Nightdive Studios have consistently proven themselves as the masters of the remaster. Usually, the studio goes above and beyond with each of the classic games they’ve updated and brought to modern consoles and audiences. Their work goes far beyond getting the games to run on modern hardware. They usually include reworked assets plus the inclusion of cut content, turning them into the definitive versions of these games.
With System Shock, Nightdive has jumped the remastering part and gone straight to the remake. Because that’s what System Shock is, a complete, though faithful, remake of the original game featuring everything from reworked mechanics to assets, visuals and music. And, as the best remakes, it’s an above-and-beyond effort as well.
System Shock is set in a Cyberpunk future. You awaken on Citadel Station after making a deal with the TriOptimum Corporation. Alas, all is not well as the space station is now home to ravaging mutants and homicidal cyborgs. The Station A.I., SHODAN, has gone well off the deep end and your only hope of surviving and making it off the station is to put the maniacal monstrosity down.
System Shock is widely regarded as one of the first truly immersive sim games built around emergent gameplay systems. You were dropped into its labyrinthine world and given the go ahead to play as you pleased with little in the way of guidance or quest objectives. The maze-like nature of the level design certainly didn’t help in finding your way around. As such, I found the original System Shock a little bit obtuse back in the day. I was frustrated as much as I was entertained by it though I never found the time to go back to it again as it entered the never-ending world of the eternal backlog. . .
But when Nightdive announced that they would be remaking System Shock, I was immediately interested. I could finally play a classic that had always been on the back burner while enjoying modern conveniences. A two-bird’s situation indeed. And I’m glad I did because Nightdive has done nothing short of exceptional work.
System Shocks DNA has been brought through intact, though now running under more modern audience-friendly interfaces. Gone is the clunky sort of point and click style combat, replaced with a modern first-person shooter control scheme. There are AutoSaves but you can also save manually at any time. The cyber hacking mini-game has been completely redesigned and the game sports all new music and sound effects.
What really matters, for me at any rate, is just how much more parsable the game now feels. I remember these corridors, I remember getting lost and dying a lot. But now I can navigate them easier and what I originally perceived as obtuseness, simply requires time and thought to decode.
System Shock isn’t shy about revealing its story to you. You know right from the get go just who’s responsible for this giant mess. And it’s very liberal with its story beats, told through the usual assortment of emails and voice logs laying around the station. To progress in the game, you’re going to have to listen to and read them as they contain everything from passcodes to the correct way to stop SHODAN’s plan of blasting the Earth.
While all of this may sound par for the course in modern game design, you have to remember that System Shock led the way with a lot of these tropes. So while this may be nothing new to newcomers, it certainly does add to the games overall atmosphere of clinical dread. Sure there are bodies all over the place and nasty muties looking to rip out your innards, but there’s still a sense of impersonal horror spread across the shiny halls.
And boy are System Shocks halls shiny. Nightdive has done a fantastic job on the visuals and recreating the iconic station’s hallways, corridors, pipes and lighting while keeping a certain level of pixelation to the textures in honour of its past. System Shock is, unabashedly, gorgeous. From the metallic floors and walls to the vibrant, neon inspired lighting, this game is a complete looker. One that I think really would benefit from ray tracing. Even as my journey came to a close, I was still gobsmacked by the quality of the visuals. Enemies, weapons, lighting, materials, this game is just stunning.
That said, System Shock is still a very slow-paced game. You can jump in and play it as you please for the most part and there are no obvious pathways to go initially. It’s about exploration while staying alive while multiple areas will have what you need to progress elsewhere. And even though it’s in first person, it’s much less of a run-and-gun experience than it is a survival one.
One area that I would have liked some rework for the console is the inventory system. The drag and drop nature of your inventory, along with the limited space makes constant managing it a problem. This is the one area that still feels like it was kept with the keyboard and mouse in mind.
System Shock is a classic for a reason. And Nightdive’s remake is the best way to play this classic. If you’re prepared for a slower-paced experience, then System Shock is an enthralling and engaging one that you really should dive into.
System Shock | Console Launch Trailer
Read more of our reviews here https://invisioncommunity.co.uk/category/review/
