Editor’s note: Craig shares a poignant experience with Bioshock that caused him to pause and rethink his course of action. Have any of you had similar experiences when a game made you stop and just watch what was unfolding before you? – Rob
With my heart slowing and health bar dropping, I sprinted through Rapture’s Mercury Suites for the cure to my gradual death-by-mind-control. I found it at the top of the three-story apartment complex.
On the way back down, I took my sweet time, checking every nook for extra ammunition, secret tonics, and weapon-upgrade stations. I examined the map every ten steps to make sure I hadn’t missed a single room.
One thing gave me pause. Rushing through the doorway of the late Sander Cohen’s residence, I heard classical music coming from the next room. This far into Bioshock I knew that paying attention to audio signals was the best way to prepare for whatever threat lay ahead, but I wasn’t ready for what came next.
As I crept closer to Cohen’s ballroom, I brought out my crossbow. Two splicers stood before me, but I didn’t pull the trigger yet. To my surprise, they were dancing — waltzing, actually. This was unlike anything I’d seen in Rapture.
Splicers’ psychotic antics had faded into the background for me. Deranged muttering, violent screams and cheerful singing — they were just cues. Yellow traffic lights. But this was something else. This was beautiful. The couple danced and danced — seemingly oblivious to their ragged, blood-stained formal attire just as they were to the decomposing world around them. They were more human to me than any of the supposedly sane individuals I had encountered. While I raced to find a way out of this miserable hellhole, they had already found their escape hatch.
Afraid to move closer, I stood in the shadows and stared as the dancers repeated their steps. I checked my map. I would have to go through this room to continue my obsessive treasure hunt. Who knows what fortunes lay upstairs? But I didn’t want to startle them, and I certainly didn’t want to have to kill them.
Zooming in on the twirling couple, I aimed my crossbow again. But I couldn’t do it. It wasn’t worth it. After one last look, I turned around and walked away.
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