System Shock: an atmospheric, yet almost too faithful remake

Philipp Rüegg

29.5.2023

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

I like remakes, and I like System Shock. The new edition modernises a 30-year-old classic, but remains too faithful to the original.

System Shock from 1994 is considered a milestone in gaming history. You play a hacker aboard an abandoned space station taking on a crazed artificial intelligence. As if that wasn’t dangerous enough, mutants and cyborgs are after you. The complex gameplay and the gripping setting were praised as revolutionary for the genre. For studio LookingGlass, that is, its developers, this lit the spark for a series of significant «immersive sims» like Thief, Deus Ex and Bioshock.

Unfortunately, the sci-fi classic slipped through my fingers at the time. I devoured the sequel. The freedom in gameplay, constant threat of creepy creatures and terrifying AI Shodan offered something unprecedented. That’s why I’ve always wanted to play the original. System Shock hasn’t aged particularly well, however. Both in gameplay and graphics terms, it’s difficult to approach from a modern perspective. Nightdive Studios’ remake aims to change that.

Hacker vs. AI

The game starts with me, a hacker, getting caught stealing sensitive company data. To make amends, the megacorporation TriOptimum wants me to hack the recalcitrant AI of a space station. No sooner said than done, I’m rewarded with a neural implant that should serve me well in the dystopian future. After the operation, I wake up alone and without any equipment in said space station. And that’s about all you’re given. This won’t really change later on. I set out to explore the surrounding area.

I quickly realise that something has gone horribly wrong. There are corpses everywhere, and already behind the first corner a mutant with bloodshot eyes lunges at me. Two powerful blows with a steel pipe I found earlier save me from too much trouble. Audio logs feed me snippets of information. Apparently, my intervention caused Shodan, the Artificial Intelligence, to take on a life of its own and an experimental virus to spread throughout the station. I still don’t have a clue of what to do or where to go.

Thanks to my implant, I can activate modules that help me in my adventure. At first, it’s rudimentary things like a compass display, my health status, or a radar that detects objects in the environment. Hopefully, some more useful ones will come later, but I’m not that far into the game yet.

For the remake, Nightdive went with a concise, unfiltered graphic style. This creates that typical retro look that I have in mind when I think back to old games. When making direct comparisons, I quickly notice how much better new editions usually look – same goes for System Shock. The pretty lighting and neon colours create an unusual aesthetic that perfectly reflects the threat of a contaminated and abandoned space station. However, it also presents a problem: as practically all the machines and devices around me are flashing and glowing, I rarely know right away what I can interact with.

No handholding

At least I’ve got a map that shows me where I’ve already been and where there are still closed doors. During the first hours, I stumble haphazardly through the area. I flip switches that activate laser barriers or find terminals that redirect energy on the off chance. The latter offer interesting little puzzles where you have to connect circuits correctly. With some, though, I don’t understand what’s being asked of me. The game doesn’t take me by the hand.

I’m also clueless on what I should pick up out of the many items around me. I recognise grenades, ammunition and energy capsules relatively quickly. Besides that, however, there’s endless junk like stethoscopes and blood bags. I can turn some of it into scrap and exchange it for credits at a vending machine. In turn, I can buy combat boosters that let me hit harder for a short time.

By now, I’ve also found a few firearms. Before, I only had a giant wrench. The pulse rifles and laser blasters are desperately needed, as mutants aren’t the only threat on board. Not particularly clever, but still dangerous are the cyborgs – easily recognisable by the bright red glow of their laser visor. They provide a fitting creepiness in the poorly lit space station. I have to pay even more attention to combat robots. With those, I’d rather throw a few grenades around the corner than face them head on.

The initially manageable map expands significantly after the first few hours, which doesn’t make finding my target any easier. There’s no quest log or the like. Still, I’m sure my general goal involves defeating Shodan in some way. Not that this’ll succeed completely, as I know from System Shock 2. This is the aspect most reminiscent of the original. Today’s games bombard me with tutorials, mark the way to the next task, or plaster interactable objects with yellow paint. System Shock trusts that I’ll find my target eventually.

In fact, I do finally get a locked elevator to work by destroying four green glowing cylinders. They turn out to be processing units, literally and metaphorically grinding Shodan’s gears. With an eerily beautiful distorted computer voice, the AI makes its opinion of my lowly fleshy being clear. I’ve long since become accustomed to technology hating me, and I resolutely make my way to the next floor.

In an adjoining room, I discover a strangely glowing device. It looks like a boomerang stuck sideways in the wall. When I click on it, the game transports me into cyberspace. Of course, everyone knows that’s how hacking works. Everything looks smooth and polished in here. I can fly around freely in this three-dimensional space. Once again, I have no idea what to do. However, antivirus programs in the shape of enemy spaceships make it clear that I’m unwanted. So we shoot each other with colourful laser projectiles. I’m reminded of the spaceship shooter Descent. In the end, I destroy a shining column and exit cyberspace through a green square. Apparently, this helped, as a barrier has deactivated and a new area opened for me to explore.

It takes the right attitude

My first few hours with System Shock feel awkward. I rarely know what to do or where to go. But that adds to the ambience. Twinned with the crazy AI Shodan, who makes her presence known through passive-aggressive threats via loudspeakers and a green grimace on pixelated displays, the space station feels alien and otherworldly.

The captivating retro graphical style also fuels my curiosity to explore the abandoned stations and find a way to outsmart Shodan. Without having played the original from 1994, the remake makes an authentic impression on me. However, many things like the weapon system, the user interface or the hacking mechanics have been modernised in favour of playability. Still, I wish the game offered me even more conveniences and quality-of-life improvements. Too often, I stumble around aimlessly.

If you’re patient, System Shock promises to be an exciting sci-fi adventure. I’ll definitely stick to it. Alternatively, you can check out the Enhanced Version or try your hand at the sequel. They do look a bit dusty, but even that has its charm.

System Shock is available for PC, consoles will follow. The game was provided to me by Plaion.

Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

Being the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur. more

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