The first add-on, “Clash in the Clouds,” has already been released and provides players with “Horde Mode” style gameplay, challenges, and unlockables - whereas two forthcoming pieces of DLC will present players with new story material as they revisit Rapture in “Burial at Sea.” In “Burial at Sea: Episode 1” players will, once again, step into the boots of Infinite protagonist Booker DeWitt as he journeys with Elizabeth to the infamous city under the sea - prior to its collapse. Then, in “Episode 2,” gamers will take control of Elizabeth - an experience that director Ken Levine promises will be “very different.”

Speaking with the official PlayStation Blog, Levine offered new (albeit carefully worded) details about the upcoming single player DLC:

Fans should be safe to assume that the character’s ability to open rifts will play heavily into the experience - especially considering that Elizabeth never fired a single gun during the entire Infinite campaign. As a result, it’ll be very interesting to see how Irrational Games intends to shift Elizabeth from a coin and resource collecting sidekick, who (indirectly) assists in combat encounters, to a functional combatant that can (directly) take out enemies in a firefight.

Could the “substantial effect,” presumably emotional fallout (maybe the death of Booker) or a physical change (possibly experimenting with Plasmids), result in a harder and more aggressive Elizabeth? One that is capable of using her supernatural powers in a new, and deadly, way?

That said, players shouldn’t expect the Booker episode to simply be a retread of Infinite’s combat, set in Rapture, as the director now claims that all combat in “Buried at Sea” will be “quite different”:

“Smaller scale” encounters where players can “observe” and “set up,” prior to engaging enemies, is an especially enticing tease - given that one of the most enjoyable (and terrifying) aspects of the original BioShock was choosing when to attack one of the iconic Big Daddies. Fighting a Big Daddy meant examining the environment for hackable objects as well as spots that could provide protection, among other considerations - and allowed players time to stock up on ammunition or other upgrades that might provide an upper hand. Conversely, Infinite’s Handyman fights were triggered by story events - forcing players to make use of weapons and Vigors already in their inventory.

Neither combat setup is outright better than the other (just different); so, even if certain gamers were happy with how enemy encounters were trigged in Infinite, they’ll likely still enjoy the opportunity for a bit more pre-battle strategery in “Buried at Sea.”

Levine covers a few more topics in the interview (including why Irrational Games chose a return to Rapture as well as how the team approached redesigning the city), but remains extremely tight-lipped about “Buried at Sea” specifics. We’ll keep you up to date as further official info is revealed - so, in the meantime, check out the “Buried at Sea” trailer below and/or read the full interview with Levine - HERE.

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BioShock: Infinite is available now for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. The “Buried at Sea” DLC does not have an official release date yet.

Follow me on Twitter @benkendrick.

Source: PlayStation Blog