Chapter 663: The Shepherd (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Chapter 663: The Shepherd (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

The guard immediately grabbed Zhang Yi's wrist.

The cutscene camera shifted Zhang Yi's view to the back of his hand, where the letters A and D were written.

"Alright, where did you get that mark? Boy, do you know that makes you a backstabbing, lurking false shepherd?"

"We won't let false shepherds infiltrate, haha!"

"Give him a lesson, boys!"

Zhang Yi instantly understood.

In Columbia, the Sky City, there had always been rumors that a false shepherd would lead the lambs away.

And wasn't Booker's purpose in coming to Columbia, the Sky City, to take Elizabeth away?

If that was the case, didn't it all make sense?

So Elizabeth, the daughter of the Prophet Comstock, was hailed as a lamb. And Booker was the false shepherd who came to take Elizabeth away.

But how did the Prophet know about this?

Could the Prophet truly foresee the future?

And what about that warning card the newsboy gave him earlier?

And who were that mysterious brother and sister who made Booker flip a coin before the gashapon?

A string of question marks appeared in Zhang Yi's mind.

However, he didn't have much time to ponder these questions now.

Because the scene before him presented an even greater impact.

Columbia, the Sky City, had initially been as dreamy as paradise.

But now, Columbia was still Columbia, yet it was a Columbia filled with blood and violence.

With a chainsaw weapon like a windmill, he split open the head of a guard trying to apprehend Booker.

Blood splattered, making the entire game screen intensely bizarre.

However, it was clear to Zhang Yi at this point that BioShock was not a purely FPS game.

Similar to the storyline of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the story accounted for a large proportion.

But compared to the former, the story of BioShock seemed very complex.

After all, in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, it was clear from the beginning what the story was about.

It was nothing more than Price and his team thwarting the conspiracies of various ambitious individuals, and later avenging their fallen comrades.

But BioShock Infinite, up until now, had filled Zhang Yi's mind with confusion, just like playing Souls-like games, with countless mysteries clouding his thoughts.

Aside from knowing that Booker was going to take Elizabeth to pay off a debt, everything else was a mystery.

Could the Prophet truly foresee the future? Who built Columbia, the Sky City? Why did Booker's employer want to take Elizabeth away?

However, apart from the bewildering plot, the game's combat made Zhang Yi feel quite novel.

Unlike Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's pure "bang bang bang" shooting, BioShock was like an RPG-type game.

Moreover, the game also allowed the use of unique Vigors (powers) to assist in combat.

A Vigor in the left hand and a firearm in the right – it was incredibly cool.

The only thing that left Zhang Yi feeling a little flustered was that the game didn't use the "breathing to recover health" method found in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

Instead, it adopted a fixed health bar, like most games, meaning players had to search for health packs in the game.

Zhang Yi chose the Normal difficulty, and occasionally, when he got too reckless, his health felt a bit insufficient.

What Zhang Yi didn't know was that this design was intentional on Chen Xu's part.

Compared to a fixed health bar, the biggest advantage of the "breathing to recover health" method was allowing players to immerse themselves in the game's story, providing a silky-smooth experience.

However, a fixed health bar creates a sense of detachment because players, when low on health, actively seek out health packs, which can interrupt immersion.

But in BioShock Infinite, there was a very important point: Elizabeth.

In the game, once Booker meets Elizabeth, she joins his team and provides various forms of assistance.

Health packs were one of the things Elizabeth provided, thereby building the player's bond with her.

There was no perfect solution; it often required making trade-offs, and in BioShock Infinite, the emotional connection between Elizabeth and the player was clearly more important.

His identity exposed, Booker no longer hid and fought his way towards Monument Island where Elizabeth was held.

As the game's story progressed, arriving at the Customs House and having his first conversation with Comstock's projection, Zhang Yi's confusion deepened further.

Comstock, heralded as a Prophet, truly seemed capable of foreseeing the future, accurately stating Booker's identity and background.

Even the conversation between the employer and Booker.

'I know why you've come, false shepherd.'

'I see the original sins that defile your soul – Wounded Knee, private detective, alcoholism, gambling, and of course, Anna.'

'Now, to pay off your debts, you also want my lamb? But Booker, not all debts can be repaid.'

He managed to hijack Comstock's airship, but then Comstock himself appeared, making the people in the airship commit suicide and turn into flames, causing the airship to crash.

So Booker had no choice but to take a Leap of Faith.

This was also where Zhang Yi felt the thrill, using his sky-hook to glide along the sky-rails.

Suffering from acrophobia, even if he didn't look down, just seeing the surrounding white clouds made his legs tremble slightly.

If he fell, he'd probably turn into Zhang Yi puree.

The various mysteries filled Zhang Yi with curiosity – Comstock's origins, and for some unknown reason, Booker kept getting nosebleeds throughout the process.

Was Booker suffering from a terminal illness? But that wouldn't be so cliché, would it?

Zhang Yi's accumulated mysteries grew ever larger.

Of course, besides these mysteries, BioShock Infinite's presentation also left Zhang Yi amazed.

Although he only had about an hour of gameplay, Zhang Yi clearly felt the unique aspects of Columbia, the Sky City.

Religion, race, and steampunk.

In the game, Columbia, the Sky City, could be described as a standard dystopian city.

Under the leadership of Prophet Comstock, people seemingly lived in peace and prosperity, just like the vibrant colors of the Sky City.

But in reality, this Sky City was filled with severe racism and exploitation.

Franklin, Washington, and Jefferson were treated as gods in the game, worshipped by the people of Columbia.

Meanwhile, Lincoln was referred to as the Satan of Hell, a Demon, an heretical existence in Columbia.

It could be said that Columbia, the Sky City, harbored extreme racism.

These elements were showcased through various details in the game, rather than just serving as a mere background.

This made Zhang Yi even more excited to see how the game would continue to present these aspects in the later content.

(End of Chapter) <>