here players must defeat a Big Daddy to rescue a little sister. The problem? No weapons or offensive plasmids are available throughout the entire puzzle. This one was probably my favorite of the three outings, allowing me to out-think rather than out-gun that behemoth.
The final room, Worlds of Hurt, is simply a meat grinder. A gauntlet of eight rooms is in place, full of many of Rapture’s meanest, and the players have to fight their way through. Players start out with nothing, but soon can outfit themselves with whatever arsenal of weapons and plasmids they choose. Ammo and hypos are limited, of course, so this is in no way a walk in the park. And the best part? There’s no Vita-Chamber for resurrection. Simply brutal.
The add-on pack is probably best for those that have completed the game, or are at least well-versed in all the ins and outs of Bioshock. None of the challenges are terribly lengthy, but players can re-try to get better times (or on higher difficulties in the Worlds of Hurt), and there are some special collectables for those completists out there. All in all, the add-on is a fun way to burn an afternoon revisiting the joys of Rapture. The more Bioshock we get, the better, in my mind.