Summary
Judas, the next major project fromBioShockcreator Ken Levine, is ripe with potential. While it is sure to step out and evolve as its own unique story,Judaswill certainly have at least a bit in common withBioShock, incorporating that series' iconic world-building and philosophical elements. At the same time,Judascould draw from other genres and properties, looping in established tropes to tell its high-concept story.
Based on early information about the game, it’s possible thatJudascould be taking some inspiration from the world of JRPGs when it comes to its cerebral narrative premise. This isn’t a universal constant of JRPGs, but the genre tends to deliver its grand ideas via character archetypes, having key players in the story represent certain ideals, shortcomings, or corrupted faiths of humanity. A prime example of this would be theShin Megami Tenseiseries, which operates on the concept of ethical alignment, with characters falling into various positions across the lawful, evil, and neutral spectrums. Through this somewhat straightforward and simple method of character writing, the series presents compelling visions for humanity, as different characters may not have much complex thought within themselves, but the clashing of different ideologies reveals deeper insights.
How Judas May Adhere to, or Subvert, Typical Moral Alignment
Judas' Three Main Characters Represent Distinct Philosophical Ideals
Judas' story seems to be built aroundsome heavy existential questions. These questions are brought to life by the three central NPCs of the game, who all have different ideas about how humanity ought to progress:
Breaking down these three ideals to their core, it can be said that Tom represents notions of tradition and holding onto the past, Nefertiti represents society’s development, and the ironically-named Hope represents the ultimate question of whether life should even continue. It will be interesting to see how these different philosophies play out in the final product, but it’s clear that each of these major characters is slotting into different points on an existential spectrum, not too dissimilar to how a series likeShin Megami Tenseimight align its characterswithin an ethical framework.
Ken Levine is no stranger to weighty philosophical questions in his work, as theBioShockseries has always been defined by such conundrums. That said,Judas' character-centric narrative approach could make its exploration of these subjects wildly different.
How Judas' Philosophical Frameworks Could Unfold
With Levine’s penchant for delivering thought-provoking narratives, it’s fair to say thatJudas' three leadership figureswill have their different philosophies tested over the course of the story. As previously mentioned, this approach to storytelling is essentially formed around characters that may be considered single-minded in other contexts, but the interplay between each of them is what births sophisticated philosophical arguments. It seems clear that these fundamental oppositions will sit at the heart of the game’s plot, as players will have to contend with the positives and negatives of each worldview.
In this way, the game can present audiences with larger-than-life characters in the form of Tom, Nefertiti, and Hope. This narrative direction, coupled withJudas' high-science-fiction setting, will probably be less concerned with relatability and verisimilitude, instead favoring high-concept plot threads and the fullest exploration of each competing school of thought. This sort of story seems to have an awful lot in common with Levine’s previous projects, which have all been about thought leaders with distinct ethical and moral beliefs, but it also shares some DNA with JRPGs likeShin Megami Tensei, whose alignment systems firmly categorize characters based on their core behaviors or mindsets.
Judas
WHERE TO PLAY
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.
