See, given the immersive sim/RPG pedigree of System Shock, it’s easy to forget that this first game really wasn’t much of an RPG at all. If that sounds like survival gameplay to you, that’s because it is.

Ammo is in short supply and enemies hit like a ton of bricks. You’re allowed to tweak the experience to your liking, which is just as well because combat in this game is quite hard. The moment you start the game, you’re greeted with a difficulty selection menu with different settings for combat, puzzles, exploration, etc. In fact, accessibility overall seems to have been one of the guiding principles of this modern take. The puzzle design has been changed quite a bit, to be made less irritating and more accessible. I was able to simply remember where certain keys and audio logs were, and of course the very first door opens with the code ‘451’. The entire map of Citadel Station has been recreated here and, if you’re like me, you will be able to navigate most of the map from memory.

Now, with a from-the-ground-up remake, developer Night Dive is trying to give this classic a second shot at a first impression.Ģ023’s System Shock remake is, if you forgive the pun, a shockingly faithful remake of the original. They made modest sails and even remastered ‘Enhaced Editions’ did little to endear the mass audience, likely because of obtuse mechanics, dated graphics, and overly complicated controls (the first game didn’t even have mouse look despite being a first-person shooter). However, despite being greatly influential and being hailed as among the greatest games of all time, System Shock and its sequel System Shock 2 weren’t exactly big sellers. The terrifying sci-fi horror of a space station haunted by a rogue AI has given way to the likes of Metroid Prime, Alien: Isolation, and Dead Space. Hell, even games outside its genre have taken influence. Without System Shock, there is no PREY, BioShock, or Dishonored. Looking Glass Studios’ seminal immersive sim wasn’t just an incredible game, but also the blueprint for some of the most beloved games of the last few decades.

To say the original System Shock was influential would be the most thudding understatement of the year.

System shock ue4 remastered