Ken Levine explains BioShock Infinite’s ’1999 mode’

Posted January 22, 2012 by Joannes Truyens in News.

BioShock Infinite was recently revealed to have an optional ’1999 mode’, which will make the game considerably more challenging. Irrational’s Ken Levine has now elaborated on what exactly it entails.

BioShock is credited with revitalising the immersive sim, a set of games known and appreciated for their ‘tough but fair’ difficulty. Still, many gamers complained that the BioShock experience was too streamlined, which curtailed that difficulty curve with an overabundance of resources and reversible decisions. The upcoming BioShock Infinite looks set to cater to those who want more challenge for their buck with the recently announced hardcore ’1999 mode’.

Designed to emulate the feel of titles such as System Shock and Deus Ex, the 1999 mode will significantly narrow BioShock Infinite’s specialisation branches. Choosing to focus on one branch will then preclude all others to the point of uselessness.

“If you’re specialized in, say, rifles, and you’re out of ammo for that and you come across a bunch of pistols or rocket launchers or something, you’re going to be not so good with those weapons and you’re going to feel that pain,” said Creative Director Ken Levine in a talk with GameInformer.

“This comes from strategy games for me originally, where you really feel you’re down and you manage to work your way back up to a place of power, but you have a period in the wilderness,” added Levine.

Playing BioShock Infinite in 1999 mode might also net you some resources that won’t be available in regular difficulty modes. “I think there’s a few pieces of content that are custom for 1999 mode, but I don’t want to oversell it. Mostly it’s about playstyle experience. It’s not a different game by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a different style and a different feel.”

When asked what he misses most about the year 1999, Levine said it was still possible then to innovate with genres. “I think there was a sense of experimentation that was going on in the hardcore PC gamer side that you don’t see as much now because you just don’t have the ability to launch different genres in terms of big-budget titles.”

A similar concern has caused Syndicate developer Starbreeze Studios to look past genre conventions as well.

BioShock Infinite definitely looks set to cut a wide swath in its target audience. Why not take a look at our BioShock Infinite preview to see why you ought to be as excited as we are?

Keep an eye on BeefJack for the latest news on BioShock Infinite!

Tagged as 1999 mode, Bioshock, BioShock: Infinite, Irrational Games, Ken Levine