The System Shock remake has been a long time coming and has generated a lot of buzz, particularly among those who played the sequel but found the original to be too inaccessible. Many more will have played the spiritual successors Bioshock and Prey (2017), but this cyberpunk horror-thriller action-adventure set the template for them all. As someone who never had the pleasure of enjoying the original, I was eager to get my hands on it, and I’m happy to say I was not left disappointed.
Version history
The original System Shock was released back in 1994 to critical acclaim but limited popularity partly thanks to its convoluted control system that required you to use half your keyboard and played somewhat like a point-and-click adventure. Still, it became very influential thanks to its iconic villain SHODAN (Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network) – a rogue AI with a God complex and penchant for human experimentation, plus the gameplay features it introduced which have been a staple of the ‘immersive sim’ genre it more or less started. Deus Ex, Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines (to an extent), Dishonored, Bioshock, Prey (2017), and Alien Isolation all owe a lot to this pioneering title.
Long after the release of the popular and acclaimed sequel in 1999 by the developer of the original (Looking Glass Studios), plus Irrational Games, Nightdive Studios acquired the rights to the original and released System Shock: Enhanced Edition in 2015 – a version that allowed for play using a more conventional control system, plus with tech upgrades to run on modern systems. A full remake was announced after this, though the game was delayed multiple times due to a restart of development to switch to the Unreal Engine, plus accusations of feature creep straying too far from the original game prompting an additional restart. Finally though, here we are in 2024, with a version that stays true to the original game, but with a major visual and gameplay uplift.
Shiny and chrome
Visually the game has modern lighting, effects, and smooth edges to the objects and character models, but deliberately incorporates some old-school textures in places reminiscent of games circa 1998-2000 (think Half-Life, System Shock 2, Deus Ex) for a retro feel. At first, I wasn’t sure about this as an artistic choice but it grew on me and I ended up quite liking it.
Environments are colorfully lit, and laden with retro-styled cyberpunk tech, and the overall impression is something like a mix of the visual styles of Alien Isolation, Prey (2017), with the color palette of Cyberpunk 2077 and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. The enemy character models and the general environment straddle a line between being a bit silly whilst simultaneously sinister, which is something the original version definitely had in spades so this is appropriate. From the moment you load the game, every menu and loading screen is TriOptimum themed (the evil MegaCorp who owns Citadel Station), which helps sell the universe. Overall it’s a very unique visual style that works well, my only real critique is that I would have liked to have seen a lot more variation in the models used for the dead bodies of the crew you find littered throughout the station, which are 90% identical, and this is a bit jarring when it comes to making a connection with the fate of these poor wretches as you hear their stories via the audio logs. Similarly, a bit more variation in the models used for the enemies would have been nice.
As you’d hope for in a game with horror elements, the sound design is terrific, and probably the standout element of the update. The subtle background computer whirrs, bleeps, and weird breathing noises of the oxygen scrubbers all help sell the idea you’re in a real, almost alive, space station, and can alternate between comforting and startling. The creepy/tragic voice lines emitted by the various types of enemies are all superb, and I enjoy the fact that some of them can just walk up and attack you unannounced without uttering a sound (I swore a few times when this happened). The driving electro soundtrack of the original has been replaced with a comparatively understated sci-fi thriller/horror affair that helps to build the sense of unease and occasionally rips loose in the more action-focused areas.
The story beats and dialogue are the same as in the original title, told via a mix of found audio logs of deceased crew members (now a staple of Shock-like games), plus the voice messages from SHODAN herself and other characters. These voice messages are mostly well-acted (with a few extra ones formulated for the remake) and convey a mix of desperation, horror, and the occasional bit of absurd comedy. SHODAN remains the highlight – both in terms of her dialogue and characterization, voice acting (by Terri Brosius as in the original), and the disturbing modulation effect used for her voice.
I’m not going to go into specific lines of dialogue here so as not to spoil them, but there are many lines uttered by the egomaniacal AI that I would happily wear on a TV shirt, though perhaps that says more about me.
Combat isn’t exactly revolutionary but the weapons are pretty satisfying to use overall, and working out which weapons (plus their secondary fire modes) to use against what enemies with limited ammunition and health (plus the drugs you can take to enhance certain abilities), does come with some gratification, as does beating a mutant’s head in with a large tool.
The cyberspace sections in the original game return, now revamped. In these, you essentially jack into a neon version of something akin to Descent and similar games of the era to circumvent SHODAN’s control over systems and unlock new areas. These are a welcome change of pace, though do get increasingly tricky.
A rat in a cage
Unlike virtually all modern titles, System Shock doesn’t really explain anything to you – you have to pay attention and work things out yourself. Although occasionally frustrating, this actually leads to a much more satisfying experience when you do work things out compared to many contemporary titles, and further adds to the immersion of being more or less alone on a space station, with only your wits (plus augmetics and an arsenal with limited ammo) to rely on.
The level design is almost a direct port of that of the original game – with labyrinth intersecting corridors, locked doors, vents, and secret passageways that you have to work out how to unpick via the use of key cards, restoring power to certain sections, and completing power junction puzzles. Each level in System Shock is basically a larger puzzle itself that you have to unlock. There’s even a reference for the in-game reason for this in one of the audio logs you pick up.
Speaking as someone that isn’t particularly fond of repetition, and can occasionally find Metroidvania titles a bit tedious for this reason, I actually enjoyed how this was accomplished in System Shock – there’s a nice satisfaction to be gained from gradually working out how to remove SHODAN’s influence from a level (although she’s never truly gone and enemies will still occasionally be shipped in via in-floor elevators). It adds to the sense of battling against her and her minions to gradually regain control. The actual puzzle mini-games themselves are frequently head-scratching, but an enjoyable change of pace and satisfying to complete.
Desirable upgrades
Despite my enjoyment of the design on the whole, I must admit that a tad more signposting would have made the game a less frustrating experience at times. Following the ‘mining laser’ mission, it’s a bit difficult to work out exactly what you’re supposed to be doing without trawling through every single audio log and email for clues. The fact you can reach and backtrack across multiple levels means that just exploring levels in an obvious sequential way doesn’t work how it usually does in more conventionally structured games. A bit of this is fine but wasting time fruitlessly wandering maze-like corridors you’ve already traversed multiple times just isn’t fun.
There’s one objective in particular towards the end of the game that requires you to have noticed a recurring detail and written it down, or else go back to every level and find said information. I’m not saying that this should be made blindingly obvious or anything, but making it a bit more visually apparent (as it was more in the original), and/or hinting at players that they need to keep their eyes peeled for… something, would at least remove the ‘well how was I supposed to know that?!’ feeling.
The ability to make notes on the map (a feature that was in the original) was not in the review version however Nightdive has apparently said they intend to include this in a future update, which will help matters. We hope that they also make clear to players that this feature is available, rather than leaving them to find it out themselves several levels in.
Besides this, the aforementioned lack of variety in corpses/enemies is something we hope can be improved with a future update. We would also have liked to have seen a bit more aesthetic variety in the levels, particularly early on, and have this inform the gameplay somewhat – perhaps more clever use of darkness, light, visual effects, and audio to create tension in certain situations and add an extra level of difficulty to puzzles etc. – this is something we’re unlikely to see added in future of course now the game is released, but a man can dream.
Final Word : is the System Shock remake worth it?
All-in-all the System Shock remake is a quality game and, for someone who never played the original, a truly memorable one. I’d certainly say it’s one of my favourite gaming experiences of the year so far. There are a couple of areas where we think the developers could have done a bit more in updating the original, but overall their decision to stick closely to it was the correct one. In a time of frequently dumbed-down and unengaging game design, this is a refreshingly retro experience.
