A relentless experience where the old meets the new
The day has finally come. Although there were some hiccups in getting the code to his original Kickstarter backers, a reimagined system shock arrived. Good news. Nightdive Studios has modernized the graphics to appeal to our modern sensibilities while maintaining the old-world feel. This was done in a very interesting way. Pipes may be shiny and reflective, but upon closer inspection many assets retain a pixelated appearance. This definitely adds a retro feel to it without detracting from the game’s polished look.
The gameplay is as unforgiving as the original, and the stress levels during gameplay reflect that. You are outnumbered and outgunned, especially considering that SHODAN has a massive stock of corpses to reanimate to replenish the room behind you. When you try to get back to a safe area and find the area has been overrun again, this can be quite a shock, especially if you haven’t stocked up on all the bullets and health items you can. Respawning isn’t always the first thing you encounter, but that’s a good thing because the game forces you to follow in your footsteps.
It’s also a good idea to have a notepad handy. In the good old days of games, hearing a number didn’t automatically enter a code into your keypad. We had to write down the numbers and then manually enter them in-game, but as Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN says, we love how it works. If you don’t have good/horrible memories of the original System Shock, check out this article on three evolutions of the game.
The System Shock Steam demo is still available if you’d like to take a peek at the game before deciding to buy it.
