Apollo Square

Apollo Square
Previous level	Olympus Heights
Next level	Point Prometheus
New discoveries
Gene Tonics	Focused Hacker 2 Medical Expert 3
Collectibles
Power to the People	1
Audio Diaries	6
Little Sisters	2
Enemies encountered
Splicers	Thuggish Splicer Leadhead Splicer Nitro Splicer
Protectors	Elite Rosie
Support	Turret (machine gun, rocket) Security Camera Security Bot

“APOLLO SQUARE CONDEMNED — Anyone Entering or Exiting will be Shot on Sight…”

― Rapture Standard

Apollo Square is the eleventh level of BioShock. Once a lower-class residential district in Rapture that housed many of the city's workers, it was condemned to contain Atlas's followers during the civil war.

Here Jack has to locate another sample of antidote to fully remove Fontaine's mental control over him before pursuing his foe to Point Prometheus.

When Jack arrives at the site, the scars of both Ryan's and Atlas/Fontaine's operations are visible everywhere. The Metro system trolley is destroyed, and the entire residential area is in ruins. Pictures of missing people are posted all over the walls. Another location found by Jack is Atlas' Headquarters, which Fontaine, after he took the new persona of Atlas, used to organize and plot additional attacks upon the city. Atlas enlisted many of Fontaine's poor house residents in his "army", and also gained the loyalty of some who were previously allied to Ryan. Diane McClintock was one who joined Atlas' cause, after Ryan ignored her to fight his war. She became disgusted with the actions Ryan had taken while attempting to bring stability to Rapture.

History

Public hangings in the central concourse.

While the whole game level is titled Apollo Square, there is an explicit location named "Apollo Square", which was a hub of Rapture's transportation and connecting routes. Branches connect to a large residential area of the city's working class citizens, Artemis Suites (which included Dr. Suchong's Free Clinic, a photography studio (possibly belonging to the infamous "Paparazzi"), and the tenement-like Hestia Chambers which had become one of Frank Fontaine's Little Sister's Orphanage, and a Fontaine's Home for the Poor.

Fontaine founded his two institutions at Apollo Square to plot against Ryan and work to take control over Rapture. The Little Sister's Orphanage was created so Fontaine (along with Dr. Tenenbaum and Dr. Suchong in some aspects) could acquire young girls to be implanted with Sea Slugs and produce ADAM, generating raw material for his growing Plasmid business. The Home for the Poor, supposedly a shelter home for indigent lower class citizens, was used by Fontaine to build a growing mob of unfortunates he would later manipulate as Atlas to attempt to dominate Rapture. Fontaine provoked its members (or  "army", as Fontaine dubbed it) to initiate protests against Ryan's philosophy. Fontaine's operations and businesses were shutdown or nationalized by Ryan and his authorities in 1958, when Fontaine and some of his supporters were presumed dead in a shootout at the site of Fontaine's smuggling base. After the rise of Atlas and the wave of violence his followers brought, Ryan sent city authorities after Atlas, his men, and all suspects that were affiliated with his revolutionary cause. When first apprehended, they were relocated to Fontaine's Department Store. After the 1958 New Year's Eve Riots, many people were killed in the escalating conflict. In an attempt to restore order and combat Atlas' followers, Ryan instituted new laws against public congregations, set a curfew, and established martial law. As Ryan started to intern Atlas loyalists and other law breakers, much of the Apollo Square area was locked down to contain them and protect the rest of the city. By the time Diane McClintock paid a visit to the neighborhood, it was little more than a concentration camp.

BioShock

Main article: BioShock

Tram Tunnel

Connecting the Olympus Heights bulkhead to Apollo Square, a security checkpoint was set up here to prevent anyone from entering, or leaving, the district. This checkpoint appears to have been abandoned for some time, allowing entry to Splicers and explorers alike. Like many of the Metro's tram links, the tunnel has been left in a terrible state from the war.

Apollo Square

Frozen in time.

The central square of the district, once a public forum, by the time Jack arrives is now the site of a gallows where people were hanged. Three bodies still swing listlessly beneath a sign reading "Gene Traitor." The term was sometimes used to describe Splicers, so it is likely the victims of the hanging were executed by some of the few remaining sane citizens of the city, or Fontaine who now controls the City.

Artemis Suites

The derelict metro tunnel connecting Artemis suites to the main square.

Artemis Suites is a towering, working-class apartment complex. Reached through another tram tunnel, this place was evidently a home for Rapture's working and lower class citizens. During the war, this location was a hotbed of Atlas' forces and suffered a great deal of damage in contrast to Mercury Suites, where high class people like Sander Cohen, Frank Fontaine and Brigid Tenenbaum lived. This is also the place where Dr. Suchong's clinic operated. An audio diary can be found here explaining how Suchong was attempting to create the Protection Bond between the Big Daddies and Little Sisters.

Rapture Metro Station

Built beneath the tram tunnel connecting Hestia Chambers to the main square, the station could only be accessed by two elevators, one of which is now destroyed. The station itself now lies in ruin, with dust and debris covering almost the entire floor. A statue has fallen from the wall, bringing a large pipe down with it.

A spliced up woman sleeps on a mattress on the floor, surrounded by empty tins of cat food. Another splicer wonders by the Bathysphere. Over the bulkhead leading out of the station an "Opportunity awaits" sign almost mocks the workers who were forced to live in Apollo Square.

Hestia Chambers

Decorative street light in the form of the deity Hestia.

Another building connected via a trolley tunnel from Apollo Square. Hestia Chambers was the part of Apollo Square where Atlas and his forces holed-up and planned attacks. Many of the district's residents decided to join Atlas simply because he provided them with food, ADAM, and hope. Two of Fontaine's charities located here are the Little Sister's Orphanage, a deception Fontaine used to gather young girls to turn them into Little Sisters, and Fontaine's Home for the Poor, a tenement-style housing where he gained support from lower class citizens to fight for him. Atlas, portrayed as a dashing revolutionary leader figure, was believed to be fighting for Rapture's downtrodden people. He had some affluent followers, including Diane McClintock, Ryan's ex-mistress, whom Atlas murdered when she discovered his real identity.

Map

This map is interactive. Click on an icon to find out more about it, or choose a tab to see a different map.

• Normal Map
• Audio Diaries
• Plasmids and Tonics

Health
Station

Vending
Machine

Gatherer's
Garden

Gene
Bank

Bot Shutdown
Panel

U-Invent
Station

Audio
Diary

Plasmid

Engineering
Tonic

Physical
Tonic

Combat
Tonic

New Discoveries

Little Sisters in this Level

  

Single Use Events

• There is one Power to the People vending machine.

New Plasmids and Tonics (found)

• Focused Hacker 2- Fourth floor of the Hestia Chambers, next to a safe.
• Medical Expert 3 - Dr. Suchong's Free Clinic, Artemis Suites.

Audio Diaries

For Radio Messages in Olympus Heights, see Radio Messages: Olympus Heights - Apollo Square.

1. Diane McClintock - What's Happening Here? - Apollo Square on the ground by Olympus Heights bulkhead.
2. Diane McClintock - Atlas Lives - Apollo Square near Gatherer's Garden.
3. Yi Suchong - Protection Bond - Artemis Suites, Suchong's clinic near the dose of Lot 192.
4. Diane McClintock - Meeting Atlas - Hestia Chambers, Fontaine's Home for the Poor right of entrance inside steamer trunk.
5. Frank Fontaine - The Longest Con - Hestia Chambers, Atlas' Headquarters on the desk next to the tonic.
6. Diane McClintock - Today's Raid - Hestia Chambers, Atlas' Headquarters on a corpse near the safe.

Walkthrough

Extended Walkthrough

Apollo Square Stop near the entrance and take a look at two Splicers talking up ahead. If using Incendiary Bolts , get the one with the Machine Gun first. The second may run or stick around for an easy kill. Wait and a Nitro Splicer will come from the left. I-Bolt him too. When the smoke clears, another Splicer may be seen sitting up. I-Bolt him. Another Thuggish may be seen leaving the square. Go down the left side and hack a Turret to the left. Gatherer's Garden, El Ammo Bandito, U-Invent, recording: Atlas Lives, snacks, crate. As long as you are suffering from the side effects of Lot 192, the Gatherer's Garden will be disabled. In normal circumstances, there should be a Rosie and a Little Sister in the area. Kill the Big Daddy using Electric Gel. Stop following the arrow and go south. A Security Camera is on the left. Fontaine has blocked access to the Bathysphere Station. Continue forward to… Hestia Chambers Stay to the left of the door. When it opens, put a Target Dummy inside to the right. Run up the stairs to the left, turn right, and hack the RPG Turret. Run back downstairs and against the far wall to get out of the way. Looking back at the door, an EVE Hypo and a First Aid Kit ("FAK") can be seen on top of the little shack. Trunk inside has a recording: Meeting Atlas. A CoV with Antipersonnel Auto Rounds is to the left. U-Invent opposite. Go back upstairs, turn left, and enter the room. A Leadhead has cash and an Automatic Hack Tool on him. Stairs in the middle lead to a basement with a Thuggish and an U-Invent machine. Loot: Napalm, Hack Tool. A kitchen-bathroom has minor loot. Go up the next flight of stairs, turn left, and enter room. A Nitro Splicer is at the far end. An I-Bolt headshot works this time. Go through the bathroom-kitchen. A Splicer is playing dead at end of the next room. I-Bolt it. Another Thuggish springs from the right. Room at other end of hall has a broken door. Go upstairs. Both rooms have heavy locks. Go upstairs. Room on the left is boarded up. Use a Wrench to break the boards. Napalm is on the floor. Drop through a hole in the floor. In there lies a Splicer, Napalm, EVE, FAK, ammo. Jump up onto the window sill. Crouch. Jump to the walkway to the left. Go upstairs, turn right and enter the room. Atlas' Headquarters: A Splicer is in the back. Another Splicer comes. A Security Camera is at the back right. EVE is in the back as well. An armory is at the back left. No entry. Use Telekinesis ("TK") to fetch everything inside it. Downstairs: Power to the People station, FAK, Focused Hacker 2. Safe: Medium. $72, 8 Electric Buck, 2 Brass Tubes, gift box. Recording: The Longest Con, corpse also has a recording: Today's Raid. Drop through a hole in the floor. This area has already been visited, so just exit. Follow the arrow out. Visit the machines near the gallows if needed. Follow the arrow west. A Leadhead and a Turret await you. Take cover from the Turret behind the kiosk and deal with the Splicer first. Set a Target Dummy and hack the Turret. Continue forward and hack the Security Camera. Two Splicers are playing dead right in front of it. They will be taken care of by Security Bots after being detected. The tram car with the fire inside has ammo and a crate. A corpse in the next car has Armor-Piercing Pistol Rounds. Enter… Artemis Suites A Leadhead is patrolling the entrance. Pneumo Tubes on either side of the Vita-Chamber have loot. Go around left and hide from the Security Camera behind the pillars. Most likely a Nitro Splicer patrolling upstairs will spot you. Try to deal with it without setting off the alarm. The creepy sounds from upstairs are merely ambiance. CoV in front of the second pillar. Sneak to and hack the Security Camera. Shotgun below. Film in camera next to a corpse in water. Enter the door behind the Camera, turn right, enter next door. U-Invent in a corner to the right. Napalm behind boards. In the previous room, EVE on shelf next to refrigerator. Nitro Splicer and Turret in the bathroom near the stalls. Grenade Launcher, Proximity Mines and Grenades on floor. Loot corpse and trash can. Go back and up the stairs. Enter Suchong's Free Clinic. A fixed Security Camera on the left will spot you as soon as you enter the door. Use TK to fetch the corpse past the trap line to trigger it. Run past the camera and stop immediately, because a Turret is to the left near the Gene Bank. Set a Target Dummy next to the Gene Bank and hack the Turret. Enter the door next to where the corpse was. The room has three corpses, the one furthest from the door is faking it. In the stall behind where the Splicer was laying is Medical Expert 3. Back out, go past the Gene Bank and the Turret, hack the Security Camera on the left. Follow the arrow to the next room. Dr. Suchong impaled on a drill on the table. Recording: Protection Bond. Second dose of Lot 192. Take the dose, get out of the room. You now have complete control over your Plasmids and Gatherer's Gardens are functional again. A Leadhead will enter from the room with Medical Expert 3 and a Bot-Splicer pair from the front door. The Turret and the Security Camera should help deal with them. Visit the Gene Bank if needed. A new Turret has spawned in the hallway. Set a Target Dummy outside, then hack the Turret. Health Station opposite the clinic door. Go upstairs. Two Splicers and a RPG Turret. Deal with the Splicers first while avoid being seen by the Turret. Security Bullseye on the Splicers will help. Target Dummy on the Turret and hack it. Enter door. Splicer on floor on the left playing dead, another one further back. Napalm next to stove, ammo in fridge. Leadhead playing dead behind the next door. FAK under couch, Film in camera. More cameras in the bathroom. Safe (very hard) with ~$43, 6 Proximity Mines, 2 FAK. Back to the stairwell, a Splicer is likely coming up the stairs. Downstairs and out. Back in the intersection with the gallows, two Leadheads are talking near the fire. Frag them. Another Leadhead nearby, along with a Nitro and a Thuggish. Visit the Gatherer's Garden. Follow the arrow to the Bathysphere Station entrance. A Leadhead and a Bot-Splicer pair are waiting. Down the elevator and enter the door. A Thuggish is near the bathysphere. A Leadhead on the mattress either sleeping or playing dead. Ride the bathysphere to Point Prometheus.

Burial at Sea - Episode 2

Main article: Burial at Sea - Episode 2

Apollo Square is visited during the end of the episode. Elizabeth is sent by Atlas to retrieve the "Ace in the Hole", found in Dr. Suchong's Free Clinic. After being pushed out of the Bathysphere by Atlas and his crew, Elizabeth finds herself on the Artemis Suites' metro station and is escorted to a hidden entrance for the clinic. Trying to find Dr. Suchong, she stumbles across a damaged Big Daddy, blocking the rest of the clinic, and two Little Sisters which she ends up helping. Hearing the doctors voice, she pushes a button on the wall that opens a hidden door to the rest of the clinic (the area visited in BioShock). The two Little Sisters Elizabeth helped earlier provokes the frustrated doctor to hit one of them, causing the protecting Big Daddy to drill Suchong to his desk, all of which Elizabeth witnesses behind the safety glass. The "Ace in the Hole" is found next to Suchong's corpse and Elizabeth exits through a hole in the wall to meet Atlas.

Gallery

Concept Art and Pre-Launch Images

An early concept art idea of Apollo Station by Thomas Pringle.

Apollo Station Stairway.

The Ravaged Halls of Apollo Station.

An early version of the central square.

In-Game Images

Texture file for the missing person posters seen in Apollo Square.

Checkpoint sign.

Splicers struggling to keep warm.

The ruined tram lines of Apollo Square.

A poor soul who didn't make it or an enemy lying in wait?

Brutality.

Behind the Scenes

• Like many locations in Rapture, Apollo Square drew its name from ancient Greco-Roman mythology. Apollo was the god of healing and the arts.
• All levels restrict the Splicer population to a set of three models. Apollo Square is the exception as four separate models (Baby Jane, Ducky, Toasty, and Waders) appear.
• The map on the table in Atlas' HQ, seen right, is a map of Medical Pavilion. It's possible that this may be a reference to Fontaine's surgical transformation as Atlas, especially since "Atlas Lives!!!" is written over the map. Coincidentally, Point A on the map is the location of Jack's Bathysphere and Point B is the location of Jack's confrontation with Dr. J.S. Steinman.
• If one were to look up towards the ceiling of the Rapture Metro station in this area, they would notice that it is made entirely of glass with a view of the city above. This doesn't make sense, as the station is located underneath the tram lines and thus should be made of concrete.
• A dog barking can occasionally be heard in the ambiance of this level, most notably Artemis Suites, but a dog is never encountered in BioShock.
• When the player enters the airlock in Olympus Heights to Apollo Square the floor of the airlock is clean, however after entering Apollo Square the same airlock will be filled with rubble. This will reverse when the player re-enters Olympus Heights and will return if the player goes back.