BioShock Infinite trailer analysis – we dissect it frame by frame

We’re all plenty excited at the just revealed BioShock Infinite and its big, open skies. The trailer was a great way to throw you straight into the world of Columbia. Maybe you’ve seen the trailer below already, and are planning to re-watch it over and over to catch all its secrets. Don't bother,we’ve done it for you already.

Sitting at the bottom of a fish tank, this model’s silhouette tries to trick gamers into thinking they’re returning to Rapture’s soggy depths for BioShock Infinite. It also serves as a neat little nod to creator Ken Levine’s concept of a “Flying World’s Fair” as the inspiration for Infinite’s Columbia (the Chicago World’s Fair was also known as the Colombia expedition).

Until developer Irrational sets us straight, we’ll refer to these part man, part machine, 100% creepy monsters as Columbia’s Big Daddies. They earn extra spine-chilling points for the very deliberate mechanical ratcheting sound they make when they move. And for one other thing, we’ll chat about shortly.

Intentional call-out or not, this quick-cut battle totally evoked memories of BioShock’s first trailer, where a man battled a Big Daddy before being silenced by a buzzing drill through his midsection. If you squint, you can see the faint shape of the creature’s chin and nose. Keep an eye on that chestplate.

Gah! This Frankenstein-looking heart beats in the armored chests of Infinite’s robot-like menaces. One guess where this monstrosity is most vulnerable, though. We hope.

Nice coat there, horrifying cyborg thing – we never saw a Big Daddy wear clothes over its diving suit.

Infinite trades Rapture’s under-the-sea claustrophobia for Columbia’s sun-soaked skies, where even from a distance American flags hint at the patriotic fervor coursing through the city’s veins. Oh, and the silvery things in the air are the shards of a window you were just thrown though by the cyborg.

Columbia’s towering structures sit atop platforms held aloft by hot air bags underneath. Leave it to Irrational to come up with a setting as inspired as Rapture.

Matt Cabral
A full-time freelance writer based in Lizzie Borden's hometown, Matt Cabral has covered film, television, and video games for over a decade. You can follow him on Twitter @gamegoat, friend him on Facebook, or find him in the basement of an abandoned building hoarding all the canned goods, med-kits, and shotgun shells.