Some PC games of the 90s had a disproportionate impact on how games would be long after their credits rolled. Games like Doom, Half Life, Age of Empires II, Starcraft and, today’s remake subject, System Shock. And while many of this select list of games have seen remakes, rereleases and remasters over the years, not many below a certain age had the chance to experience Looking Glass’ magnum opus until May 2023’s System Shock Remake.
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Now, this piece piece of gaming history has been brought to an even larger audience, landing on console with all of its OG charms intact, but wrapped in modern visuals, audio and controls.
Out of the Storage Locker
System Shock Remake has been handled by Nightdive Studios, who are a trusted pair of hands in the remakes space. The dev house has worked on Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster, Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition and Shadow Man Remastered. And as we speak, they are working on the The Thing: Remastered.
System Shock Remake began its life with a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $1 million. However, as is the way with crowdfunded games, the release date slipped from 2017 to 2018, to 2020, to 2021 to 2022 to its actual PC release in 2023. System Shock Remake has been eight years in the making, but it was worth every second.
A Near-Perfect Remake of Near-Perfection
System Shock Remake achieves what so few other developers have managed. That is, to stay faithful to the source’s enduring appeal, whilst updating everything that needed updating to enhance that lasting core of brilliance.
The HUD and UI has been totally overhauled to feel like a current release. Quality of life around using and equipping items has been modernised. Even little things like reloading have all been changed bring it to modern shooter standards.
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System Shock Remake also features a new, cleaner and more streamlined menu system. Navigating your inventory, levelling skills and even checking out collectables are now just a breeze. These are all welcome and necessary quality of life changes that enrich the game, making it more palatable for modern gamers.
Story and Atmosphere Retained
Story wise, things haven’t changed one iota. And that was one of the best decisions they could have made. System Shock Remake takes place aboard a space station in a semi-cyberpunk vision of the year 2072. You play as a nameless security hacker, whose main task is to try to hinder the plans of a malevolent artificial intelligence, SHODAN.
But to be fair, beyond the starting cut scene and the ending, there isn’t much in the way of blunt storytelling. In a style that would be aped by many, matched by few, you piece things together from audio logs, and the environment. System Shock Remake shows like the masterpiece it’s based it – it doesn’t tell.
Role-Playing Shooter Puzzler
Gameplay has an almost RPG core, wrapped in a FPS skin. You explore, pick up items and find endless keys and passcodes to open the path forward. Along the way you’ll constantly battle security bots and things that go bump in the night.
There is also the cyber space hacking section, which is one area that Nightdive Studios probably should have updated, but did not. These sections sees you having to play an arcade-style 3D shooter to clear. And, these feel jarring when looking at the rest of the game. These sections also feel plain out of date.
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And this is just one issue of a few in the game. Nightdive Studios deserve great credit for keeping so many worthy elements intact, but their devotion to the source material has left the door open to past problems not being ironed out.
Such as the sprawling maze-like levels in the game, where you’ll wander around and backtrack a bit too, along especially in the earlier part of the game. That said, you’re never lost for too long thanks to some to some clever environmental sign posting.
Another area where something new could have gone over well is in the enemies you’ll face. They look amazing in their 21st century overhaul, but a few new types mixed in with the classics would have added variety and have been a nice surprise for those who were there first time around.
Feast for the Senses
For a game set on a space station in the void of space, System Shock Remake is sometimes surprisingly colourful. This lick of colour is thanks, in part, to its cyberpunk vibes.
System Shock Remake is presented in a high-detail yet low-fi art style that looks nothing short of amazing. There’s also some ‘Boomer’ shooter styling in the animation and enemies that only help reconcile its 90s roots with modern eyes.
System Shock Remake‘s audio is outstanding across the board. Some of soundscapes as you slowly enter half lit rooms are terrifying but also inviting.
SHODAN, rated one of the best gaming baddies of all time, shows a whole new generation why. The original voice actress returns, and despite some cheesy dialogue, Terri Brosius sells its flawlessly once again.
Bridging the Gap
System Shock is rightfully seen as a true game-changing title. It gave birth to what we know as the immersive sim. It elevated gaming villains to more than just end-level bosses.
And, more importantly, it established new conventions in story-telling and atmosphere building, nigh-on perfecting the hands-off approach to immersive narrative experiences on its first try.
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Nightdive Studios preserved the chilling and dread-filled atmosphere, and that rollercoaster story while upgrading much of what could be replaced.
Nightdive Studios did an outstanding job in bringing a PC relic to a modern audience. System Shock Remake serves partly as a history lesson, but is entirely a great game on its own merits.