BioShock holds a special place in the hearts of many players and is often one of the most highly regarded games of its time. Many aspects make it stand out, from its unique setting and art deco design to unforgettable foes like its iconic Big Daddy. But one of BioShock’s best mechanic were the plasmids and power, a staple which appears in all three games in the series.
As is the case with many games, many of BioShock’s the original vision was brought back to save time or to fit into the overall design of the game, and some ideas were later reworked. Between cut content like Rapture Zoo or “Slug Bug Big Daddy” enemy type, BioShock undergo many changes. Plasmids were no exception, as several types of plasmids never made it through development or were reworked and reused in later games.
Speed booster
Although it was shortened early BioShock’s development, the general idea behind this plasmid found its way into the Aero Dash plasmid in BioShock 2s plural. In front of BioShock, this plasmid would have simply given the player a temporary speed boost of up to six seconds, with an extra second of bonus awarded per slot. According to Rapture’s capitalist ethos, it was advertised as a means for people to get work done quickly, and a poster for Speed Booster can be found outside Gardner Delux Modern in Fort Frolic’s Southern Mall.
Telekinesis 2
Another plasmid that made its way into its sequel, Telekinesis, is said to have an improved form for BioShock. Why it was cut from the first game has not been confirmed, but a possible reason could be that Telekinesis was only intended as a utilitarian type of plasmid with no combat utility, and this only changed after BioShock’s reception. Telekinesis was scheduled to join BioShock Infiniteand would have allowed players to steal enemy weapons or deflect bullets so that Telekinesis could be included in BioShock 4 at.
Sanctuary
As with Speed Booster, Sanctuary was torn down in early development and like Telekinesis, it would have served a useful function in protecting the player. According to developers, Sanctuary would have created a protective bubble around players that absorbs all damage, intended to be used while hacking. Early versions of the game left players vulnerable to attacks while hacking, but the hacking method changed to the pipe system that effectively “pauseed” the game. This made the purpose of Sanctuary moot, although the idea behind it is reflected in Natural Camouflage.
Aggressor Irritating
Like Enrage and Security Bullseye, Aggressor Irritant was a plasmid meant to be used directly against enemies. By its effect, the player would have targeted a particular enemy, essentially marking it and causing all other enemies to attack that target. This plasmid was actually seen in early gameplay footage shown by BioShock developer Ken Levine, but was removed from the final version. Without an official explanation, the reason for its exclusion could be that it was too similar to the other plasmids mentioned.
Parasitic Healing
Another plasmid that was later developed was Parasitic Healing, which fired an energy flash at enemies that would restore the player’s health. Among other plasmids in Rapture, it was intended to be a three-phase upgrade, and this plasmid would have been used by other Spider Splicers at various levels, such as Point Prometheus and the Proving Grounds. It is possible that Parasitic Healing has caused balancing challenges BioShock’s fight.
Teleportation
Perhaps the most new plasmid from which BioShock was teleportation, which allowed the player to teleport back to a designated location, allowing them to escape challenging encounters or devise strategies during combat. However, the nature of the plasmid also meant that players could skip scripting events and caused some glitches when used. While the player never uses this plasmid, other enemies apparently do, such as Houdini Splicers and main antagonist Frank Fontaine.
This was discussed in BioShock 2, where in-game lore confirms that the plasmid was never released to the public because it was too unstable. A hidden detail in BioShock 2 show this, because the player can find the teleportation plasmid in the marketing department of Fontaine Futuristics, but it keeps teleporting. The player can repeatedly find it and try to pick it up until a special event is triggered. Big Sisters similarly demonstrate the ability to teleport, although it is suggested that this is due to the blood they ingested as Little Sisters.
Of BioShock 4 in the works under a new developer, fans hope to see plasmids return. While they may have seen several iterations across all the games, these have always remained a staple of the series, and BioShock would arguably not be BioShock without them. Or BioShock 4 reuses one of its earlier plasmids, cut or otherwise, or whether Cloud Chamber Studios wants to start over remains to be seen. Nevertheless, plasmids should exist in BioShock 4 and every future BioShock projects.
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