Bioshock > Bioshock Levels > Welcome to Fort Frolic

Welcome to Fort Frolic

Trapped

You step off the bathysphere from Arcadia into the metro lobby at Fort Frolic. The bathysphere station to Hephæstus, as Atlas confirms, is up ahead on the other side of the lobby. Atlas also tells you that Fort Frolic is run by a man named Sander Cohen, whom he tries to describe as a real lunatic … a dyed-in-the-wool psychopath — except that his signal is broken off to the music of Rise, Rapture, Rise.

You gather as much as you can from the vending and gambling machines near the Arcadia exit. (Try the Epstein the Swami fortune teller. He's a real downer! A sample fortune: It won't go well. It won't go well at all.) Then you race to the Hephæstus bathysphere. Surprise! The 'sphere closes and sinks into the water, and the gate in front of it closes, too. Raising before you is a giant mask of a long-eared rabbit, white with speckles of red. As it ascends to the sunburst bas-relief near the ceiling, red curtains cover the view of the sea on either side. Dancers in plaster, two to a side, dance on cables from the top of the curtains as two spectators in plaster stand in awe.

A voice that exudes with charm comes over the radio:

Ah, that's better. Atlas, Ryan, Atlas, Ryan, duh duh duh, duh duh duh. Time was you could get something decent on the radio. The artist has a duty to seduce the ear and delight the spirit: So say goodbye to those two blowhards, and hello! to an evening with Sander Cohen.

Thinking of escaping? The entrance to the lobby opens to a web of electrical tripwires all over the lobby. And the gates to the Arcadia bathysphere are locked.

Now, I haven't seen a sign of real life down here in months. Let's see if you're just another Johnny-come-lately, or maybe something more delicious.

Here come three pairs of spider splicers, two by two. There are several ways to deal with them.

  1. If you acquired Natural Camouflage by researching the Houdinis of the Saturnine in Arcadia, you can stand in a corner and watch the splicers go by, confident that they cannot see you as long as you do not move. Once they are at a safe distance, plop the closest one with Enrage; wait until the fight is over; and take out with the survivor.
  2. If you are into research, use the Decoy plasmid to lure them down and make them fight the ghost as you snap pictures of them. You should make at least the third (++) level, maybe even the fourth. If you put your decoy among the trap wires, the splicers will voluntarily clear them out for you.

After the first pair are killed, Cohen remarks, Nicely done. Where did you study? Do likewise unto the remaining two pairs of aggressors. Even if you can't camouflage yourself, the Hephæstus station gives you an advantage that in there the spiders have few places to jump onto the ceiling.

Cohen is quite pleased with you.

Ohhhh, I can smell the malt vinegar in this one. I've waited so long for something tasty to come to this little burg, but all that pass are yokels and rubes.

Where are my manners? Come in, come in! Sander Cohen awaits you, at the Fleet Hall!

There are two sections to Fort Frolic: The Atrium and Poseidon Plaza. They are separated by a glass tunnel that Cohen has turned into a freezer.

There are plenty of gene banks, first-aid stations, vending machines and safes as well as the one-arm bandits (mostly in Poseidon's two casinos) and Epstein fortune tellers unique to this level.

Also unique to this level are shops with glass display windows. The shops that are accessible (many are gated shut) have stories to tell. But be careful when fighting enemies near their entrances. Breaking any glass activates an alarm: For one minute, security bots will hunt for you as a voice announces over the klaxon, Vandalism is a serious crime. Remember, vandals are parasites.

Welcome to Fort Frolic

Turn left at the bathysphere exit. In the shaft above the entrance to the Atrium is an auto-hacker; snare it with Telekinesis. Walk past the vending machine to the Atrium with its vast glass dome to the sea. The dome is cracked at the top, and sea water cascades down to the foot of the stairs from the main floor to the mezzanine. As you survey the wondrous scene, lights come on and neon signs come ablaze as Sander Cohen proclaims: Welcome to Fort Frolic!

Cohen explains why you are here.

No need to thank me for jamming the transmission of those boors Atlas and Ryan. Let them have their squabble. The artist, yes, the artist knows there is richer earth to till.

For example, I test you, little moth, but for a reason. I test all my disciples. Some shine like galaxies, and some — some burn like a moth at the flame! Come now, into my home.

Fleet Theater

If you choose to explore the byways of the Atrium and the Plaza, read the sections at the end of this page. The rest of this text assumes you are in that let's get this over with frame of mind. But what fun is that?

First, hack the first-aid station on the column in the middle of the Atrium. In front of the stairs is a stage covered with a red curtain. You can't peek behind the curtain, but what lies behind it is the reason for the mission Cohen will assign you. Climb the stairs and pass the glass door into the Fleet Hall. There is a security camera over the glass door in the concession area; wait until it points away from you to hack or destroy it.

From the concession area you can only proceed from the elevator to your left. The glass door is locked. The stairs lead to the back of the projection room, where you will find film, Eve hypos, a crafting station, a playable guitar and a tape of Cohen excoriating someone over a review of his rival Anna Culpepper. (The projection room itself is gated shut: Cohen himself is inside, and he scolds you for trying to enter.)

Press the elevator call button (but wait until you are invisible if you have camouflage). Three thugs appear from the stairs. The camera, if you hacked it, will summon bots to shoot at least one of them. Fend off the others while the elevator descends, or flee them when it does.

At the top of the elevator you can hear a piano playing, intersped by pleas and Cohen's nagging critiques. You enter the theater itself to see Kyle Fitzpatrick, who is playing Cohen's masterwork on a piano draped with sticks of TNT. The detonator is on the seat, to which the hapless pianist is glued. In time Fitzpatrick tires of playing and of Cohen's abuse: Cohen, you sick f◊◊◊! Let's me out of … BOOM! The piano explodes when Fitzpatrick rises from his seat.

(If you take pity on Fitzpatrick and shoot him dead, the piano will still explode. Fitzpatrick may end up unburned. And Cohen will be disappointed: Oh, that was quicker than I hoped.)

Cohen exclaims, Life! Death! The purpose of the artist is to … capture! Cohen has you walk onto the stage and take a photograph of Fitzpatrick's corpse. When you do so, he says:

And now you've got Fitzpatrick caught in his moment of glory. It seems you've got the eye of the shutterbug, little moth! Now head to the Atrium and place his photograph in my masterpiece. And so our collaboration commences.

Cohen's masterpiece hides behind the red curtain of the stage in front of the Atrium stairs. You can't take the elevator back, so take one of the side aisles. Get some armor-piercing bullets or Electro-bolt ready: Guarding the hall between the theater and the concession area are two gun turrets. (You could hack them to make them keep the theater clear of splicers if you decide to go back there.) Get past those to leave the theater. As you do, Cohen says:

I know why you've come, little moth. You've your own canvas: One you'll paint with the blood of a man I once loved.

Yes, I'll send you to Ryan. But first you must be part of my masterpiece. Go to the Atrium. Hurry now! My muse is a fickle bitch with a very short attention span!!

The Quadtych

As you leave the theater and walk down the stairs, you see the curtain has parted to reveal a set of plastered figures, all dressed up in tuxedos and sporting thin mustaches. They are holding four frames, all empty. As you approach the tableau, Cohen exalts:

Do you see it? When I am dust, this is what they'll point to! My Quadtych! My masterpiece! Go ahead, don't be afraid: Touch it.

Smack a part of the tableau with your wrench. See the blood? Those figures — indeed, every figure in plaster throughout Fort Frolic — were once alive. That's right: All the tableaux are made from the dead (and some not so dead) bodies of splicers trapped inside the Fort.

Anyway, smacking the tableau causes one of the frames to glow. Press the E key to put the photo of Fitzpatrick's body in the frame. A spray of confetti and a trumpet florish announces your success as a statue rises from the stage, bearing a gift from Cohen to you: A crossbow.

The crossbow is a long-range weapon that fires bolts to kill or injury enemies from afar. Unlike other ammo, bolts are recoverable if they are not damaged on impact.

The crossbow is not recommended for close range because it takes too long to reload.

Bolts come in three flavors: The more plentiful steel bolts; red incendiary bolts for setting victims on fire (excellent against Big Daddies); and blue trap bolts for setting electrical wire traps.

Power to the People machines have two crossbow upgrades: one to boost the amount of damage bolts can inflict, one to boost the likelihood that bolts can be recovered.

Yes, and there's Fitzpatrick, freed of his own kinks and defects. And here's the glorious news: This is just the moment of conception! Out in this place there are three men, all former disciples of mine, all connected by a common thread: Betrayal. Find them, little moth, and immortalize their mortality in my Quadtych. Go! Once they've been sent to their reward, you shall go to yours … and to Ryan.

At this point you may want to visit the Southern Mall to take advantage of its P2P machine to enhance the strength of the crossbow.

Martin Finnigan

You will be hunting down, killing, and snapping the photos of three men, in the following order: Martin Finnigan, Silas Cobb, and Hector Rodriguez.

Your first victim, Finnigan, is waiting in the connecting tunnel between the Atrium and Poseidon Plaza. Cohen opens the door to the freezing tunnel and explains how he met Finnigan.

You'll find Finnegan in cold storage. I discovered him in Marseilles in 1937. He admired my painting, I admired his … carriage. He was the first of my disciples to bite the hand. Kill him any way you fancy, but I'd prefer it if you could involve burning in some fashion.

As you enter the tunnel you can hear a low, frosty voice: I can see your brea—th. Zap the hanging corpse with Incinerate; scavange it and the trash can for goodies. You don't need to shoot fire at the tape frozen on the wall.

You think you gonna finish me in here, you old fruit? The other saps you tossed in this meat locker all panicked like rabbits. I just watched and waited. When they started to kick, I started to scavenge. Made myself a little splicer cocktail I did. If you can't come in from the cold, then you gotta grow ice over your heart. And the iceman cometh, Sander baby. The iceman f◊◊◊ing cometh.

You enter a long room full of frozen splicers. The figure at the far end of the room, however, is not frozen. As you walk to him, he runs as if into the wall, only to dematerialize. A Houdini splicer! When you approach where he stood, you suddenly find yourself encased in ice. Through the ice you can see Finnigan reappear and face you.

So the old fruit finally sent someone. Son of a bitch left me here to freeze. Oooh, I have a pose all picked out for youuu!

As the spicers were fighting when Finnigan froze them, you get action bonuses when you take their pictures. This is an excellent opportunity for rewards.

Then you find the ice melting away. You are still in the hall, facing the junction with the doors. The room is full of ice statues. One of them is Finnigan. But which one? You can deduct first that the female statues are not him; then that any male statue bearing a weapon is not him. That leaves just one statue.

You have a choice in how to dispose of Finnigan.

That was bracing, says Cohen. Take a photo of him and place it in the Quadtych. I'm feeling full, like an expectant momma! After you snap Finnigan's picture, Cohen replies, Yes, now put the picture in the frame! Let's see what we've got here.

Before you leave the room, search Finnigan for his splicer cocktail, the Frozen Field tonic, which makes you resistant to ice attacks and let you the random capability of freezing any attacker with a strike of your wrench. Store it for when you buy a combat tonic slot. Next shoot some fire at an ice mound around the first-aid station to free a crossbow and an Auto-Hacker Tool. Then fire an Incinerate burst at the ice on the floor along the bottom of the door to the Plaza. That will let you into the Plaza when the time comes to hunt the other two targets.

Little Sister

Finally, get yourself ready for a Big Daddy fight. Load armor-piercing ammo in your pistol and machine gun, plus exploding buck in your shotgun and a full load of incendiary bolts. When you return to the lower floor of the Atrium, you will find a pitched battle between three spider splicers and a Big Daddy. Let them fight it out. When the Big Daddy finishes them off, it's your turn. Exploding buck is better against the big guy, but fire bolts are best. Otherwise, regular 00 shot and armor-piercing bullets will wear him down. When he falls, deal with the Little Sister — preferably by saving her.

If you have been in the habit of saving the Little Sisters, you will get a message from Dr. Tennenbaum.

The little ones have never had anyone to look to, except for me — and I am not much to speak of. You give them hope, and for this I am grateful. I'll send something to demonstrate that gratitude.

The gift left in front of the Gatherers Garden consists of 200 Adam, an upgrade to the Hypotize Big Daddy plasmid, and four first-aid kits.

Dr. Tennenbaum could radio you over Sander Cohen's jamming either because (1) Cohen is jamming Ryan and Atlas, but no one else; or (2) Cohen is graciously letting her communicate with you.

It's Coming Together

When that distraction is out of the way, go to the Quadtych and install Finnigan's photo in one of the frames. Cohen promptly awards you with another statue-borne gift: ten anti-personnel machine-gun rounds, R$20, and three first-aid kits.

It's coming together. Yes! But there will always be doubters. You don't doubt me, do you? I could never … stomach … doubters.

Before you return to the tunnel, stop by the Gatherer's Garden to buy some slots, plasmids and tonics. If you have not done so already, rig the first-aid stations for cheaper health — and splicer poison. You will need this later. Now, back into the tunnel, and this time go all the way through to Poseidon Plaza.

Poseidon Plaza

When you first step into the Plaza, six spider splicers come out of a hole in the wall, two by two. (Evidently the splicers have a lounge behind that wall.) They will usually not toss hooks at you, but climb until they are almost on top of you before they fall to the floor and attack. Deal with them.

Afterwards there will be spider and thug splicers (and an occasional Houdini) here and there throughout the Plaza. You can help yourself by rigging the first-aid stations, one on each floor of the Plaza. Vending machines and gene banks are scattered throughout the Plaza and in the shops and casinos.

There are no leadheads at Fort Frolic; their bullets too easily shatter the shop windows.

Speaking of casinos, after you deal with the three pairs of spiders, go to the Sir Prize casino and open the door. That starts a fight among the splicers inside (one of which has a pet security bot). Don't go inside unless you want to join the fray. Let them fight it out. You can return to the casino on your next trip to the Plaza.

The two remaining Little Sisters are in the Plaza. It is best to deal with them, and get them out of the way, before you visit Silas Cobb.

Silas Cobb

The Texas-born manager of the Rapture Records shop on the upper level of Poseidon Plaza admired Cohen only because Cohen's songs paid his rent. When Cohen locked down the Fort, Cobb started burning Cohen in effigy. You find one such effigy, with a tape daring Cohen to visit the shop, in the entrance hall to the Southern Mall.

You know you are in front of the right shop when you hear Cobb brag, My masterpiece is almost complete. Now we'll see who's the real artist around here. Tell the old crow his music cooks better than it sounds! You follow the voice into the record shop to find everything is cooked to a Cajun-style black. Behind one of the counters is a tape, the only one in the game, of Anna Culpepper, Cohen's doomed rival:

Cohen's not a musician. He's Ryan's stable boy. Ryan's corrupt policies crap all over the place, and Cohen flutters around clearing it up. But instead of using a shovel, like you would with a proper mule, Cohen tidies with a catchy melody and a clever turn of phrase. But no matter how nicely it sounds, he can't really do anything about the smell.

The shop has upper and lower levels. Down below you see another of Cobb's effigies. This one has a time bomb, which starts ticking when you approach it. Run to the alcove under the upper floor to avoid getting hurt. After the effigy explodes, you hear Cobb address you: You Cohen's messenger boy? I have something for that old crow! Peek above to see Cobb himself: A nitro splicer with a box of Molotovs. He throws one into the vents and flees, saying Spend some time with my kittens, sugar!

Cobb's kittens are spider splicers in flames, popping out of the ceiling vents. I use Sonic Blast or Cyclone Blast to send them flying to their deaths. If you are patient, you can stand in camouflaged silence and wait for them to burn to death. Otherwise, use your best judgment in dealing with them; just don't let them get too close if you don't like being barbecued.

Once they are all dead, Cobb cries out, It's all a game, errand boy. Cohen, Ryan: Two old birds pulling on each other's milk sticks. Vulgar, aren't we?

Clean out the corpse and the dead splicers. You will find lots of first-aid kits (you will likely need them). There is a floor vent that will take you back to the upper level. Lay out a trap bolt where Cobb will most likely walk. Then slowly approach the door with your Telekinesis (to grab and toss back his firebombs) and crossbow ready. When you are close enough, the door opens to Cobb, crying, My kittens! You murdered my kittens! With that you fight … he dies.

At Cobb's death, Cohen purrs, He was a nasty one, and my favorite. But I think I like him better this way. Take his damn photo, chop chop! After you snap Cobb's picture, Cohen observes:

You flutter all around the Fort, taking life as you go. You're not a moth; you're an angel. I've never painted an angel … maybe I should.

Um, let's not and say we did, okay?

Cohen Freaks Out!

You return through the tunnel to the Atrium. Stop by the Gatherers Garden to add to your plasmid/tonic collection. Then, off to the Quadtych. After you place Cobb's picture in one of the two remaining frames, Cohen goes nuts … more nuts than usual:

That's three of four … what's that look? You don't like it, do you? I don't need to be judged by you — by anyone! Screw you! Screw all you f◊◊◊ing doubters! Here's what I say to all of you!!

Now you're in for it! As the lights turn a dull red, Cohen sends an army of splicers, both thugs and spiders, to kill you to the music of Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers. What I do is pick a defensible position; rely on my Natural Camouflage and wrench tonics; wait for my victims to come to me; and smack them when they get too close. Or, I use Cyclone Trap at strategic points and ready my pistol. If you are in a corner, they can't attack behind you; and they go at you one at a time, anyway. But that kind of fighting style might not be right for you. Know at least that the tunnel door is locked, and the Southern Mall is gated shut, for as long as any of Cohen's army is alive.

Once you have killed all the splicers, a contrite Cohen apologizes for freaking out:

I'm sorry for that outburst. You'll have to forgive an old fool his artistic temperament. The birth is so close now. The labor pains can blur the judgement and drive the passions of even the finest spirits.

Hey, no problem.

You return to the Quadtych to receive Cohen's latest gift: Five electric buck shells, R$20, and twenty units of Electric Gel.

Eve's Garden

You return to Poseidon Plaza to Eve's Garden, a well-advertised strip bar where your last target is known to hang out. Eve's has two entrances, one on each floor, both at the end of corridors looking out into the ocean.

The upper floor entrance is guarded by two gun turrets. If there is a Big Daddy in the hall and you have a Security Bullseye, you can let him deal with the turrets. Otherwise, shoot them out with armor-piercing bullets.

The lower floor is a stage surrounded by a bar and one of each type of vending machine, plus our friend Epstein the Swami. As you approach the stage, you will have a hallucination of a pole-dancing striper saying, Well, well, if it isn't our long-lost Andrew Ryan! Umm-umm, come here, tiger! Jump onto the stage, pick up the money, and walk into the back hall. There is another hallucination: I thought you had forgotten about poor Jasmine. But I am so glad you didn't! As you approach the door at the end of the hall, there is a fierce red glow as you hear the voice of Jasmine, first begging for forgiveness and then screaming. You can guess, even before the door opens, what has happened by the bloody footprints coming out.

The back room has a bed, on which poor Jasmine lies in state. As you approach, you get a flashback of your avatar's family, emphasizing his mother. That wasn't too subtle, was it? Yes, that is the avatar's mother, lying bloodied on the bed. Under the bed is a lot of money and a tape of why Jasmine died.

That creepy Dr. Tennenbaum promised me it wasn't gonna be a real pregnancy. They'd just take the egg out once Mr. Ryan and I had…. I needed the money so bad! But I know Mr. Ryan's gonna suss it out, gonna know I wasn't being careful … gonna know I sold the … Mr. Ryan's gonna be so mad at me!

That woman was truly a mistress of Mr. Understatement. But the worst part of it is that you know now that your avatar is the son of a stripper and a murderous bastisch.

Hector Rodriguez

Anyway, you will need anti-personnel bullets for your gun. There are plenty of them in the safe next to the bed. As you leave the room, you will hear why: How about some f◊◊◊ing service around here?! Maybe … maybe I'll just, you know, do something! The things that man had me do … f◊◊◊ you!! That is the angry voice of Hector Rodriguez, who is sitting at the bar, thinking in his insanity that Eve's is still in business and that he can still get drunk!

Hector is a nitro splicer who is extremely swift on his feet. You may have noticed, for a split second, a fleeting shadow through an open door on your first visit to the Atrium, or in cavities in the Plaza walls. That's Hector.

The minute he sees you, Hector will take off out of the bar, down the hall, down the stairs, into the tunnel, and all the way to the Quadtych. He will do this, tossing Molotovs over his shoulder at you. He will do this — unless you stop him.

Most weapons are too slow to load and fire at him. You are too slow, even with both SportBoost tonics, to reach out to him with your wrench. The pistol with anti-personnel bullets is the best way to drop him.

When Hector is down, Cohen tells you, He was a lout, but he was vigorous. Get the photo before he completely dries up! Once you do so, you can return to the Atrium at once; or you can go back to Eve's and play the tape he left on the bar.

You know what? Art … music … poetry … it's all grift. Cohen's got Ryan wrapped around his lil' pinky. And why? Because he tells him what he wants to hear. Rise, Rapture, Rise! Nuts! That stuff was stale before it came out Cohen's pen. I'm through with the whole piñata. Let's see that old fruit try an' keep me here.

Conficitur!

You return to the Quadtych and install the final photograph in its frame. The lights dim. There is a drum roll. Then BAMPF! With a cry of It … is … accomplished, Sander Cohen, wearing an elaborate black rabbit mask with gold trim, makes his grand entrance at the top of the stairs in a puff of smoke, a shower of sparkling confetti, a stirring string waltz, and canned applause. As he descends, waving to his imaginary audience, he takes off his mask, saying Let me see it. He stands in delight before the fait accompli: It's so beautiful.

He hasn't forgotten you, though. You will find your path to Ryan is now clear. Tell him Sander says hello! Then, as an afterthought, Oh yes, one other thing! Let me offer you something as a token of our time together. As you and Cohen walk to the two glass cases, Cohen gestures and the case with the plaster torso lifts up, making the Medical Expert 2 tonic available to you. If you had become my one and true disciple, you might have allowed to look into the box of my most private muse. But who knows if such a man will ever be born? And, with a stern glare, he bids you to go. Atlas, now able to contact you, tells you to get to the bathysphere and go to Hephæstus: It's time to settle up with Ryan.

The Fate of Sander Cohen

You decide whether to let Cohen live or fight him to the death.

Cohen is a fire-spitting Houdini splicer, only tougher and able to teleport farther than the average Houdini. Your research camera will not scan him, but once he is dead you can still snap his picture, just like you did with his ex-disciples. On X360 systems, you get an Irony award; on PCs, you only get to enjoy the irony.

If you decide to let Cohen live, you will find him again at his home in the Mercury Suites apartments of the Olympus Heights quarter. He will know you are there: I hear your wings flapping in my home. … Come into the light, little moth, come in! Inside are two aggressors dancing to Cohen's Rapture Requiem; he bids you not to disturb them. But Cohen has a Power to the People vendor stashed in his bedroom upstairs; and the only way to reach it is to disturb them.

Don't feel like being too rough with ol' Sander? Rig the health station outside his apartment. Then, before his next teleport, drop a prox mine in his path. The explosion will take away most of his health, and he will flee to the first-aid station — and certain death.

If you kill him in Fort Frolic, you can open his muse box: R$69 (kinky!), eight fire bolts and three spider splicer hearts. But his apartment will be inaccessible. Or, you can kill him in his apartment for his muse box key plus $87 and anti-personnel rounds for your machine gun. Then, having returned to Fort Frolic, set his Quadtych on fire; the Atrium will glow red as Sander Cohen reappears in a screaming rage. Then, when you dispatch him, you will get a different set of loot: Five trap bolts, twelve film shots and (oddly) another key to his muse box.

Good ol' Sander! Even in death, he's a real Sugar Daddy.

It is evident that Sander Cohen can use a Vita-Chamber, making him (like your avatar) a relative of Ryan. He need not use a bathysphere, though, since the his flat is not far from the Fleet Hall Theatre. You can see the Theater clearly across the water from Sander's bedroom window.

Frankly it is better to just let him live, at least until to reach his apartment.

You can go upstairs to the Fleet Hall. Cohen will not stop you; he will just stand before his masterpiece, looking upon it in quiet appreciation. The projector room is now open, making available, among other goodies, the Electric Flesh gene tonic, which boosts resistance to electric shock and makes your Electro-Bolt and electric buck/gel more powerful. Also within reach is this wistful tape:

I could have been the toast of Broadway, the talk of Hollywood. But instead I followed you to this soggy bucket. When you needed my star light, I illuminated you. But now I rot, waiting for an audience that doesn't … ever … come!

I'm writing something for you, Andrew Ryan: It's a requiem.


Atrium

Fleet Hall

The viewing balconies in the theater are all accessible except one. The one with the locked door just happens to have a engineering tonic, Alarm Expert, which lowers the number of alarm tiles in anything you hack. The easiest way to reach it is to go to the neighboring balcony, get on the ledge, and jump on over. Cohen will comment in an unenthusiastic voice, What an outstanding display of athleticism! The two or three Houdini splicers who appear after you take the tonic are not impressed, either.

Southern Mall

The Southern Mall is a winding corridor lined with small shops. Most of the shops are closed, but two — the Marquis D'Epoque liquor and tobacco shop, and Sophia Salon clothing store — are accessible. So is the Cocktail Lounge at the mid-point of the corridor.

entrance

The entrance is guarded by a security camera. Hack it to keep aggressors at bay while you are inside. Its small lobby is graced with one of Silas Cobb's burning effigies of Cohen, next to which is a tape.

You wanna lock us in, old man? Well, that's fine with Cobbsie. I used to love you. I used you to think you were a musical genius. You know why? Because you paid my rent, you ancient hack! Come on to the record store. I'll show you what I think of your plinkily, plink, plink!

Coming near the effigy sets off a fight among a group of splicers attacking a Houdini. Any survivors will stand in the hall near the Sophia Salon entrance. The women's restroom has a gun turret guarding a cannister of liquid nitrogen. The men's restroom is flooded and has a Cohen tableaux of three leaping dancers at the far end; it creeped me out when I first saw it.

sophia salon

This clothing store appears lightly damaged, with clothes still on hangers or folded ready for pickup. But it is store's changing room that is the main focus: The whole room is a tableau, with a seated Cohen-statue before a shrine of the Wild Bunny. Next to the shrine is Cohen's paeon to it:

The Wild Bunny
by Sander Cohen

I want to take the ears off, but I can't.
I hop, and when I hop, I never get off the ground.
It's my curse, my eternal curse!
I want to take the ears off but I can't!
It's my curse! It's my f◊◊◊ing curse!
I want to take the ears off!
Please! Take them off!! PLEASE!

The shrine and the poem give you an idea of just how mad Cohen is and of why he is so obsessed with rabbits.

There is a safe behind a charcoal drawing.

cocktail lounge

The lounge is guarded by a security camera and heavily patrolled; so it is not a good idea to just walk right in. However, you can avoid any fuss by going into the employee's entrance across from the clothing store. This leads you to the bar, where the camera will not notice you as long as you don't stand at the counter. There you can clean out the safe and cash register, and listen to a tape by a frustrated security chief Sullivan (remember him from Port Neptune?).

I worked the meatball beat in Little Italy, and even I'm shocked at the cold blood that oozes out of these artistic types. This broad Culpepper and that fruitjob Cohen are in some kind of feud; and Cohen's lookin' for my security detail to pick sides. The next thing I know, I get called into Ryan's office to talk about the whole mess. Goddamn nutjob artists!

The lounge has a crafting station under the camera for your inventing needs, and a gene bank near the employee entrance. Zap and hack the camera when there are no aggressors around. This will ensure that when they return there will be bots to shower them with bullets. Some of those bots will shower you as well: One of the visiting aggressors will be a Nitro, who will surely trigger an alarm by blasting a shop window trying to defend himself. If you can't hide, have R$20 ready for the bot override next to the Marquis.

la marquis d'epoque

This store, and most of the Southern Mall, was featured in an demonstration video of Bioshock back when 2K was called Irrational Games. The basic layout has not changed, although some of the details had: There was a light switch on the column, and the corpse in the tobacco room was a Baby Jane.

This purveyor of sin stuff, with the traditional wooden Indian in front, has alcoholic beverages on the upper level and tobacco on the lower level. The upper level has a gun turret hidden behind a pillar; zap and hack it. Empty the cash register behind the counter.

The lower level is much more fruitful. There is a crafting machine; a Power to the People vendor; and in the tobacco room the gunned-down corpse of Albert Milonakis, who left you a tape of his preference for Nico Time cigarettes — They smoke good, and don't cost half a damn. — and the combination to the cigar room at Robertson's Tobaccaria. Al died for what he loved.

If you either clear out his corpse or use the P2P machine, a Houdini splicer will appear. Then several other splicers will follow. The bots (if they trip the camera) and gun turret will take care of them.

Cohen Collection

This was once an art gallery for the paintings of Cohen and others. Now it is a burned-out shell. Its only work of art is The Doubters, a grisly tableau of a family at a table: the daughter limp at her seat; the mother's arms bound behind her back; the father with a rabbit mask, his wrists slit. There is a tape of Cohen expressing his hatred of those who doubt his talent:

Rapture's going to hell. And why? Because of them! Always behind the scenes: At the Lyceum, at the galleries in SoHo, even down here in this so-called Utopia: The Doubters.

But Ryan understands. We're simpatico. Yes, there's blood in the streets. Yes, people sometimes … disappear. And those awful little girls. Well, I suppose the Doubters think you can paint a picture without soiling your smock.

On the balcony above are three safes. They are guarded by a gun turret which you can zap and hack in your favor. The safes contain a wealth of first-aid kits, Eve hypos, money and ammunition. But cracking any one of the three safes summons a Houdini splicer. If you are lucky, the turret will deal with her. Or, you can shoot her yourself. If, however, she appears once and disappears, it is possible you will find her at the Quadtych, standing before it in quiet appreciation. I guess she was an artist before she went nuts.

Poseidon Plaza

In Poseidon Plaza all the accessible shops have a lower and upper level, except the Tobaccoria (which has an outer and inner room) and that hugh flooded room below the first floor. I have already covered the Rapture Record shop above.

Robertson Tobaccoria

In this tobacco shop are two rooms, outer and inner. The outer room has a gene bank, a coffee table and chairs, and a checkout counter with an empty cash register. On the table is a tape from Bill McDonagh. It implies the fate of the owner, most of whose stock is obviously smuggled Cuban cigars.

The good people of Rapture didn't sign up to see us government-types shutting down shops, killing their owners … even with a ponce like Fontaine. But he brung it upon himself. 'Stead of copping it on the chin, bugger gets into his 'ead that he's gonna go down guns blazing. Who does he think he is? John bloody Wayne?

We can get on top of this. We can. Here's what we do: We find Fontaine's will and make what was his go to where it was intended — and not into the pockets of us that put 'im into the ground.

The inner room is where the cigars are kept under lock and guarded by security camera. The code for the lock (found on Albert Milonakis' corpse at La Marquis D'Epoque) is 7774. Once inside you can hack the camera to make it behave. Then that pile of money on the floor around (and on) the dead guy is yours.

Sinclair Spirits

As you enter this cocktail lounge, you see six plaster statues pose, three to a side, welcoming you to the shop. On a table behind them another white-wax figure (persumably the late Sinclair himself) lies in state. Watching over him is a security camera, which you can either hack or shoot.

At the bar there are two cash registers (the one on the floor has money). On the bar near the empty cash register is a button that opens a door, before which another plaster statue stands as if in fear. In the basement beyond the door, another figure sits facing a corner. At the opposite corner is a safe and a Power to the People machine.

Careful! Use that machine, then turn around. Whoa! The statue from the corner is right there, dancing after you. Shoot her quick! When you come out of the basement, all the other dancers are gone!

Where are they?

Head out of the lounge, and you will find that previously gated stairs are now open. They lead to a vast room that used to be a clothing store. At the far corner are a crate, a couple of proximity mines and an Extra Nutrition 2 tonic. Take the tonic and jump on top of the crate. When you turn around you will see some of the remaining dancers posing around the door. Zap the water. Clean out your victims, turn about, and you will see more. I would not recommend zapping the water while you are in it; whack them with your wrench instead.

If you choose to visit the Spirits shop early in the game, you will find that the plaster dancers are a plague upon the Plaza. They are silent (except on the ceiling), and they attack everyone except the Big Daddies. It is best to visit the Spirits shop last, use the vendor, whack the one dancer, and then run for the exit.

Sir Prize: Games of Chance

I mentioned earlier that your first peek inside the casino sparks a fight among the aggressors inside, including one with a bot in tow. Eventually the splicers will kill off each other, or will get killed either by the bot or by the trap wires upstairs. When the fighting is done, you can enter without incident.

Indeed, the casino is a safer way of moving between floors than the plaza stairs, where you might be spotted by one or more aggressors.

There is a lot of loot inside the lower floor. If you are lucky, the bot will have survived the fight, and you can hack it to be your guard. At the far end of the lower level is a milk crate with some film, a pipe and a tape from Bill McDonagh on his first encounter with Houdinis:

Fontaine knew our blokes were coming. We were done over. Them splicers come screaming out the woodwork. Burping fire, spitting ice … demons out of the Bible they were. Never seen nothing like it. It wasn't a business he was building: It was an army.

Crack the safe under the bar, then walk up the stairs. There is a crossbow and some trap wire bolts (one of the only times you will find them lying around) at the top. The deployed wires on the upper floor can be crawled under or removed with Telekinesis. If you don't remove them, though, your new bot may do it for you.

Pharaoh's Fortune

This casino is on the upper floor facing the hall to Eve's Garden. Be careful as you enter, for there is a security camera on the second floor watching over the slot machines below. There will also be at least two aggressors inside.

The checkout counter has two cash registers and a safe. There is nothing else there, so carefully walk up the stairs, zap the camera, and hack it. It will then watch your back (esp. from the Houdini who walks in) as you explore the more fruitful second floor. This floor has a gene bank (below the camera), various goodies, and a tape from security chief Sullivan, who is very unhappy at his new assignment:

I just got the word to put the bump on Anna Culpepper. This isn't some gangster or hard-nosed political operative. We're talking about a dizzy twist what wrote a song or two that got under Ryan's wig.

Hack the camera, or you will have to deal with the Houdini who walks in while you are up there.


Appendix

Visit an ex-actress' view of our friend Sander in An Evening With Sander Cohen.