Summary
Judasis an upcoming first-person shooter title byBioShockcreator Ken Levine and his studio, Ghost Story Games. Players play as Judas, who has broken free from the control of the machines on board the Mayflower, a spacefaring colonization ship once meant to transport humanity to the Proxima Centauri system in search of a habitable planet. Based on what has been revealed so far,Judasappears to have that same visual flair of Levine’s past games, though many of its gameplay elements are uncharted territory for the developer, including its unique emphasis on Roguelike repetition.
While initial perceptions might have peggedJudasas anotherBioShockgame, there are plenty of ways in which it aims to set itself apart. One of its most defining characteristics — and one that is new to Ken Levine — is its Roguelike gameplay, which sees players navigating a regular loop that activates upon their in-game death. Regardless of how similar some may feelJudas' art style and themes are toBioShock, its Roguelike gameplay makes it a far cry from Levine’s renowned shooter franchise, all but making them two entirely different games in the grand scheme of things.
How Judas' Roguelike Gameplay Sets It Apart From BioShock
BioShock Is a Traditionally Linear Experience
As a heavily story-driven game,BioShockis more linear than what Ken Levine claimsJudaswill be. By and large,BioShock’s structure is traditionally linear, meaning its levels and story are fixed. While players do have some agency when it comes to whether they choose to save or harvest the Little Sisters, this only affects the game’s ending and doesn’t change the natural progression of the story from one beat to the next.
Furthermore,BioShockincorporates a checkpoint system to frequently save the player’s game throughout their playthrough, allowing them to pick up right where they left off whether they quit the game or their character perishes. This is fairly typical oflinear video games, as their primary objective is to push the player along a certain path until they reach the end.
Judas' Roguelike Gameplay Feeds on Its Non-Linear Storytelling
Ahead ofJudas' release, Levine has made it clear that his upcoming game is not a Roguelike by definition — only that it incorporates various Roguelike elements into its gameplay. Firstly,Judasis a notably non-linear game. For the most part, players will be able to choose which path they take, and, most importantly, which ofthe Mayflower’s three leaders inJudasthey help along the way. In fact, according to what Levine has confirmed, it may even be difficult to create walkthroughs forJudas, simply because of the varying experiences players will have with it.
Non-linear gameplay is a very common element found in Roguelike games, and it is far from whatBioShockprovides in terms of progression.
Secondly, much like many Roguelike games,Judasshould be highly replayable due to its emphasis on player agency. Not only will players get to “restart” when they die and improve Judas' stats and abilities, but they will be allowed to modify the Mayflower with each run. This, in addition to the number of different paths players can take thanks toJudas' “narrative LEGO” design, even further sets it apart fromBioShock. While Levine has still kept many ofJudas' secrets under wraps, it already seems like an entirely different experience fromBioShock.
Fans ofKen Levine’s workwho are looking atJudaswith skepticism shouldn’t be so quick to label it as anotherBioShockahead of its release. As it stands currently, it seemsJudaswill provide an experience quite unlikeBioShockas it relies heavily on elements that have popularized the Roguelike genre. If nothing else,Judas' non-linear structure is more than enough to differentiate from Levine’s renowned shooter.
Judas
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Judas is a sci-fi first-person shooter game made by BioShock creator Ken Levine that’s set on a massive spaceship called the Mayflower.
