This article contains spoilers for BioShock Infinite .
The recently released BioShock Infinite reveals many possible realities through the tears that Elizabeth opens. We also learn that Columbia is only one of many worlds. Others lie beyond countless lighthouse doors.
It’s kind of beautiful, but these worlds and the people who inhabit them are parallels to each other. Some are good; some are bad. A million versions of Booker DeWitt exist in a million dimensions.
When you compare the cloud city Columbia to the underwater society of Rapture, you start to see all sorts of similarities. GamesBeat spotted a bunch and collected them in the gallery below. Did we miss any? Irrational Games developed both titles, so many different connections are possible.
Welcome to Columbia, a city that floats high above America — and the rest of the world. We see the same societal elitism within Rapture, a society hidden deep below the sea. Both Booker DeWitt, the protagonist of BioShock Infinite, and Jack of the original game must take special travel arrangements to get to their respective destinations. Before arriving, Booker receives a box with everything he needs to find Elizabeth, the girl he’s hired to retrieve from a tower. It contains items like a photograph and a certain special key. Before his plane crashes, Jack of the original BioShock examines a present addressed solely to him. Would he kindly not open it until –? We see a similar note on the door to the lighthouse in Infinite. The lighthouse is a common location in both games. Here’s a look at it in the original. Booker enjoys a nicer journey to the lighthouse than Jack, who must either drown or swim to its docks. While Jack descends into Rapture by entering a bathysphere chamber, Booker rides up to Columbia in a fancy chair. BioShock sure does love its red chairs. Infinite isn’t the first time we’ve seen one. This huge statue and banner greet Jack when he reaches Rapture in Bioshock. Likewise, Booker finds this entrance hall waiting for him in Columbia. The words on both banners are crucial to the games’ stories and their societies’ ideals. Did we mention the statues get bigger? They’re everywhere, and this is one for the record books. Both cities are full of propaganda, like this example from Rapture. It shows a happier side to plasmids than what we actually see from the greedy dystopia. You can’t walk two feet in Columbia without staring at a poster like this one from Fink Manufacturing. Messages appear on the walls as well, like this encrypted code from the rebel group the Vox Populi. Graffiti shows up frequently in the early game, too, such as in this iconic scene. Vending machines line the streets of Columbia, and players find them in Rapture, too. They sell handy items and upgrades. Dollar Bill here appreciates a lady who appreciates value! The Circus of Values machine from BioShock has the same voice as the Dollar Bill vendor in Infinite. Coincidence? Booker drinks vigors, which grant him special abilities. The Possession skill enables him to control enemy machines so they work for him, not against him. A look at the terrible powers of the vigors in Infinite. BioShock uses an equivalent called plasmids. They work the same way, with energy surging from the character’s hands. But Jack injects plasmids while Booker ingests vigors. Who has the bigger break? This screen shows Jack injecting himself with a plasmid. Note the symbolic tattoo on his wrist. Booker has a mark on his hand, too, and it carries its own private meaning. Were both scars self-inflicted? Similarly, the Big Daddy is the king machine of Rapture. Both it and the Songbird have the same bronze look to them, with eyes that glow yellow or red depending on mood. From these schematics, it seems that Songbird and Big Daddy may share a common design. Another nasty foe is Lady Comstock’s vengeful ghost. She’s part herself — a memory — and part Elizabeth’s feelings toward her. Ghosts were present in the original game, too, representing the memories of the dead. In addition, audio diaries served as sources of information from people both dead and alive. Voxophones fulfill the same purpose in Infinite. Big Daddies accompany Little Sisters wherever they go. Don’t let that sweet face fool you. These little girls are vicious killers and harvesters of plasmids. That brings us to another question: Is Elizabeth a Little Sister in another world? By the look of her hair and dress, we think yes. Both possess great power, share a close bond with a protector figure, and can do crazy things with needles.