BioShock 4: The Case for and Against a Voiced Protagonist

Key Takeaways

A voiced protagonist in BioShock 4 could enhance the game’s storytelling and characterization.
A voiced protagonist may take away from player immersion and impose limitations, conflicting with the series’ tradition of silent protagonists.
BioShock 4’s choice between a voiced or silent protagonist could significantly impact the gameplay experience and narrative depth.

Nearly five years after official confirmation of its development, BioShock 4 is still mostly in limbo, with any information about it only coming down to unconfirmed rumors and leaks. However, given that it has been over a decade since the release of the last BioShock game, BioShock Infinite, BioShock 4 could be exploring features that defy series tradition, including the possibility of featuring a voiced protagonist.

If BioShock 4 were to feature a voiced protagonist, it wouldn’t be the first game in the series to do so, as BioShock Infinite featured the fully-voiced Booker DeWitt. After BioShock and BioShock 2 both featured silent protagonists, it was a bit of a shock when Booker’s voice rang out for the first time in BioShock Infinite. Even so, it had its benefits and its downsides, and now a case remains for and against BioShock 4 to follow suit.

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The Positive and Negative Effects of BioShock 4 Having a Voiced Protagonist

A Voiced Protagonist for BioShock 4 Would Enhance Storytelling and Characterization

On the positive side of things, a voiced protagonist for BioShock 4 would enhance the characterization of the protagonist, as well as the game’s narrative. This is true of any game, but a voiced protagonist for BioShock 4 could help develop a distinct personality for the character, making them feel like an integral part of the world rather than just a player avatar. Additionally, while the player’s emotions and reactions are important, a voiced protagonist for BioShock 4 would allow those emotions to be conveyed through the character themselves and onto the world and characters around them, thereby adding depth to their relationships.

Since BioShock has arguably always been about its story more than its gameplay, having a voiced protagonist in BioShock 4 might result in a more cinematic storytelling experience, where the players are more or less the witnesses of the story rather than the wheels driving the plot forward. A voiced protagonist would also allow BioShock 4 to have more detailed cutscenes that actually feature the protagonist from a third-person perspective, as opposed to intermittent first-person dialogue and event breaks.

This would make it more like MachineGames’ upcoming
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
, which uses a first-person perspective during gameplay and occasionally shifts to third-person during cutscenes.

A Voiced Protagonist for BioShock 4 Could Dampen Immersion and Restrict Player Agency

Of course, having a voiced protagonist in BioShock 4 wouldn’t come without its downsides, with the most prominent one being a potential decrease in player immersion. First-person games are generally built specifically to immerse players in their worlds by giving them a more intimate connection with the protagonist — one where the line between player and character is significantly blurred. BioShock is one series that has benefited in the past from having a silent protagonist, with its eerie, isolated atmospheres all but requiring a silent protagonist who can amplify the feeling of loneliness and introspection often present in each game’s themes.

A voiced protagonist in BioShock 4 might also impose limitations on how much freedom players feel they have in shaping their experience, since they would essentially be little more than the driver behind the protagonist rather than the very heart and soul of the character. Should the protagonist’s personality or decisions conflict with their own playstyle or choices, players might feel an immersion-breaking disconnect from the character that probably wouldn’t be reattainable through the narrative itself.

BioShock
is one series that has benefited in the past from having a silent protagonist, with its eerie, isolated atmospheres all but requiring a silent protagonist who can amplify the feeling of loneliness and introspection often present in each game’s themes.

These arguments for and against a voiced protagonist in BioShock 4 apply to almost any game, but the decision to feature a voiced or silent protagonist in a BioShock game is arguably even more important, given the series’ history. Nonetheless, should BioShock 4 feature a voiced protagonist, it could benefit the game’s storytelling and characterization. If it sticks to tradtion and features a silent protagonist, however, BioShock 4 could reinforce immersion and make the experience more personal to those playing it.