All of the games in the BioShock series are first-person shooters with role-playing game elements. The series is considered to be a spiritual successor to System Shock 2, which many of the developers were previously involved with through Irrational Games.
In BioShock Infinite, as Booker, the player moves about the various structures of Columbia using a grappling hook, a series of overhead railways connecting buildings, in the search for Elizabeth.
Health & Shield
Health in Bioshock Infinite is denoted on the top left corner of the screen by a red bar like in many other games. With the help of Infusions, maximum amount of health can be increased over the course of the game.
Bioshock Infinite is the first game in the franchise with a Shield. Shown on the top left corner of the screen, above health, in Yellow, the Shield can regenerate / recharge over time after being damaged. The recharge procedure of Shield only begins if the player takes cover and does not get hit for at least 5 seconds. While the shield is active, all the damage is taken by it before any damage to the health is done.
Transportation
Transportation in Bioshock Infinite has been taken to the next level compared to the previous Bioshock games. In Bioshock Infinite, the main mode of transportation is through Sky-Lines and the Sky-Hook.
Sky-Lines comprises of metal rails to which the players can attach to with the help of Sky-Hook and ride to their destination. Other than transportation, Sky-Lines can also be used by Booker to perform a melee attack on the enemies below using his Sky-Hook.
For transporting over large distance or from one piece of floating land of Cloumbia to another, Columbia Transit is used instead. This can also be referred to as transporting over to the next level since the Columbia Transit is used only at times when a level is complete and advancing over to the next level is required.
Combat
Based on other first-person shooter game, Booker can fire the guns with his right hand and use the Vigors with his left hand. Other than using equipped Vigors and weapons, Booker can also perform a melee attack using the Sky-Hook.
After Booker rescues Elizabeth, she takes an active part in combat. When low on salts, ammo or health, Elizabeth can pass the required item to Booker. Elizabeth can also use Tears to bring in any required items or devices, such as Mosquito to help Booker in the combat.
Weapons
The first weapon in the game is received during the start of the game on the boat which takes Booker to the Lighthouse. As the game progresses, various different weapons can be looted or picked up and most weapons have two variants; one is a normal version while other is a Vox version of the same weapon.
A complete list of weapons with details can be found in the Weapons section.
Vigors & Gear
Booker eventually gains powers and abilities by using Vigors and Gear that are found through Columbia (the equivalent of BioShock's Plasmids and Tonics).
Vigors grant activated powers such as telekinesis, electricity manipulation, or animal control, while selected Gear offers passive abilities that can improve the player's strength or damage resistance.
Unlike BioShock, in which the player was able to use special Gene Banks to alter the loadout of plasmids and tonics they had, the choice to imbibe a certain vigor is permanent and cannot be changed later in the game, placing emphasis on the consequences of the player's choices throughout the game.
A complete list of Vigors can be found in the Vigors section, while a complete list of Gear can be found in the Gear section.
Collectibles
The Collectibles in Bioshock Infinite includes Voxophones, Kinetoscopes and Telescopes.
Voxophones are audio logs left behind by many different people and can be found throughout Columbia. Players can collect the Voxophones, view the film on Kinetoscopes and look at various locations with Telescopes.
More details on the collectibles can be found at the Collectibles section.
