So, we find ourselves dusting off the skyhook, supping down some fresh Vigors (or Plasmids in this case) and diving afresh into the world of Bioshock: Infinite, this time for its much-anticipated first true DLC package; Burial At Sea.

It’s been a fair old while now since Bioshock: Infinite took the gaming world by storm, garnering pretty much universal review, including from yours truly. First time round Infinite left many demanding more, so it’s perhaps slightly surprising it’s taken this long for Irrational & 2K games to release the first story-driven DLC package.

However, the question that we’re really here to answer is, I suppose, is ‘was it worth the wait?’

Well I’ve got some good news and some bad news for you.

The game takes place not in Infinite’s Columbia, but in the depths of Rapture, iconic setting of the first Bioshock games. This, in and of itself, will be a selling point for many fans of the series, as Rapture is a setting held dear to many. Indeed the switch to the cramped and claustrophobic Rapture is, on the face of it, a key one. Early on in the DLC the gameplay feels much more thematically Bioshock  than it does Infinite, with a dark, oppressive feel as you creep your way through narrow, dank corridors between more open areas. This, coupled with the return of the Splicers, really does give the game a much tighter, more enclosed feeling.  On the other hand, the game is still well and truly Bioshock: Infinite in its mechanics. The combat remains frenetic, if a touch flailing, with the skyhook rather quickly reintroduced. Indeed, the return of tear points and sky hook rails and jump points ensure the gameplay is really just a continuation of Infinite, rather than an evolution. Combat remains more or less the same, barring a switch to the weapon wheel of the first games, allowing you to carry more than two weapons, and while I praised the combat as varied in my original review, time has not been kind to my and many others’) feelings on the matter.

While the combat is solid and steady, it’s still a bit vanilla; not varied or precise enough to engage the FPS veterans and not really presenting much of a learning curve for the less familiar.

As with its parent game, Burial At Sea’s design and voice acting are exemplary. The characters of Booker and Elizabeth reprise their interesting dynamic, albeit from a different angle this time. The feel is very much that of a film noire, with Booker as a private detective and Elizabeth as a femme fatale. The revamped character design for Elizabeth speaks of a much more mature and dark character, in keeping with the setting, which also feeling very familiar at the same time.

Indeed the feeling of ‘more of the same’ is paramount for the duration. Even the initial promise of scarcity of ammunition providing a more survival-horror-esque paradigm akin to the original game was washed away upon encountering the first ammunition store. Once again, there’s nothing inherently wrong with the combat, it’s that despite an opening that promises an amalgamation of Bioshock old and new, this is really just Bioshock new wearing a Bioshock hat, soaked in seawater.

Even the setting is a bit of a tease, with the initial stages of the DLC being set in pre-fall rapture, feeling bright and fresh like the early Infinite Columbia, rapidly descending through unsettling into full-on watery shit-storm in short order. The frustrating thing is that about twenty minutes in you’re whisked off via now traditional panoramic bathysphere journey to a sunken department store, which means you’re back in the run down Rapture of old. It all feels like a bit of a bait and switch.

In fact, that’s kind of what the whole package feels like, a teaser  of what’s to come; a prelude to the true DLC. Clocking in at just about 2 hours when played straight through, Burial At Sea will leave many feeling a bit unfulfilled. The package gives us glimpses of a few things of interest, such as a fusion of old and new Bioshock, a more tense survival theme and a new storyline arc and focus, but that’s just it, they’re glimpses. Burial At Sea feels like teaser trailer equivalent of DLC.

The narrative of the package is a difficult one to judge. I won’t spoil it for you, but it feels rather like a single short stage of the parent game. This could easily be the opening act of an Infinite sequel. Without going into detail, it’s obvious that the purpose of the DLC is to set up the next instalment which is set to be much bigger and extensive.

It hard to give a verdict on Burial At Sea, so obvious it is that it’s basically a placeholder leading up to the main DLC proper. It’s not anything new, really, so if you’re looking for a little bit more Bioshock: Infinite then that’s what you get. If you’re a big fan of the game you’ll mark out at the numerous winks and nods to the main game throughout and if you’re a big fan of the originals, you’ll get a kick out of seeing a glimpse of a previously unseen side of Rapture.

As long as you take it for what it is; a brief distraction to tide you over until the main DLC while giving you some hints of what to come; Burial At Sea is excellent. Of course it is; it’s basically an extra section of Bioshock: Infinite. Go in expecting more of what you got in Infinite and you’ll love it. Just don’t expect it to be anything other than what you’ve seen before

So all that’s left to say really is; would you kindly step back into rapture one more time…

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