The game can be praised for many things, namely its storytelling, mechanics, and excellent setting.

BioShock owes much of its success to its setting. This game told a story through its environment; the environment is a true character in the game. In BioShock, much of the mystery stems from the question of how the Art Deco-style world of Rapture became the ruins it is.

The city of Rapture is full of oddities and grotesque characters, but in most levels, there is a villainous psychopath who taunts us and then attempts to kill us in a climactic battle.

Level design involves placing objects along the player's path to shape gameplay. The setting of the game determines what these obstacles are—whether it's a blocked door in PREY or a demon in DOOM. However, in BioShock, the levels are likely to be executed in the Art Deco style.

Art Deco is a style that emerged in 1925 in France and later spread to the United States and Western Europe. This style heavily emphasizes geometric shapes, vertical lines, vibrant colors, and lavish ornamentation

This combination of classical design with the use of modern materials and imagery emerged as a result of rapid industrialization.

The game takes place in 1960, but the city of Rapture was founded in 1920, which is reflected in the architecture and character design.

The picture on the left, in the Art Deco style, is an example of the geometric silhouette of that period and the industrial motifs that are often present. On the right, the silhouette of Rapture is almost identical, reflecting the clear lines of its buildings.

Geometric patterns and vibrant colors, a classic example of Art Deco style. The same lines were used in the interior of BioShock, and they appear throughout the game.

The developers train the process long before the start of the game. The Medical Pavilion is the place where BioShock begins to spread its wings. This area is less linear than the previous one, but it makes it more engaging and rewarding.

The vending machines are intentionally placed in quiet areas where there are no enemies, so we can safely explore them.

After picking up the vending machine, which provides relatively long-range weaponry, we are attacked by a group of enemies who attack from a distance. The game does not explicitly tell us that the vending machine is effective at a distance; it encourages us to come to that conclusion ourselves. We will start shooting at the enemies with the machine gun as soon as they begin to attack us, and by firing at enemies with the vending machine, we can understand the strengths of this weapon.

When we enter the Medical Pavilion, we are greeted by a grim scene: grotesque paintings scattered throughout the pavilion, messages written in blood, and strange patients painting a picture of someone who has gone insane and caused so much suffering due to their obsession with asymmetry.

Passing through the pavilion, we can see a passage frozen with ice, and not far away, we can find a signboard where the word "flame" is written, and fire is burning. Many, upon finding ice in their path, will understand that they need to melt it in order to clear the way. We are given a hint right nearby to push us in the right direction. The developers once again provide enough information but do not stop at specifying exactly what needs to be done.

Exploring the crematorium, we come across a huge puddle. We need to get to another room through a hole. After obtaining the plasma, enemies attack us, and we can fight back and ignite the puddle of gasoline. Again, everything is arranged so that we ourselves must decide what to do, and the hole drew our attention to the puddles of gasoline surrounding the room.

After these trials, we are experienced enough to confront the boss, but our path is blocked, and we need to find another plasmid to clear the way.

We come across a shotgun lying on the floor, and the moment we pick it up, everything suddenly darkens, and enemies attack us at close range. This area is designed to test the shotgun, and we immediately understand how to make the most of it without explicit instructions.

Next, we can acquire a new telekinesis plasmid, and we are immediately given the opportunity to familiarize ourselves with this new ability. By pressing the button, tennis balls will be thrown at us, which we can catch with telekinesis and throw back at trophies. In the same area, there is also a zone where we can learn the new plasmid. An enemy approaches the corpse to inspect it, and there is a nearby gas canister that the player can throw at the enemy. This is also a lesson that certain items in the environment can also be used in combat.

All that's left for us to do is to fight Steinman. In this boss battle, we strive to apply as many plasmid skills as we've learned. The lower floor is filled with water and is perfect for the electroshock plasmid, while in the main battle area, there are both oil puddles and gas canisters that can be used in the fight.

By the end of the Medical Pavilion, we will have acquired most of the knowledge necessary for the rest of the game and experienced most of the mechanics. This location teaches us new tricks and presents it in a way that we don't realize we're being taught something, and it's all wrapped up in the story.

There were many eccentrics, but the most prominent is Sander Cohen in his location, Fort Frolic. This location is often considered the best in BioShock.

Fort Frolic is an illuminated by neon lights, trade and cultural district of Rapture, housing theaters, casinos, and tobacco shops.

This should be a short stop, but Sander Cohen lowers our bathysphere, replacing it with a mask and dancers. Additionally, Cohen seizes our radio, confirming that Fort Frolic is solely dedicated to Sander Cohen.

The rooms and shops are filled with his twisted creations, including ballerinas with garbage bags on their heads and plaster figures. Additionally, all audio diaries are written by Cohen or about him.

One part of Fort Frolic is Poseidon Plaza, a level that uses massive signs and pointers.

Poseidon Plaza is teeming with spider splicers, and thanks to the dark floors and sounds of enemies, we are more likely to hear them than see them.

To use the weapon upgrade station, you need to pass through plaster figures, and after we use the station, all plaster figures disappear from their places. After this, Poseidon Plaza is teeming with plaster mutants, and they don't shout or sing, making them difficult to find, especially in dark places.

Plaster mutants can appear where we aren't looking, in places we've already explored, and in static poses. And they only appear if we use the weapon upgrade station.

The atmosphere is not surprising when you consider that Fort Frolic was designed by Jordan Thomas, who previously worked on Thief: Deadly Shadows, a stealth action game where the idea of dimly lit levels was actively used.

Sander Cohen asks us to eliminate three of his disciples, and from each, we gain different battle experiences. Martin hides among the ice statues. With Bob, we engage in a traditional battle with mutants before facing Bob himself. And Hector attempts to flee from us while throwing Molotov cocktails at us.

Every time we photograph them, we are rewarded. We can either wander around or simply collect all the photos and insert them into Cohen's masterpiece, but each photo we place rewards us.

After the third painting, Cohen throws a bunch of enemies at us, but this is set to the music of The Nutcracker, and the enemies are given little health so that they die almost instantly. We realize that we are putting on a show for Sander Cohen, performing a twisted ballet.

Throughout the level, a spotlight illuminates us like a theatrical actor. We are always part of Sander Cohen's show, so when we place the last photograph, Cohen doesn't try to kill us like other antagonists. He appears and admires our joint efforts. Cohen awards us a prize and lets us go further.

Sander Cohen is one of the few in Rapture who simply stands before us rather than being behind bulletproof glass and doesn't try to kill us.

We can try to kill him and we will get the key to another of his treasures, or simply leave him, and there is no obvious moral choice. Cohen spared our lives because he believed we would not appreciate him properly, and he repelled anyone who disagreed with his vision and ideals. By not killing him, we respect his artistic vision no matter how twisted it may be. In BioShock, there is no dialogue system, and we can only interact with the world through gunfire.

With Sander Cohen in Fort Frolic, we encounter a completely different type of antagonist. We must see the world through his eyes, we need to perform for him, we must cooperate throughout our stay in Fort Frolic, and in the end, we need to make a choice: does he deserve to die for what he's done, or do we have some sympathy?

We can try to kill him and we will get the key to another of his treasures, or simply leave him, and there is no obvious moral choice. Cohen spared our lives because he believed we would not appreciate him properly, and he repelled anyone who disagreed with his vision and ideals. By not killing him, we respect his artistic vision no matter how twisted it may be. In BioShock, there is no dialogue system, and we can only interact with the world through gunfire.

With Sander Cohen in Fort Frolic, we encounter a completely different type of antagonist. We must see the world through his eyes, we need to perform for him, we must cooperate throughout our stay in Fort Frolic, and in the end, we need to make a choice: does he deserve to die for what he's done, or do we have some sympathy?