What is a game like Bioshock?
It would be hard to find any game that is very similar to Bioshock as it is a stunning piece of incredibly unique work. However, we put together a list of games that do have some similarities, no one game offers everything Bioshock does but each has its’ own little nugget that you might find enjoyable.
1. Dishonored Series
The Dishonored Franchise was inspired by the first two Thief games and it really shows when you play the game. The stealth mechanic is almost as well executed as it is in the Thief games, but instead of sneaking in to steal things you are sneaking in to kill people. You also have supernatural powers at your disposal, there is a fair amount of gore, and the graphics are dramatically better than they are in the Thief games.
It is a first-person killing game that shoots off in a different direction from the norm. Bioshock shoots off in a different direction with its DNA alteration mechanic, and Dishonored does it with its supernatural element. If you have completed the Bioshock games and you are looking for something
2. System Shock 2
System Shock 2 has a way of feeling more first-person than any other game. Maybe it is because the view screen experiences interference as if you truly are looking through a robotic/electronic viewer. In addition, things feel very close and intimate. Your hands are not casually dawdling at the very bottom of the screen, they are up and close. You even look at items when you pick them up, which is what you would normally do if you were in that situation.
System Shock 2 is not as creative as Bioshock when it comes to fighting but System Shock 2 does draw you deeper into the story and the feeling of immersion. Enemies that appear in Bioshock feel more like a challenge, whereas the monsters that appear in System Shock 2 feel a little more threatening. Being so close, even to a dumb looking robot, gives an impending feeling of danger. That feeling is amplified by the fact you spend most of your time getting close to enemies and hitting them with heavy objects.
3. Dead Space
This list has so far managed to capture something special about each game that relates directly back to Bioshock. Dishonored offers a twist on traditional FPS fighting mechanics like Bioshock does. System Shock 2 manages to amplify the feeling if immersion that Bioshock produces.
Nobody is accusing Bioshock of being slow though! Enemies are quite happy to lunge at you and start nibbling on your naughty parts in quick succession and without pausing to say hello.
However, Dead Space is a game populated with unspeakable horrors that have inhuman claws, teeth and other appendages that could stab you with ease. The enemies in Bioshock may raise a dry smirk on your smug face as they appear while you manufacture a throwing bomb but Dead Space wipes that smirk off your face as you manically smash the shooting buttons with balls of your sweaty fists to try and stop the snarling beast ahead from turning your character’s head into a skewered cocktail onion.`
4. Horizon Zero Dawn
Fancy a jaunt around an ancient Jurassic landscape that is populated by killer automatons and dino-looking robots that put a Michael Bay Transformer movie to shame?
Well Horizon Zero Dawn will make you jump for joy as live your dreams of running around a mechanic dino infested land while attempting not to die.
You are a hunter who starts out with a bow and then gets more extravagant weapons later on. You are surrounded by mechanized creatures. You can sneak past some of them or distract them in some way while you escape or attack from behind. You collect loot from the creatures after you destroy them which you can use to craft weapons or trade in at towns.
Remember when you first started playing Bioshock and a lot of the process involved trial and error because you had no idea which weapon combinations would be the most effective and you had no idea which augmentations were the best?
That same trial and error skill will come in handy while playing Horizon Zero Dawn.
In fact, you may like to consider Bioshock your “trial and error testing” teacher where you hone the skills needed to play Horizon Zero Dawn.
Also, word of advice, don’t go attacking a T-Rex sized monster in the beginning…you will die… The game is very unforgiving if you attempt to take on a creature you are not prepared for yet.
5. Deus Ex
Taking a further step away from the core gameplay mechanic that Bioshock offers, you have Deus Ex, which is a third-person perspective game that doesn’t have the weapons and fighting focus that Bioshock has.
The thing that Deus Ex has in common with Bioshock is a little less obvious. As you play Deus Ex, you have to make numerous decisions and, as you progress, you notice that these decisions have a direct effect on the game, how the storyline progresses, and how the NPC characters treat you.
Bioshock has a smattering of moral dilemmas that ask you to make choices that will affect the ending of the game.
Deus Ex has a far more advanced decision-making feature where your experiences will depend heavily on how you decide to play the game. Deus Ex may not quench your thirst for dynamic fighting methods in the same way that Bioshock does, but its moral and intellectual decision functions may tickle your interest.
6.Urban Chaos: Riot Response
This old and forgotten PS2 game has an over-the-top gunshot mechanic that is vaguely similar to Bioshock.
7. Borderlands
It isn’t as deep or as textured (both visually and contextually) as Bioshock, but it is a pretty and gritty first-person action shooter.
8. Red Dead Redemption
Fight in an epic battle for survival in an open-world Western environment.
9. Fallout
The 3D versions have a few things in common with Bioshock, but the action is a little more spread out.
10. Mass Effect
One could argue that it veers to far away from Bioshock’s gameplay to count as a similar game (a little like Deus Ex), but many first-person shooter fans enjoy this third-person shooter just as much.
If we left out any games you think are like Bioshock, leave a comment and let us know!
