Unlocked with the Konami code at the main menu, BioShock Infinite’s just-revealed “1999 Mode” has been created specifically for old-school fans of Irrational’s catalogue. In other words, that game the developer released in 1999 on a desolate ship infected with a malevolent AI.
“We want to give our oldest and most committed fans an option to go back to our roots,” says Irrational’s Creative Director Ken Levine on Irrational Insider. “In 1999 Mode, gamers face more of the permanent consequences of their gameplay decisions. In BioShock Infinite, gamers will have to sweat out the results of their actions. In addition, 1999 Mode will demand that players pick specializations, and focus on them.”
What this means is the game’s “nostrums” – the equivalent of BioShock’s Gene Tonics – will be permament choices. Additionally, players will need to specialise in certain weapons, and using other weapons outside that family will come at a huge disadvantage, whilst available resources will be scarce. It’s a way to prevent players from becoming a jack-of-all-trades, and requiring them to think a little deeper about their pre-combat character choices and in-combat actions.
“We wanted to make sure we were taking into account the play styles of gamers like me,” says Levine to Newsarama.com. “So we went straight to the horse’s mouth by asking them, on our website, a series of questions about how they play our games. 94.6 percent of respondents indicated that upgrade choices enhanced their BioShock gameplay experience; however, 56.8 percent indicated that being required to make permanent decisions about their character would have made the game even better.”
Select abilities and character upgrades will only appear in 1999 mode, but other than that it’s mostly about recreating an old-school play experience in a contemporary game – and it’s something we’re thrilled to see implemented. Will your first playthrough of BioShock Infinite be on 1999 Mode?
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