BioShock 2: Minerva's Den
| BioShock 2: Minerva's Den | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | 2K Marin | 
| Publisher(s) | 2K | 
| Designer(s) | Steve Gaynor | 
| Composer(s) | Garry Schyman | 
| Series | BioShock | 
| Engine | Unreal Engine 2 | 
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter | 
| Mode(s) | Single-player | 
BioShock 2: Minerva's Den is a single-player downloadable content (DLC) campaign for the 2010 first-person shooter game BioShock 2, developed by 2K Marin and published by 2K. The player assumes the role of Subject Sigma, an armored and genetically modified human, or "Big Daddy"; Sigma must travel through Minerva's Den, the technological hub of the underwater city of Rapture, to download a schematic of the city's supercomputer. Gameplay is similar to that of BioShock 2, with new enemies and weapons.
Minerva's Den was created by a small team within 2K Marin led by Steve Gaynor, who partly based the setting on ideas he discussed in his hiring interview. The team decided upon a small, personal story about identity and free will, which explores a previously-unseen part of the underwater city of Rapture. Minerva's Den was initially released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in August 2010, and was later released and reissued on other platforms. It was well received by critics, who praised its story, characters, and gameplay; reviewers, including those writing for Kotaku and Paste, considered it one of the best video game expansions of all time. The experience of creating a small, story-focused project inspired Gaynor and other 2K employees to form The Fullbright Company and create Gone Home (2013).