Last year in October, modder Wim Buytaert crafted a short but enjoyable BioShock story, called Return to Rapture, by combining the game’s original assets with the gameplay mechanics of Half-Life: Alyx using the set of official modding tools released by Valve.
Since then, Buytaert expanded Return to Rapture by releasing seven additional levels, and he even joined forces with other talented creators to produce an original soundtrack created just for the campaign.
Still, Return to Rapture, as impressive as it is, was created using only a limited number of assets from the original BioShock, with many major omissions that made all die-hard fans of the retrofuturistic video game series long for more.
The good news is that more is just what they’ll get because Buytaert and his team are working on Return to Rapture: Chapter II. The second installment will feature up to 3,000 original BioShock assets, and it will add around 20 additional levels.
Instead of stock Half-Life: Alyx enemies, you will be fighting against fully animated Splicers and Big Daddies, whose enhanced AI will test your survival skills and reflexes. Understanding the importance of interactivity for virtual reality immersion, the team of modders is focusing on sprinkling plenty of interactive elements throughout the 20 levels, including slot machines.
Return to Rapture: Chapter II should be available later in 2021, but you should already know that deadlines and the COVID-19 pandemic don’t go well together, so don’t be surprised if the mod takes a lot longer to finish.
Buytaert is also known for The Lost Case mod, an action-packed campaign for Half-Life: Alyx. You can support the creation of Return to Rapture: Chapter II and future mods by becoming Buytaert’s patron on Patreon.
