New shooter from the creator of Bioshock tells a flexible story made from “narrative Lego bricks”

At the Game Awards 2022, veteran developer Ken Levine and his studio Ghost Story Games, founded after Bioshock Infinite, presented the single-player shooter Judas. With bizarre character designs, lots of firepower, elemental powers and in a game world where not everything is as it seems, you can quickly find yourself close to the three popular Bioshock games.

But this time a new path is taken in telling the story. The story trailer for Judas already illustrates this:

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Judas: The Bioshock vibes are strong in the story trailer for Ken Levine's new shooter

Judas: Story building blocks always lead to different variants

In the Interview with Last Stand Media Ken Levine explains that he has always been a game with these »narrative Lego bricks« wanted to do. Basically, it's about combining hand-made individual parts to create a slightly different story every time you play.

Recently, some media representatives were able to Play in Judas for a few hours, including Game Awards host Geoff Keighley. In a video, he gives a first impression of how this narrative element is used in the game.

Link to YouTube content

Factions play a role

On the Mayflower – a spaceship the size of a city that serves as the game world – you meet, among other things, three important characters. Tom, Nefertiti and Hope were once a family in the past, but are no longer so well-disposed towards each other.

According to Keighley, the three characters function as factions that compete for your attention and come to you with various tasks. They not only react to the missions you complete for them, but resent you tooif you support the others.

Keighley pulls one here Comparison to the Nemesis system from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. The three characters intervene in the game depending on your relationship with them.

The moderator gives some examples: For example, Tom bursts into a conversation with Nefertiti to make him a better offer. Another time he denies him access to a healing center because he is dissatisfied with his behavior.

How complex this system is and how well it will carry over the entire game cannot be said after five hours of play, explains Keighley. Currently there is still no details on the release date from Judas.

What do you think of the concept? Does Judas appeal to you so far as Bioshock's successor? Feel free to write your opinion in the comments.