INSIDE THE CHALLENGE ROOMS

This is part one of a two part series that takes a closer look at the Challenge Rooms that will be exclusive Add-On Content for BioShock PS3. Listen (or read) the podcast where I talk more about the already revealed challenge room and read our Q&A to get the latest details on all things Challenge Room related.

Want to know more? Keep your eyes on the Cult of Rapture front page over the next couple weeks. Part two is on its way with more Challenge Room information.

Have a question for the team? Hop on over to the 2K Forums and ask away in our special forum section.

EPISODE FOURTEEN: CHALLENGE ROOMS

After a long hiatus with our BioShock Podcasts, we're back with some of the guys at 2K Marin to talk about the new mode they are adding to BioShock PS3.

Download .zip file now | Play in popup | Read the transcript (6:57)

CHALLENGE ROOM Q&A

Tell us about challenge rooms: What are they, and how do they work?
The Challenge Rooms are stand-alone levels, each of which presents some puzzles, exploration and combat (in different amounts depending on the level) with the ultimate goal of rescuing a Little Sister in each one. There is no requirement that the player has finished the main BioShock game, and players will not need to go back and play through the game again to experience the DLC content.  They can jump right in and start having entirely new experiences and challenges.

Do these challenge rooms add to the story?
The Challenge Rooms are not part of the main story. BioShock’s storyline was a carefully-crafted piece of work, and frankly, we didn’t think we should mess with it, or try to retrofit or shoehorn new characters or twists into the story. They do have a kind of meta-fiction, which is that the small stories told by the Challenge Rooms are taken from pulp adventure comics published by Sander Cohen. In the comic stories, Little Sisters were placed in danger, and so the player is acting out events from those comics. 

Are these going to be on the disc, or are they Add-On Content?
 The Challenge Rooms will be Add-On Content only.  They will not be on the disc.

Are these PS3 exclusive? Are they ever coming to the 360 or PS3?
These are only coming to PS3.

Can you tell us a bit more about the challenge room you demoed at E3?
We demoed a Challenge Room called “A Shocking Turn of Events.” The Little Sister is trapped at the top of a malfunctioning Ferris wheel, and the player has to find multiple ways to provide power to the Wheel’s control switch. The obvious answer – the Electro Bolt plasmid – isn’t available, so the player has to explore the level looking for other ways to impart electricity. At E3 we showed a couple of ways to do that – using electric buck for the shotgun, for instance, or electrically-charged trap bolts.  I can’t really divulge much more than that without giving away too much, but I will say that it’s not just a matter of finding trap bolts or electric buck lying around on the ground. The player will have to solve smaller puzzles to acquire the solutions to the greater puzzle.

How did all the 2K studios work together to create challenge rooms?
Most of the art and design work specific to the Challenge Rooms was done here at the Boston office, but the main BioShock PS3 implementation has been done by 2K Marin, 2K Australia, one programmer in the 2KBoston office, and Digital Extremes, so obviously we’ve relied on all of their hard work on that. They’ve also given us constant and high-quality feedback, concerning the design and art direction of the levels. We’ve also gotten good logistical support, most notably for a large focus-testing session that helped us quite a bit.  It’s safe to say the Challenge Rooms wouldn’t have turned out as well they have without 2K Marin’s help.

You haven’t revealed everything about challenge rooms so far – when can we expect to hear more?
We’ll have more information on challenge rooms in the next couple weeks, including another feature on the Cult of Rapture!