Minerva's Den
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''BioShock 2: Minerva's Den'' is a
single-player A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the gameplay. Video games in general can feature several game modes, including single-player modes designed to be played by a single player in add ...
downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
(DLC) campaign for the 2010
first-person shooter A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...
game ''
BioShock 2 ''BioShock 2'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Marin and published by 2K Games. It was released worldwide for PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Windows, and Xbox 360 on February 9, 2010; Feral Interactive released an OS X v ...
'', developed by
2K Marin 2K Marin, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Novato, California. Founded in December 2007 as a spin-off from their parent, 2K, the company developed '' BioShock 2'' (2010) and '' The Bureau: XCOM Declassified'' (2013) before la ...
and published by 2K. The player assumes the role of Subject Sigma, an armored and genetically modified human, or " Big Daddy"; Sigma must travel through Minerva's Den, the technological hub of the underwater city of Rapture, to download a schematic of the city's supercomputer. Gameplay is similar to that of ''BioShock 2'', with new enemies and weapons. ''Minerva's Den'' was created by a small team within 2K Marin led by Steve Gaynor, who partly based the setting on ideas he discussed in his hiring interview. The team decided upon a small, personal story about
identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), an ...
and
free will Free will is generally understood as the capacity or ability of people to (a) choice, choose between different possible courses of Action (philosophy), action, (b) exercise control over their actions in a way that is necessary for moral respon ...
, which explores a previously-unseen part of the underwater city of Rapture. ''Minerva's Den'' was initially released for
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
and
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
consoles in August 2010, and was later released and reissued on other platforms. It was well received by critics, who praised its story, characters, and gameplay; reviewers, including those writing for ''
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
'' and ''
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'', considered it one of the best video game expansions of all time. The experience of creating a small, story-focused project inspired Gaynor and other 2K employees to form The Fullbright Company and create ''
Gone Home ''Gone Home'' is a first-person exploration video game developed and published by The Fullbright Company. ''Gone Home'' was first released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux computers in August 2013, followed by console releases for the Pla ...
'' (2013).


Gameplay

Like ''
BioShock 2 ''BioShock 2'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Marin and published by 2K Games. It was released worldwide for PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Windows, and Xbox 360 on February 9, 2010; Feral Interactive released an OS X v ...
'', ''Minerva's Den'' is a
first-person shooter A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...
game. The story takes place in the underwater city of
Rapture The Rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Chr ...
in 1968, eight years after the events of ''
BioShock ''BioShock'' is a 2007 first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Boston (later Irrational Games) and 2K Australia, and published by 2K. The first game in the ''BioShock'' series, it was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 ...
'' and concurrent with the events of ''BioShock2''s story mode, in the technological district of Minerva's Den. The player character, Subject Sigma, is a Big Daddy, a person fused with an armored
diving suit A diving suit is a garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment. A diving suit may also incorporate a breathing gas supply (such as for a standard diving dress or atmospheric diving suit), but in most cases th ...
. The player must work with the scientist Charles Milton Porter to acquire the plans of his creation, a
supercomputer A supercomputer is a type of computer with a high level of performance as compared to a general-purpose computer. The performance of a supercomputer is commonly measured in floating-point operations per second (FLOPS) instead of million instruc ...
known as the Thinker, and escape Rapture. Opposing the player are enemies known as splicers—Rapture's residents who overused genetic modifications—along with other Big Daddies and automated security. The game can be completed in between three and five hours. The gameplay of ''Minerva's Den'' is similar to that of ''BioShock2''. The player uses similar weapons and plasmids (genetic modifications that grant superpowers) but obtains them in a different order, with an increased emphasis on hacking security. The expansion adds new items, including the Ion Lance, a laser weapon wielded by Minerva's Den's Lancer Big Daddies, and the Gravity Well plasmid, which stuns and pulls enemies towards a vortex. New enemies include security robots armed with rockets or laser weapons, flame-wielding Brute Splicers, and ice-throwing Houdini Splicers.


Plot

Subject Sigma is guided by the voice of Charles Milton Porter as he approaches Minerva's Den, Rapture's central computer core. Porter wants to reach his supercomputer, the Thinker, to retrieve its blueprints so he can recreate it on the surface. Sigma is opposed by Porter's former colleague Reed Wahl, whom Porter warns has become insane from splicing and his obsession with the Thinker. After becoming disillusioned with his role in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and the loss of his wife Pearl in
The Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...
, Porter traveled to Rapture to pursue his dreams of creating
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
. While initially working together, Porter and Wahl each wanted to use the Thinker for their own ends. Porter attempted to recreate Pearl by emulating her personality with the Thinker, while Wahl believed he could program the computer to predict the future. Wahl betrayed Porter to Rapture's secret police to keep the Thinker for himself. Minerva's Den has been cut off from the rest of Rapture, and its scientists, who have taken to splicing, attack Sigma. As Sigma progresses, the environment becomes increasingly threatening due to the Thinker's sophisticated defense system and interference from Wahl and his forces. Sigma reaches the Thinker's core where he confronts and kills Wahl. Sampling Sigma's DNA to print out its schematics, the Thinker reveals Sigma's true identity as Porter, who was turned into a Big Daddy after being handed over to Rapture's authorities. Porter's "instructions" throughout the game actually came from the Thinker, imitating the voice of one of its creators. The final sequence of the game contains no combat; the player walks through Porter's living quarters, where he obsessed over digitally recreating his wife. Sigma and the scientist
Brigid Tenenbaum Brigid Tenenbaum is a fictional character in the '' BioShock'' video game series developed by Irrational Games. She is a German Jew who survived the Holocaust due to assisting in Nazi human experimentation, and was eventually invited to the und ...
return to the surface in a
bathysphere The ''Bathysphere'' () was a unique spherical deep sea, deep-sea submersible which was unpowered and lowered into the ocean on a cable, and was used to conduct a series of dives off the coast of Bermuda from 1930 to 1934. The ''Bathysphere'' wa ...
; Tenenbaum is able to undo Sigma's programming and restore Porter's original human body. Porter visits his wife's grave and leaves a letter in which he apologizes for trying to bring her back using the Thinker, and says he has decided to let her go.


Development

Development of the ''Minerva's Den''
downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
(DLC) began after the completion of ''BioShock2''. Steve Gaynor and a team of nine other full-time workers were tasked with creating a three-to-five-hour, single-player experience; Gaynor served as lead designer and writer, having worked as a level designer for ''BioShock2'' and on story elements such as dialogue and audio diaries—scattered logs that reveal backstory while players explore. The names of the development team were given to slugs scattered around the game's levels as an
Easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The ...
. The development team were limited in what form the DLC could take and had to reuse as many assets as possible; Gaynor recalled the constraints of limited time and resources was a blessing in disguise. Though many companies would treat DLC as a "cash grab" with less development time and lowered expectations, Gaynor felt these constraints also enabled more creative risks to be taken. With such a small team, the staff collaborated without remaining in segregated roles; according to Gaynor, "It has to be organic as possible, and when someone has something that's not necessarily their primary responsibility but they have a passion for it and ideas for it ... I think you have to take advantage of that". While being interviewed for his job at 2K Marin, Gaynor had been asked to propose a potential ''BioShock'' level. Gaynor recalled suggesting a story focusing on Rapture's computer core and a character splicing to become more intelligent. During ''BioShock2''s development, the level designers suggested the possibility that technology from Rapture created a primitive artificial intelligence (A.I.) that would lead to the development of
SHODAN SHODAN (), an acronym for Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network, is the main antagonist of Looking Glass Studios's cyberpunk-horror themed video game ''System Shock (series), System Shock''. An artificial intelligence originally in charg ...
, an A.I. that appears in the video game ''
System Shock ''System Shock'' is a 1994 first-person action-adventure game, action-adventure video game developed by LookingGlass Technologies and published by Origin Systems. It was directed by Doug Church with Warren Spector serving as producer. The game ...
''. When developing ideas for what would become ''Minerva's Den'', Gaynor suggested merging the ideas, using a story about Rapture's computer core and a "
steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...
" A.I., drawing from SHODAN's multiple identities and impersonations. Gaynor wanted the content to fit both the world of ''BioShock'' and the historical era in which it takes place. When the developers decided to focus on Rapture's computer technology, they based it on the early computing age spurred by work done during World War II, including the work of
Alan Turing Alan Mathison Turing (; 23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954) was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher and theoretical biologist. He was highly influential in the development of theoretical computer ...
and the cryptographers at
Bletchley Park Bletchley Park is an English country house and Bletchley Park estate, estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire), that became the principal centre of Allies of World War II, Allied World War II cryptography, code-breaking during the S ...
. Gaynor reasoned that Rapture advanced using genetic technology, but the residents of Rapture explored other technological dead ends, including areas devoted to robotics and automation in Minerva's Den. Contrasting the long development and narrative of the main game with those of Minerva's Den, Gaynor said that he enjoyed the opportunity to tell a shorter story where players understood the characters. According to Gaynor:
We could take the themes of ''BioShock'' that are native to Rapture and make them relevant to the specific fiction of ''Minerva's Den''. When you have a super computer that can do a million calculations a second, how does that fit into the ideas of free will and predestination and fate, and choice, that ''BioShock'' is built on?
Gaynor wanted to adapt the grand themes of ''BioShock'' to tell a different story about loss and changing the past that focused on a single character, Porter, who forms the "heart" of the game. Gaynor felt the final gameplay sequence, in which the player walks through Porter's living space, was important to give players time to reflect on the character's journey. He resisted calls to make the interesting environment a place for combat. To prevent players of ''BioShock2'' from feeling ''Minerva's Den''s gameplay was repetitive, 2K Marin tried to present a different experience within the narrative's constraints. Shadowy level design and more dangerous enemies were crafted to give a subtle
survival horror Survival horror is a Video game genre, subgenre of horror games. Although combat can be part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less in control than in typical action games through limited ammunition or weapons, health, speed, and visio ...
feel; the team also adjusted the order in which players receive equipment and plasmids to encourage them to interact with the environment, rather than simply using aggression.


Release

''Minerva's Den'' was announced as the final piece of ''BioShock2'' DLC in August 2010. ''Minerva's Den'' is the only expansion for the game to offer new single-player experiences. The DLC was released on August 31 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles, with minimal promotion. Initially, there were no plans to release ''Minerva's Den'' and other ''BioShock2'' DLC for
personal computer A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...
s (PCs) but 2K later resumed development of the PC ports, and ''Minerva's Den'' was released for
Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
in 2011 and for
OS X macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...
in 2015. With the closure of the
Games for Windows Games for Windows is a former brand owned by Microsoft and introduced in 2006 to coincide with the release of the Windows Vista operating system. The brand itself represents a standardized technical certification program and online service for ...
Live Marketplace in August 2013, ''BioShock2'' and all of its DLC was released on
Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
in October 2013. The game was updated to support Steam achievements, Big Picture mode, and controllers. ''Minerva's Den'' was free for players who owned ''BioShock2'' before the update. In January 2013, ''Minerva's Den'' and the rest of ''BioShock 2'' were rereleased in a bundle with ''BioShock'' as ''BioShock: Ultimate Rapture Edition''. ''Minerva's Den'' was also included in the remastered 2016 ''BioShock'' compilation '' BioShock: The Collection'', which has been released for Windows,
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
,
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
and
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
.


Reception and legacy

''Minerva's Den'' received generally favorable reviews, according to review aggregator
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
. ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' praised ''Minerva's Den'' after the lackluster ''BioShock 2'' DLC that preceded it, and ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
'' and ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' called it an excellent finale story for the setting of Rapture. ''Minerva's Den'' has been called one of the greatest DLC expansions of all time. Critics said ''Minerva's Den'' plays much the same as ''BioShock2'' but welcomed the new additions to gameplay. Several reviewers felt the expansion offered a complete, concentrated ''BioShock2'' experience; ''
Rock, Paper, Shotgun ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' is a British video game journalism website. It was launched in July 2007 to focus on PC games and was acquired by Gamer Network, a network of sites led by ''Eurogamer'', in May 2017. History ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' ...
'' wrote ''Minerva's Den'' "hits the key beats of the ideas behind ''BioShock''—manipulation, twisted technology, distorted values, ambition and folly—and it weaves all that into the improved combat system that, for some, makes ''BioShock2'' the superior of ''BioShock 1''". ''Kotaku'' and ''
Engadget Engadget ( ) is a technology news, reviews and analysis website offering daily coverage of gadgets, consumer electronics, video games, gaming hardware, apps, social media, streaming, AI, space, robotics, electric vehicles and other potentially ...
'' found aspects of the gameplay repetitive, such as the reuse of "tedious" elements from the base game, and the need to perform certain gameplay sequences repeatedly. Reviewers praised the narrative of ''Minerva's Den.'' ''
GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and ''Computer ...
''s Andrew Heyward said the story makes ''Minerva's Den'' a "must-play extension" of the game's universe, and ''GameSpot''s Kevin VanOrd wrote that while the setup for the expansion is familiar to ''BioShock'' players—voices on the radio telling the player where to go—the appeal lies with its "personal nature" and Porter's character. Reviews from ''GameSpot'' and ''Eurogamer'' considered Wahl a weak villain, but Porter a compelling protagonist. The video game theorist Robert Gallagher praised the game as a thoughtful and complex examination of themes of technology and humanity, and evidence that video games could explore such topics well. The game's twist ending was positively received; VanOrd called it "surprising from a plot perspective and thematically consistent with prior ''BioShock'' revelations" though ''Engadget'' said that while the twist applies a retroactive motivation for the characters, it comes at the expense of the player's link to Subject Sigma. ''Kotaku''s Heather Alexandra contrasted the twist with those of ''BioShock'' and ''
BioShock Infinite ''BioShock Infinite'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K. The third installment of the ''BioShock'' series, ''Infinite'' was released worldwide for the PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360, a ...
'', writing, "
hose A hose is a flexible hollow tube or pipe designed to carry fluids from one location to another, often from a faucet or hydrant. Early hoses were made of leather, although modern hoses are typically made of rubber, canvas, and helically wound w ...
games want to impress you. ''Minerva's Den'' wants to move you." Several reviewers felt the expansion's story stronger than that of ''BioShock2''. Gaynor credited the positive experience with a small development team for changing his perception of creating games. Gaynor later joined
Irrational Games Irrational Games (known as 2K Boston between 2007 and 2009) was an American video game developer founded in 1997 by three former employees of Looking Glass Studios: Ken Levine, Jonathan Chey, and Robert Fermier. Take-Two Interactive acquired t ...
, and his resulting dissatisfaction with the sprawling development of ''BioShock Infinite'' led Gaynor and two other ''Minerva's Den'' developers to start their own game studio, The Fullbright Company. Fullbright developed the acclaimed game ''
Gone Home ''Gone Home'' is a first-person exploration video game developed and published by The Fullbright Company. ''Gone Home'' was first released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux computers in August 2013, followed by console releases for the Pla ...
'', which shares ''Minerva's Den''s nonlinear exploration and character focus. The final non-combat exploration sequence of ''Minerva's Den'' served as a template for ''Gone Home''.


References


External links

*
The Cult of Rapture
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