How Judas picks up where Lies of P left off with One Enemy Design

Ken Levine's long awaited return to the gaming world is coming soon in the form of Judasa sort of spiritual successor to his seminal BioShock franchise, but set in space and with some key changes to the game loop. Although the information available about Judas is not entirely exhaustive, there is enough information out there to establish some of its main elements, particularly as they relate to environment and aesthetics.

Some have assumed—perhaps as a result of Levine's work history—that Judas will be an experimental and eventually influential game. While this could very well turn out to be the case, it's also clear that it draws inspiration from a number of other projects, including those that the original BioShock inspired, like the 2017s Changeand also other action RPGs and roguelikes like Deathloop or Hades. Aesthetically speaking, Judas seems to continue with an enduring visual motif featured prominently in the likes of Round8's Lies by Pand it will be interesting to see if this particular artistic tendency produces similar narrative or thematic results.

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Judah's futuristic premise could be a boon for BioShock 4

Judas bears similarities to Ken Levine's previous work, but its futuristic aesthetic may be the biggest help to BioShock 4's attempt to stand out.

Judas, Lies of P, and the Horror of Rogue Automatons

The lies of P and Judas both emphasize troubling robot enemies

For a game inspired by the story of Pinocchio, Lies by P is surprisingly scary. Much of its tone can be attributed to its decidedly dark atmosphere: the game certainly adheres to most of the visual tropes associated with the horror genre. But the horror too Lies by P seeps a little deeper beneath this surface, burrowing into the psyche of the players by toying with their understanding of what it means to be human.

Lies by Ps protagonist is, for all intents and purposes, a robot. He's certainly an advanced, but he's still a robot, made of springs and gears rather than flesh and blood. The various enemies of Lies by Pdragging through the ups and downs of the uncanny valley, are reminders of the ugly truth behind the hero's existence, the thin line between man and monster that underpins the game's narrative.

Judas seems to be playing with similar ideas. The game will take place aboard a huge spaceship called the Mayflower, which is run by computers and led by three automatons: Tom, Hope and Nefertiti, who all have different perspectives on the meaning of life and humanity. Beyond these central characters are more common enemies, who seem to stick to nostalgic robot design tropes, like nightmare versions of The Jetsonsit's Rosey. It is through these enemies that Judas could invoke the same visual and thematic touchstones that Lies by P.

Judas could offer a different approach to lies from P's automatons

With such a fundamentally different story, both in plot and presentation, Judas can be expected to use their automaton enemies and characters in a completely different way than Lies by P. An interesting parallel between the games is their recontextualization of technology: Judas' Robots are designed for a purpose – some have been shown to be focused on cleaning, others are chefs, et cetera – but they've left those original directives behind and become aggressive. This is similar to how Lies by P introduces his robotic companions, undermining their usefulness and turning them into unexpected killing machines.

But Judas is obviously remarkably distinct in its approach, so perhaps it could play with this concept in a different way. Being so far off Earth, disconnected from the basic familiarities of home, is a premise that lends itself particularly well to horror, so the inclusion of these eerie, violent automatons, and their apparent treachery, can hit from a different angle.