In the previous two weeks, the developers at Irrational Games have unveiled two of the more fearsome enemies that players will have to confront in Bioshock Infinite when it releases later this year. This week, they’re showing off the creepiest one so far, the Boys of Silence.
Ken Levine the Creative Director at Irrational says that he immediately wanted to include the characters upon seeing the concept art, and it’s no wonder based on the brief images of them seen in the video; these unfortunates have their heads encased in brass helmets that leave them utterly blind. Nate Wells, the game’s Art Director points out the inherent creepiness of enemies whose faces are completely obscured, and that “You can only assume that it’s horrible to be inside that mask”.
These enemies haven’t been shown entering into combat, and may not be able to directly attack the Player, but their mouths are exposed and they can obviously call for back –up from some of the game’s more dangerous creatures.
Shawn Robertson, Bioshock Infinite’s Lead Artist discusses how these characters can’t see the Player, and therefore the levels involving them will have an option for stealth gaming by trying to quietly make it past without making any noise. Ken Levine describes the Boys of Silence as being similar to the cameras from the first Bioshock, but able to follow the Player around.
This week’s video follows the release of last week’s look at the Handy Man, Infinite’s equivalent of the armored Big Daddy characters from the previous two games. These are the game’s tank characters, but much faster and more agile than the Big Daddies from the other games. They are even capable of picking up other characters and throwing them at the Player as projectiles.
Also shown previously in the “Heavy Hitters” series was the Motorized Patriot, a steampunk robot designed to look like George Washington. His heavy gating gun can even be picked up by the Player after defeating the Patriot, then used to mow down other enemies.
Because Infinite is set decades before the other two games, the technology for creating robots and cyborgs is much more primitive, having steampunk elements and clockworks. This is also noticeable in the shape of the horns on the side of the Boys of Silence helmets, which look like antique ear-horns. While it was obviously no fun for the Big Daddies in the first game, the enemies in Infinite seem even worse off.
Also seen in the design scheme of these Heavy Hitters are examples of the game’s recurring theme of excessive patriotism and Xenophobia. Using a robot George Washington to fight off invaders sends a clear message about the political leaning of the Motorized Patriot. Also note the red and white stripes seen on some of the ragged clothing worn by the Handymen.
Each week, Irrational Games is releasing a new dev diary on yet another adversary from the game, but excited Bioshock fans are in for a long wait, because it doesn’t come out until October 16th. Check back with Explosion.com for more preview coverage of the Heavy Hitters and more on Bioshock Infinite’s progress.
