5 December 2025

The 96 Metacritic Sci-fi Game With the Best Plot Twist In FPS History

By newsgame

There have been plenty of amazing plot twists in video games, but it’s hard to compete with the first BioShock. This dark and twisted exploration of a fallen underwater libertarian society called Rapture already makes BioShock intriguing enough, but its main revelation within the story is what has continued to keep it a favorite title among gamers.

It’s hard to believe that BioShock is already nearly 20 years old. When it was released back in 2007, I was still in middle school. On the surface, BioShock was clearly a unique story filled with hints of horror and corruption, but what many of us didn’t expect was that the game’s story was about to rock our worlds with a twist that is still hailed as one of the best in gaming history.

BioShock’s Plot Twist Completely Flips How Players View Its Protagonist

Would You Kindly…

When Jack first arrives in BioShock‘s iconic setting of Rapture, he immediately crosses paths with Atlas. He is a former freedom fighter who once fought for the working-class people of the city, as the failed underwater utopia once faced a significant class divide. Some of the first sentences Atlas says to Jack are, “Would you kindly pick up that shortwave radio?” and “Now, would you kindly find a crowbar or something?” The phrase “would you kindly” is something that Atlas says a lot, and up until the reason why is made clear, many players just assume it’s simply a charming quirk.

bioshock andrew ryan no gods or kings only man

It’s eventually revealed that Jack was actually born in Rapture as an experimental child, and the phrase “would you kindly” is a trigger that controls him, causing him to do the bidding of Atlas. If that wasn’t mind-blowing enough, Atlas also reveals that he’s really Frank Fontaine, Rapture founder Andrew Ryan’s main rival, who was assumed to be dead earlier on in the story. All this time, Atlas/Fontaine had been using Jack as a puppet to take down Andrew Ryan, and it’s still a moment that many gamers wish they could relive for the first time again.

When replaying the game, players will be able to see that “would you kindly” was used even before Jack found Rapture. In the opening, when Jack is on the yet-to-be-crashed plane, the present he holds has a card attached that reads, “To Jack, with love from Mom & Dad. Would you kindly not open until…” Later in the story, it’s revealed that Jack was responsible for crashing the plane. Inside the box was a gun, and Fontaine planted the note, setting in motion the events of the game.

BioShock Certainly Isn’t the Only Major Plot Twist in Gaming, But it’s Definitely One of the Best

Other Plot Twists That Left Gamers’ Jaws on the Floor

Game	Plot Twist
Halo: Combat Evolved	The Covenant isn’t the most dangerous threat; The Flood is.
Red Dead Redemption 2	Arthur Morgan is diagnosed with tuberculosis
Resident Evil	Wesker has been secretly working for Umbrella
The Last of Us	Joel murders the Fireflies to save Ellie
Halo 2	Playing as the Arbiter
Knights of the Old Republic	You are actually Darth Revan

Of course, there are even more plot twists to consider, but these are some of the biggest over the years. Halo: Combat Evolved introduces a sweat-inducing, unexpected antagonist, while The Last of Us’ Joel left many players internally struggling with a massive moral dilemma. Each of these games listed above throws a wrench into their story that completely shifts the player’s perspective, and BioShock may be the best implementation of this kind of twist. It breaks upon players in degrees that Jack and Atlas are not who they have appeared to be throughout the story.

How BioShock’s Twist Changes Everything

After the plot twist reveal, replaying the game feels completely different since all the hints are made clear on a second playthrough.
Following the plot twist revelation, players question every decision they’ve made up until that point.
Jack no longer feels like a hero, as he immediately becomes a tragic character.
Fontaine’s trick quickly reminds players how ruthless and greedy Rapture truly was when it was thriving. With no heroes or figures working to save the struggling lower classes, Atlas is now a symbol of betrayal and greedy opportunism instead of hope.

The Legacy of the Franchise Has Been Defined by BioShock’s Plot Twist

After BioShock left players speechless with its wild twist, plot shake-ups would become a defining feature of the franchise. Both BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite turn their narratives upside down, and while they may not be as surprising as the first chapter, they’re still thrilling revelations. It’s difficult to recapture the magic of a moment as special as “would you kindly,” but each twist has subverted expectations, which is no easy task. As the wait for the long-anticipated BioShock 4 continues, only time will tell what the story’s plot twist will be.

Even after 20 years, BioShock is still a game that many instantly think of when it comes to great plot twists. Such reveals oftentimes can be predictable or simply anticlimactic, but experiencing BioShock‘s twist for the very first time is a moment that continues to leave many players both heartbroken and in awe.