This month’s From the Vault presents some of the monsters from BioShock that might have been. These creatures were designed early in the development of BioShock and while they may not have made the final cut, they were important stepping stones on the path to the game’s final aesthetic.
Yam Hand
The “Yam Hand” character went through many iterations during the early development of BioShock. Artist Robb Waters had this to say about his creation: “One thing I liked about the character was his strange and unique head shape. It kind of made you wonder what the heck was going on under that dingy burlap sack.”
Thug Aggressor
During one early stage of BioShock’s production, oversized and disproportionate limbs were all the fashion.
Jelly Man
Perhaps the Jelly Man shows some long-term side effects of ADAM abuse. Maybe he’s showing why humans and jellyfish aren’t as genetically compatible as some Rapture scientists had envisioned. Or possibly this is what happens when a Splicer decides to mutate into a delightful breakfast spread. Who knows? Regardless, this guy melted before he could be incorporated into BioShock.
Monster Bug
This is one of the more gruesome pieces of concept work to emerge during work on BioShock – a huge insect slowly growing from within a human being and taking over the physical form. And as sickening as this image is, its true power comes from what’s implied: what was it like for the original person transitioning to this state of organic fusion? And what mash-up of man and bug is hidden under that cloth?
This visual was of great help in selling BioShock to publishers.
Grub Mutant
Another take on the fused-parasite idea – different bug, same revolting results. This one is perhaps even more disturbing, when you realize that having a grub as thick as a telephone pole growing through the guy’s chest isn’t preventing him from having his gun locked and loaded. You have to wonder what’s going through his head.
Wish I was going this...
anthonygalindo | March 17, 2010 5:29 pm
Those bug mutant characters would have been great to see in the game, especially if the terrible transition from man to bug were actually brought up during the game. I wonder, would the human limbs and the bug limbs have moved independently from each other as if to imply that the human part was trying to fight it’s transformation into the bug. That would have been creepy and disturbing, things I don’t usually experience in games. Oh well, anytime I can be reminded of my favorite horror movie of all time (The Fly) is always a good thing.
muskellounger | March 18, 2010 4:16 pm
Jellyman FTW!!!! I could see it sloshing around Rapture for sure. But I really wonder how he got that way.
Monser bug…woah. Holy frame of reference! It appears it still has use of all the limbs. See it clinching that gun? It would be cool to see it fighing itself. I’m gonna go have nightmares now.
Click to expand reply.
perfectdarkling | March 17, 2010 5:36 pm
Those bug creatures are downright disturbing. The Monster Bug looks like something out of my nightmares from when I was little. I kinda wish they had ended up in the game now – like an Insect Swarm plasmid gone horribly wrong.
nomardll769 | March 17, 2010 5:38 pm
This is awesome! It’s kind of sad they didn’t make it in-game though. But it probably would have required more details in the plot.
QU1CKF1X | March 17, 2010 6:39 pm
Good stuff.
I wonder if the Thug Aggressor was source/influence for the Brute Splicer in Bio2…
neuroman42 | March 17, 2010 6:57 pm
PLEASE… make a game with your insect concepts.
National Video Game Association » Irrational Showcases BioShock Baddies That Never Surfaced | March 17, 2010 7:20 pm
[...] concept art from the likes of BioShock, Freedom Force and more. This month, Irrational shares enemy concept art that never made it into BioShock including that of the heavy-handed “Thug Aggressor” [...]
uberVU - social comments | March 17, 2010 9:38 pm
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The monsters you didn’t see in BioShock | Tech Industry News | March 17, 2010 9:43 pm
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The monsters you didn’t see in BioShock | The IT Chronicle | March 17, 2010 10:00 pm
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The monsters you didn’t see in BioShock | GameSpasm | March 17, 2010 10:33 pm
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The monsters you didn’t see in BioShock « GadgetBag | March 17, 2010 10:35 pm
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The monsters you didn’t see in BioShock| Latest breaking News on Video Games Hardware and Software.| BadPower.com Blog | March 17, 2010 11:31 pm
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Golden Developers World » Blog Archive » The monsters you didn’t see in BioShock | March 18, 2010 2:04 am
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The monsters you didn’t see in BioShock | GameWitz | March 18, 2010 4:01 am
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Personaje ce n-au mai aparut in Bioshock 2 : PRiSONCast | March 18, 2010 4:49 am
[...] Irrational Games a publicat o lista de personaje ce n-au mai vazut lumina zilei in jocul celor de la 2K. Personajele [...]
Someone hold me: The freaky leftovers from BioShock| Latest breaking News on Video Games Hardware and Software.| BadPower.com Blog | March 18, 2010 6:28 am
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tolkienfanatic | March 18, 2010 6:29 am
The bug ones kind of give me a District 9 vibe.
cbrunet | March 18, 2010 7:23 am
Wow… did someone from Valve see your Thug Aggressor design or something?
persetti | March 18, 2010 8:18 am
Actually saw some of these when they first announced the game way back…was disappointed to see the direction change so radically. If the game was more like System Shock 2 and with these concepts it would have been a lot better, still I really like the game as it is though…
Irrational Games reveals unused BioShock monsters | March 18, 2010 9:00 am
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Irrational Games reveals unused BioShock monsters « Gus | March 18, 2010 9:42 am
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Someone hold me: The freaky leftovers from BioShock| XboxSold.com where you find Everything Xbox| XboxSold.com BLOG | March 18, 2010 10:09 am
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Los enemigos de Bioshock 2 que quedaron en el tintero | March 18, 2010 10:47 am
[...] como son los splicers, al punto donde pocos parecen seres humanos. Puedes ver las imágenes en el sitio oficial.Etiquetas: 2k games, 2k marin, bioshock, Bioshock 2, Irrational GamesCategoría(s): Noticias PC, [...]
Hits from the Web 03.18.10 : Gaming Guru | March 18, 2010 10:49 am
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March From the Vault | Irrational Games | March 18, 2010 11:02 am
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The monsters you didn’t see in BioShock | Attorney Don Hecker Announcement | March 18, 2010 12:31 pm
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The horror! See Bioshock’s failed monsters. | The Software Nook | March 18, 2010 4:41 pm
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Gallery: Unused Monsters from BioShock | Button Masher | March 18, 2010 4:47 pm
[...] going to be surprised at how much more weird and creepy it could have been. Irrational Games has posted a gallery of monster designs that didn’t make the cut, and some of them are seriously terrifying. Check [...]
Yam Hand? Jelly Man? BioShock Monsters That Might Have Been | Kotaku Australia | March 18, 2010 5:38 pm
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The Rumble Pack » Closing the Floodgates | March 18, 2010 5:56 pm
[...] society. Though there were a few new baddies to battle, I think I would have preferred some of the more outlandish designs Irrational scrapped from the first game. Yeah, they’re a bit…different, but [...]
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March From the Vault | Irrational Games | Juegando | March 18, 2010 7:58 pm
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