It’s crazy to think that System Shock was released in 1994. I was three years old at the time, the Soviet Union had barely disintegrated and the fourth season of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” had just premiered. It’s mind-blowing to think about, as the System Shock remake debuted on PC last year (please read our compelling review of it) and now it’s finally available on consoles. The game is very new and current, but at the same time it is like a trip into the past. And that says a lot, because the original was very progressive for its time. This remake is a real achievement and now we can enjoy it from the sofa in the living room.
Although I spent my childhood in front of my family’s crappy beige Windows 95 computer, installing and playing classics like Quake II, Doom, Warcraft 1 and 2, Hitman 1, and many others, I never got around to playing the original System Shock. However, as a big fan of Dishonored, the Deus Ex series, BioShock and games with less visible immersive simulator elements (e.g. Hitman), I always had great respect for the game, just as I did for the first Thief games (which too urgently need remakes).
That’s why it’s so exciting to pick up this remake of System Shock. Because unlike many other games that have received the remake treatment, such as Resident Evil 4, System Shock is so old that it needs more than just a touch-up. It’s so old that it came out on MS-DOS. It’s one of those games where you can’t see what’s happening in the screenshots because it’s so old. In other words, if there’s one game that needs a remake, it’s undoubtedly System Shock.
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The best thing is that the System Shock remake is not only very affordable but also very innovative. You can see the love that went into developing this game, making it ahead of its time and shining like it was new. And it succeeds completely, even on the console.
Maybe we should take a step back and ask ourselves: What makes System Shock so special? The original is considered one of the most representative games of the immersive simulator genre, games that give the player the freedom to use a range of skills and weapons in a variety of ways and to interact with the world (think Prey, Dishonored or BioShock). Also, you find yourself on a spaceship occupied by SHODAN, a malevolent AI with a clear god complex. Almost everyone on board is dead or has been turned into cyborgs, mutant creatures, or something else entirely. If we add to all this an attractive cyberpunk-style aesthetic, a large number of records, logs and other things that you can read from the dead of the ship, you will find that this 1994 game is for many games you Play, has a before and after marked Have probably played them over the years (like Portal and many more).
The remake has retained a distinctive retro aesthetic that adds a lot of character, and visually it looks super cool, with a perfect mix of low-quality graphics but with enough detail and lighting effects to make it feel modern. While the character models and environments look quite detailed from a distance, they are pixelated up close. Add to that the fact that much of the world is shrouded in neon lights and shadows, and we get a very special look that does justice to the original while looking new. For example, all the things you find in the world are easily recognizable and distinguishable from each other, while everything has that simple retro style. It’s a world that’s honestly well made.
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System Shock is essentially a product of another era. In my opinion it deserves to be preserved rather than modernized. I’m talking about the incredible level design that will tear your hair out of your head and make the experience unforgettable. But it’s also about the choices you make and how you interact with the world. You only become aware of the importance of a decision when you become aware of its consequences. In other words, the choices are subtle rather than explicit, and it’s always advisable to have a save on hand. It might have been a mistake to swap the magnum pistol for the shotgun.
In System Shock, you crawl through shafts and explore every corner of the nine hellish levels of the fearsome spaceship Citadel Station. But you don’t do it to find an Easter egg, to have fun, but because it’s essential to survival, even if you have to risk your life. You do it because you’re always lacking resources and you’re always missing a damn access card to some door. Here the game has a Metroidvania-like element, reminiscent of games like Resident Evil.
System Shock is old school, but it’s also exactly the kind of challenge that many people miss in modern games. Information about what happened and where you are going is based on environmental narratives, which are usually audio recordings. However, there are no quest markers, barely any tutorials, and no hand-holding. It’s entirely up to you to decide how to navigate the levels that will keep you glued to your chair.
As for the sound, we find a well-composed soundtrack and some essential and recognizable enemy sounds with which to constantly move through the world. It’s a fairly simple but effective setup, even if the soundtrack isn’t particularly memorable. The game could also be a bit more precise when it comes to adding more intense battle music. I experienced several occasions where the battle music didn’t make much sense, probably because theoretically there was an enemy out there but I wasn’t actually in danger. Otherwise we have an excellent cyberpunk soundtrack and generally good sounds.
One aspect where the game’s tone particularly stands out is the synchronization, particularly SHODAN, the evil AI that is everywhere and in every corner of the spaceship you are secretly navigating. In every corner there is a new camera that must be fired to minimize SHODAN’s control, as this evil demigoddess of technology is one of the pillars of System Shock. You see the consequences of this AI’s control everywhere, with mutilated and deformed bodies, and with their cameras constantly monitoring you, you never forget this supervillain.
As far as technical issues go, I really didn’t experience anything other than a few involuntary movements of dead enemies. I usually play on the Xbox Series X, but I also have an Xbox Series S in the guest room. I chose to play this game on the Series S and only experienced occasional dips in frame rate, such as when moving from one area to another. It always stayed sharp on my 1440p monitor.
And now we come to what certainly sets the console version apart from the PC version: the controller controls. A rather strange feature is that the camera sensitivity is very high by default. I immediately lowered it from 50/100 to 35/100 and it worked well. Otherwise, the controls are quite comfortable and somewhat similar to those of Doom. A fun decision by Nightdive Studios is that weapons, grenades, first aid kits, etc. are on the console. They are displayed in a list of 1-9 (+0) at the bottom of the screen. On the PC this makes sense as you can quickly switch by pressing the numbers, but on the console you have to use the left and right buttons on the D-pad to choose between these 10 elements in total. It’s pretty poorly designed, and almost every subsequent game has made it easier to heal, throw grenades, etc. Likewise, System Shock’s inventory system and menus are pretty dated, but that’s part of its charm.
From a gameplay perspective, System Shock is a bit like taking the mechanics and pacing of older shooters like Doom and combining them with elements of immersive simulators and puzzles, as well as confusing level design. It’s slow and you can die around every corner. It is also intense, confusing and requires constant navigation on the map. In my opinion it’s great, but it’s not suitable for everyone.
Ultimately, the fun you have with System Shock depends on why you play. You definitely want to have played faster shooters, and you definitely want to have played immersive sims that give you more freedom. There is no stealth here, as you would expect from today’s immersive simulators. The question is whether you’re concerned with playing a well-made remake of a game that laid some of the foundations on which games are built today, or whether you feel that “better environmental narratives have been made since then.”
In my opinion, System Shock is a very fascinating game, and with a remake this well done, there’s no reason to hold back if you want to experience an impressive, challenging and frustrating piece of video game history. The fact that you can enjoy this remake says a lot about how innovative the original was. It is a remake that was on the verge of being suspended several times and can therefore be said to be a miracle. The incredible level design already makes the experience worthwhile and with modern improvements in all the right aspects it’s highly recommended on console too.
