Bioshock: Infinite Challenges You to Chop Down A Robotic Washington

Did you really think that clockwork bird-men were going to be your biggest challenge? Irrational Games scoffs at you and introduces the biggest part of their Heavy Hitters enemy-type, the Motorized Patriot. This one in particular has a familiar face, because it’s a Steampunk-esque robotic version of America’s first president, George Washington. Oh, and it has a minigun.

Creative director Ken Levine and art director Nate Wells insist that you won’t be passing the George with ease, either. He is big, made of metal, and carries a very large minigun, known as the Peppermill. Your character can actually equip said gun, if you manage to take down the robo-founder with the creepy porcelain face.

While we don’t know what other enemies belong in the Heavy Hitter category, we do know a whole lot about the universe of BioShock: Infinite, thanks to an information breakdown from Craig Pearson over at RockPaperShotgun. If you’ve managed to miss a trailer or two, you likely don’t understand who the woman in the blue dress with all the powers is or why everyone is gunning each other down in a sky-town.

The most prominent characteristic of the game is that it takes place within a fictional American city, which has been built to be airborne, so as to highlight all the prowess of a young nation. The whole facility is dripping with patriotism, nationalist pride, and unchecked xenophobia and racism. Like the original BioShock, it showcases political philosophy gone to extremes, with a nice science fiction twist.

You play as Brooker DeWit, a detective hired to hunt down a woman with a unique power, known simply as Elizabeth. While the possibilities of her ability are mostly unknown, seemingly even to her, she is seen in this footage opening a portal to a past period of time, which she believes can bring a dead horse back to life. Struggling with the power, she briefly hurtles both characters into an alternate future, where a theatre marquee in the background is showing an alternate reality Star Wars film.

It’s for this reason that the two groups seceding from the “American utopia” shoot, stab, lynch, and destroy each other over their differing ideals and lust for power. You and Elizabeth are right in the middle of it and, to make matters worse, a massive steel bird-man creature is pursuing you, although its intentions are unclear at this point.

What this all amounts to is a Steampunk Civil War in the sky with time-bending powers, miniguns, robotic presidents, airborne combat, winged steel bird monsters, and a lot of explosions. It’s a wonderful year for gaming.