System Shock Remake

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Ah, the cyberpunk future! There’s a lot of apocalyptic murmuring about how we’re well on our way to techno-dystopia, but I say bring it on! The sooner I can get uploaded into a robot body, the better, and I’m hoping we see some AI bots that are a little more impressive than AIM’s SmarterChild was back in 2007 sooner than later. For now, seems like we’ll just have to rely on video games to really embrace the cyberpunk lifestyle just like we did decades ago.

While the genre has always been popular, thanks to megahits like Cyberpunk 2077 even classic games are seeing a comeback, as is the case with Nightdive Studios’ reworking of Looking Glass Studios’ legendary 90s shooter with System Shock Remake, now infecting your PS5 and Xbox consoles.

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Hacking is a crime and nobody should do it! That’s what the law says, at least, but who listens to that? Certainly not our Hacker protagonist, so it’s no surprise when they’re captured by the cops for cybercriming a little too hard. That’s not the end of the line for the Hacker, though; they’re offered their freedom (and a fancy new set of cybernetics to boot) by TriOptimum employee Edward Diego in exchange for taking care of a little job. That job? Oh, y’know, just optimize the performance on the AI SHODAN on the space station Citadel by removing her ethical constraints. After having those new cybernetics installed, the Hacker wakes up on Citadel to find the place in shambles, packed with mutants, killer robots and the omnipresent voice of SHODAN herself claiming godhood. The Hacker’s going to have to clean up the mess they made. It’s not going to be easy.

System Shock was one of the earliest examples of what we now call immersive sims: first-person adventures where you might do some shooting but where you’ve also got other options. Citadel Station is presented as a world you’re free to explore and approach in pretty much whatever way you see fit. Sure, the place is crawling with nasty stuff that’s out to kill you and then convert your corpse into one of SHODAN’s cyborg minions, so that might adjust how you approach things a bit, but you can generally deal with things as you like.

This concept would be expanded upon greatly in the later System Shock 2, but even in the first game the choice between expending valuable ammo or saving it (and thus risking also-valuable health), selecting the proper cyberware, choosing the right weapon for the right foe and so on are all leaps and bounds ahead of the more direct point-and-shoot experience we saw in games like DOOM .

That’s not to say System Shock and DOOM don’t have anything in common, of course. Both games sure do love their locked doors. Much of System Shock is spent scouring Citadel for keys, passcodes and so on in order to progress just a tiny bit further. It’s a somewhat unusual design given the modern feel of this remake; you’ll end up wondering why you can’t just blow open doors with explosives or pick the locks, but alas, that came later with System Shock’s descendant Deus Ex. For now, keep an eye on that automap and a finger on the trigger, because there’s bound to be plenty of opposition between you and the next keycard, to say nothing of the more intensive objectives you’ll have to complete to stop SHODAN’s plans.

At least you’ve got plenty of fancy weapons to use against said opposition. Most people probably remember the laser rapier and, well, they should. It’s awesome, and it’s even more awesome here in this remake. Other weapons are pretty handy besides, though, and combat here is a lot more enjoyable than the slog it used to be – think the difference between Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4 and you’ll get the idea. Beyond combat, you’ll also need to solve some surprisingly devious puzzles and explore cyberspace, which presents itself as a more simple variety of shooter that’s most easily compared to Descent. It’s possible to adjust the difficulty of any aspect of System Shock to your liking, just like in the original, so if one part of the game or another is giving you trouble you’re free to tweak things. That includes the game’s main story, by the way, which can actually be adjusted in such a way as to put the game on a time limit. Good luck with that one.

We’re technically talking about the PlayStation 5 and Xbox releases of the System Shock remake here, and from a presentation perspective there isn’t a lot to complain about. This version of System Shock looked great on PC and it still looks great here. No, graphics probably aren’t going to be the issue. Instead, it’s probably going to be the irritating nature of trying to play a game like this with a controller. System Shock is very clearly designed for keyboard + mouse input, and lacking that greater breadth of input can make some interactions annoyingly complicated. The good news is that you can use a proper keyboard + mouse setup with your console, which makes aiming so much easier and satisfying.

But even if you prefer controllers, the console versions of System Shock Remake are fantastic ports of an already fantastic game. The tension and adrenaline that exemplify both the original version of System Shock and the remake are present in spades, and with a little practice you’ll probably get used to the goofy controller controls. If you’ve managed to miss System Shock in other iterations, now’s your chance to get cyber’d up, grab a pipe and get to solving some switch puzzles. It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta save the world from a power-mad AI. Consider it practice for the near future.