Though details about BioShock 4 are limited, the game could obviously benefit from a strong antagonist. That is exactly what Frank Fontaine provides in the first BioShock title, as Fontaine's intense charisma and utter ruthlessness helps define the epxerience of the first title. His legacy even weaves its way into BioShock 2, its various DLCs, and the expansions for BioShock Infinite.
Speculation around BioShock 4 is plentiful and varied, with very little known about its plot, setting, or mechanics. However, BioShock's incredible and tense writing, of which Fontaine plays an intergral part, sets it apart from the other titles in the series. While these games are certainly well written, many still view the original BioShock as the peak of the series. Coincidentally, none of its sequels had an antagonist as iconic as Fontaine. Of course, Frank Fontaine cannot be given all the credit for BioShock's critical reception, as the game's unique, tense atmosphere is a combination of the writing and the aesthetics. Still, he shows how important a memorable villain can be.
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These elements are complemented by the fraught first person shooter gameplay, and the array of terrifying enemies that stalk the sunken city of Rapture. Rapture is an iconic horror setting, as the submerged metropolis marks the failed dream of hyper-capitalist Andrew Ryan, one that succumbed to violent internal conflict before the turblent tides began to claim it. BioShock 4 will not be able to emulate the original setting exactly, though it can perhaps capture some of the atmosphere if it employs an antagonist like Frank Fontaine.
Who is Frank Fontaine?
Frank Fontaine was a man of many names. He began life as smuggler Frank Gorland, who wanted to make his way into Ryan's city of Rapture, which he saw as the perfect opportunity to run a long con. To do so, he hijacked and killed rival smuggler Frank Fontaine, who ran a fishing operation. As some of the sneakiest villains in gaming, the newly crowned Fontaine hatched a scheme to work his way into Ryan's good books. Correctly identifying Ryan as somewhat of a narcissist, Fontaine slipped flattering letters in with each fishing delivery, which eventually got him into the oceanic city in 1948.
Of course, once he got to Rapture, he was not quite as nice as his writing might suggest. Fontaine, alongside some hired muscle, quickly established himself as a powerful financial force. He operated a contraband black market that brought in a lot of customers, and also the watchful eye of Ryan. He also discovered ADAM in that time, the chemical fuel of Bioshock's best abilities. After battling with Andrew Ryan, Fontaine faked his death to become Atlas, who the player meets at the beginning of BioShock.
Frank Fontaine is a character woven into the very fabric of the first game. If BioShock 4 wishes to emulate this antagonist, it needs to look at exactly how he became one of the best videogame villains. BioShock 4's setting will need to be created with an amazing antagonist in mind if it wants to match Frank Fontaine's status. While a straight adaptation of the same twist will not work, there are several ways the game could have an antagonist that is just as good.
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How Could Bioshock 4 Have Another Atlas Moment?
The real power of Frank Fontaine in BioShock is in his twist reveal. Atlas is one of the best companion NPCs out there, his dulcet Irish tones and cheeky wit accompanying the player throughout the game, lulling them into a false sense of security. This makes the reveal at the end rank as not only one of the most unexpected BioShock twists, but one of the most shocking momennts in gaming. Fontaine reveals how the player has been manipulated the entire time to get to this point, and not only is it shocking narratively, but it also makes some interesting points about the game's central themes.
Bioshock's main themes include a strong critique of Ayn Rand's objectivist philosophy, which Andrew Ryan posits throughout the game. To suddenly reveal that the player's own decisions and success have been largely down to a secret invisible force working in the background certainly adds to the game's latent critique of extreme individualist philosophies.
A villain like Frank Fontaine for Bioshock 4 will need to play on both the player's expectations and the game's themes a lot. It will definitely not be enough to just have a companion character betray the player. It might even be worth Bioshock 4 having a Fontaine-esque character acting like Borderland's Handsome Jack – being present, iconic, and charismatically evil, but still mysterious.
Job listings for the game imply Bioshock 4 will have strong RPG mechanics, meaning that player choice will likely play into the game much more than previous games. Perhaps it would work well for Bioshock 4 to have a potential antagonist, whose attitude to the player and world is influenced by player interaction. While an antagonist like this might not be as surprising as Frank Fontaine, it would have the potential to be even more impactful.
Bioshock 4 is currently in development.
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