What exactly is the Brute Splicer?

The Brute Splicer is a brand new enemy in BioShock 2 that demonstrates how much the ecology of Rapture has changed in the 10 years since the events of the first game. He’s actually a Splicer from the timeframe of BioShock 1 who’s survived the ongoing decay of Rapture by splicing more and more ADAM and preying on the weaker Splicers, which has turned him into a hulking brute with incredible physical power. We think of him as the top of the Splicer food chain, and also as a bridge between our human Splicer enemies and the more powerful Big Daddies and Big Sisters.

How did you come up with him? Was it fiction first, or wanting a bigger, more badass Splicer to fight our Big Daddy?

It was a little bit of both. As mentioned above, part of the genesis of the Brute was simply asking the question, “What would happen to the Splicers who kept abusing ADAM for ten years?” We also knew that with players stepping into the shoes of a Big Daddy we’d need to increase the threat and danger of the world. The Brute started pretty simply, with the idea that we needed “a big, scary guy,” and a lot of his gameplay was borne out of trying to take that goal as far as we could. We also wanted to make our AI’s a lot more physically connected to the world than they were in BioShock 1, which made the Brute a great opportunity to develop those ideas.

What are some of his moves and animations that make him different, and more challenging, than a regular-sized Splicer?

Probably the coolest and most unique thing about him is his ability to pick up objects in the environment and throw them at the player. At first we had him magically pulling objects out of the ground, but we decided that wasn’t good enough so we did a lot of work to enable him to pick up and throw real in-game objects during battle. That immediately made him feel like a primal threat, and it also interacted with the player’s own physical powers, namely the Telekinesis Plasmid; if the player throws an object at the Brute, the Brute can pick it up and throw it right back. And on the flipside, the player can catch objects the Brute throws and hurl them back with Telekinesis. The Brute can also swat objects at the player while he’s moving in for his brutal up-close attacks. These abilities create a feeling that the Brute is as connected to the world as the player and is interacting deeply with the environment. It also just looks cool and makes him feel really different from weapon-based Splicers.

In addition to that, the Brute can also jump up and down from balconies and ledges, which shows his power and makes him a relentless enemy. We really wanted him to feel like a high-pressure, raging enemy, so it was important for him to always be doing something aggressive and always be coming after you. If he’s not throwing a cash register or chair at you, he’s running at you for a devastating melee attack or chasing you no matter where you go.

He can also do a charge attack that finishes with a powerful melee blow, so you’ve really got to stay on your toes and be aware of the environment while you’re fighting a Brute. When you see an incoming charge attack you can use your weapon to deflect the impact if you time it just right, which is a fun challenge.

To sum it up, I’d say that the Brute’s mobility, raw strength and physics-based attacks make him feel really unique, and when he’s fighting alongside our more traditional Splicers it’s a lot to handle.

Is there any story behind his looks, other than that it’s cool?

The original concepts for him were actually a lot more animalistic and less human that what we ended up putting in the game. We backed away from his more monstrous origins because it was important that he be physically imposing and scary but also retain enough humanity to be believable and tell a story. He’s a Splicer from the era of the original game, so we wanted to make sure he looked like a normal human that became a hulk through rampant splicing, not some monster that sprung out of a crack in the ocean floor. It took a lot of iteration to reach the final version, and a lot of what makes him grotesque but still tragically human comes from his voice; he’s still got the ability to speak and form thoughts, even if those thoughts are heavily warped by a decade of ADAM abuse.

About how many Brute Splicers will we run into during our journey through Rapture? Do they hang out with regular Splicers?

You’ll see him more and more as you get into the second half of the game; he’s there to increase the difficulty and threat as the player grows in power. It’s hard to give an exact count of how many Brutes you’ll see, because they play a big part in the optional Little Sister Adoption system that we’ve added to BioShock 2. When the player Adopts a Little Sister and searches Rapture for bodies from which to gather ADAM, Splicers pick up on the scent and try to take the Little Sister for themselves, and since the Brute is at the top of the Splicer food chain you’ll see him in plenty of these scenarios.

That aside, you’ll of course encounter Brutes going about their lives in Rapture as you explore the city. The Brute usually lives in the same areas as regular Splicers, though you’ll generally find Brutes on their own; regular Splicers defer to their more powerful brethren and keep a safe distance. And while Brutes are almost as powerful as Big Daddies, they’re not neutral citizens; they attack on sight, so it’s best to be on your toes and have a plan of attack before mixing it up with a Brute.