If Looking Glass Studios survived today, its premises would be among the most insecure in the US gaming industry.The legendary developer hid his office access codes to the first layer of System Shock – and since then, digital 0451 Has become a calling card for those who share Looking Glass’ immersive simulation values; a studio leveraging System Shock’s deep world building, dense level design, and reactive simulations.
Redfall is the latest homage, but it follows a nearly 30-year-old repetitive and devious code that, for the first time, allowed you to access a Citadel space station healing suite. We’ve rounded up some of the most creative and memorable below, and you won’t even be asked to crack a combination lock to see them.
Deus Ex
Ion Storm Austin’s beloved spy tale came out five years after System Shock, but it was the first time many players were exposed to the four-figures that shaped a genre. Hidden behind the helipad at UNATCO headquarters on Liberty Island is a communications vehicle with a satellite dish, accessible by the famous code. Interestingly, prior to joining Ion Storm, lead designer Harvey Smith worked in satellite communications for the US Air Force. He produced the Liberty Island map and later worked on Dishonored and Red Fall.
Alumni of Looking Glass and Ion Storm are divided over whether the code references Fahrenheit 451, the 1953 dystopian novel about an American bookburner in a censored society. But that connection suits a Deus Ex with a strong political bent.
bioshock
Given BioShock’s close ties to System Shock via Irrational Games, it’s no surprise that 0451 makes multiple appearances throughout the series. The cleverest formula can be found in the neglected BioShock 2, where codes appear in the foggy windows of a locked sauna, as if someone were pressing their fingers against the glass panels in a desperate plea for escape.
Since the message is painted on the other side of the glass, it needs to be reversed to the correct combination 1540 before it can be used to open the sauna. Sure enough, there was a dead body inside—belonging to a resident of Revel Village who angered her husband by putting Brain Boost in her breakfast.
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
Arkane is widely regarded as the torchbearer of Looking Glass values in the AAA space, a reputation reflected in its long history of System Shock Easter Eggs. In Dishonored 2, 451 is scrawled on a wooden frame behind a painting that could be pulled from the wall of a private residence. In Death of the Outsider, the combination to the safe is hidden in plain sight. “Count the books on your desk,” one gangster told the other. “Maybe they’ll uncover your memory.”
On the shelf above the table are 10 books in three stacks. At this point, there are no prizes for guessing how they are arranged. This is a classic Arkane moment – because it forces you to really look at the world around you, rather than seeing it as a set.
Infinite loop
This roguelike FPS is an experimental break from the Arkane genre, so it should also break with Easter egg tradition. As you approach a locked door in the tunnels below Blackreef, Deathloop’s party island, you’re taunted by the subconscious mind of amnesiac protagonist Colt, who says through on-screen text: “You already know the code! here.”
However, enter 0451 and the door will be firmly closed. “Old habits die hard,” Colt quipped, as the related achievement popped up. At least you unlocked something, huh?
Groomwood
While its commitment to recreating the atmosphere and aesthetic of Thief, the classic Looking Glass stealth game, is almost perverse, Gloomwood still has its own unique character. So when you enter the combination of 451 into any safe in its world, the lock will explode right in front of you. Accept that, tradition.
Taking it a step further, and to the delight of developer Dillon Rogers, some Gloomwood players have begun to take advantage of this explosive potential–setting traps for enemies and detonating bombs on purpose to wreak havoc. This is the spirit of Looking Glass.
atomic heart
Mundfish’s FPS was removed from System Shock on the Looking Glass family tree at least three times — more from BioShock Infinite’s shooter-first spectacle than any truly immersive sim. Still, it pays homage to its ancestors on what can best be described as a theme park tugboat ride. As you calmly glide past a pair of NPCs, one of them relays the four-digit control codes of a set of malfunctioning robots to their buddies so that some nearby houses can be painted.
Looking Glass disapproves of the roller coaster’s lack of interactivity, but there’s no denying that the pig on a leash is a new and surprising addition to this age-old ritual.
red fall
Arkane’s new co-op shooter, Redfall, strays further from Looking Glass and its ideals than any other game in the studio’s soft cinematography. As such, its nod to system shock is subtle and easily overlooked. First up (at the 23rd second mark of the launch trailer, above) is a penciled note about a 4:51 AM rally at the firehouse, which doubles as Redfall’s hub. Second, there is a police car parked in the game, its registration number is “RF04510”. You’ll find other references to this figure in notes scattered throughout Redfall’s open world.
Reward: Killer Shock
Creepily, there’s a very similar license plate in Slayer Shock – Minor Key Games’ 2016 indie immersive sim that, yes, tasks you with saving a small town from an invading vampire. The developers of Slayer Shock sorted out these coincidences on Twitter, brazenly calling it “I owe Redfall royalties” in a thread.
If only Looking Glass was still around to collect its royalties. Still: It’s encouraging to think that developers today continue to seek connections to studios and their ideas. It’s even more inspiring to see a new generation take these ideas and turn them on its head — breaking the tradition of immersive sims as a tribute to forward-thinking studios.
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