Somewhere below the sea there is a city, one where the best and brightest of the human race live, going above and beyond the general means of politics and the exceptions of the world. It is a place for people to extend their capabilities and achieve things that were not possible because of the lack of freedom. Rapture is a dream, one born from the mind of a visionary, a man with a dream to help the world free from the power of gods or government.
I am Andrew Ryan and I am here to ask you a question:
Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?No, says the man in Washington; it belongs to the poor.
No, says the man in the Vatican; it belongs to God.
No, says the man in Moscow; it belongs to everyone.I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something
different. I chose the impossible. I chose…
Rapture.A city where the artist would not fear the censor.
Where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality.
Where the great would not be constrained by the small.
And with the sweat of your brow,
Rapture can become your city as well.
-Andrew Ryan, Bioshock
From your first view of this city, it is hard to not get excited, this city built under the sea seems so peaceful as you first view it, it is hard not to view it without a dropped jaw. This seeming utopia seems like a place of pure fantasy, something that is not possible. But it is a reality in this world, one that excited and prepares you for the adventures ahead in this seemingly harmless location, the unfortunate side is the idea of a utopia.
For the human race a utopia is impossible, our opinions all vary, our beliefs all get in the way of our connection with other people. Add the advancement of the infinite possibilities and things can only go downhill, Rapture is the dream of a madman one that does not see humanity’s flaws in this view, and sure it is a good dream to look past humanity’s flaws but a dream so far out of reach.
Upon our arrival in this particular location we realize something is not right, the place is falling apart and quickly see a brutal killing that turns a potentially peaceful location to explore into a fight for survival. With Rapture you kept your mind on two things, one was the amazing architecture and the beautiful ocean filled with sea creatures to view. Second though was fear that death could come at any moment from the horrible humanoid creatures that patrol the decaying city, they often appear as if out of nowhere and added a certain ambiance to the already creepy location.
The ambient nature of the location was even echoed through the ocean, as we know Rapture is a creepy place full of mystery and scary creatures. However Rapture is made worse by the ocean, the darkness of the ocean makes Rapture a dimly lit place which often hides things and makes things that much creepier. The use of little sound throughout also made the location much creepier as we hear the screams of Rapture’s residence throughout its dark and creepy halls. Worse still is how it tells the sad story of its residence throughout its hallowed halls, adding to the creepy vibe with that of one of sadness of people lost because of the ideals of the location.
Rapture is a place full of mystery, it establishes itself as a place with so much wonder and it goes beyond the scientific means of how you build a city in the ocean. Rapture leaves you to wonder what happened to its halls, how did the city full to such decay and ruin? As well as how did these creatures come into existence? Rapture begs you to solve the mystery of these questions with us having little idea of what has happened, sure we could theorize about the effects of a fallen utopia but Rapture leads us on a path that makes us explore every fallen piece of this city to uncover the truth.
Rapture is a mystery, it’s idealistic and it’s also a well gaming location, every inch of this underwater location urges us forward to see all that it tries to offer. This is one location I will always remember as one that is honestly creepy but is also mysterious. Rapture is one of my favorite gaming locations and it is enjoyable to think about the ideals of the place, and how it held so much promise for a better future. Now if you excuse me I am going to nervously explore Rapture and analyze the nature of the place and its ideals.
