In the first of a new BioShock Infinite “Heavy Hitters” video series, Irrational Creative Director Ken Levine, Art Director Nate Wells and Lead Artist Shawn Robertson take the wraps off the Motorized Patriot, a mechanized murder machine with a porcelain face, a minigun and absolutely no fear. The Motorized Patriot is the first of the “heavy hitters,” a group of enemies that Levine says aren’t just more powerful than traditional BioShock bad guys but that will also augment their powers.
The Motorized Patriot is fearless and relentless, which Levine said embodies the “very clear system of beliefs” of the founders of Columbia. “He doesn’t have a sense of self-preservation,” he explained, “so he’ll just keep coming at you and coming at you.” Its weapon, a gatling gun called “Peppermill,” packs a nasty punch, but players will be able to pick it up and use it themselves once they’ve knocked the Patriot out.
As dangerous as the Patriot is, it’s also pretty creepy. The face was intentionally designed to be a poor, clown-like rendering, an effect heightened by its crumbling condition, and as it takes damage the face will slowly break away, revealing the robotic metal skull beneath. It also spouts appropriately patriotic phrases as it comes, which Levine described as “both funny and kind of terrifying.”
“He’s got this incredible sense of heaviness, he’s relentless,” he said. “He’s a deadly, deadly enemy.”
BioShock Infinite comes out on October 16 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
