They only don’t make ‘em like they used to, huh? 30 years since its launch on PC, the holy grail of immersive sims, System Shock, has made its method to PS4 and PS5 with this slick remake. That is the primary alternative us PlayStation gamers have had to take a look at the sport that impressed the likes of PREY, Deus Ex, and BioShock, and as such, piecing collectively its labyrinthine house station is like an entertaining historical past lesson. However regardless of its new visible glow-up, System Shock is basically beginning to present its age.
The unique System Shock launched in 1994 and formed a whole style. In opposition to the evil A.I. SHODAN, a anonymous hacker should combat their manner by means of the maze-like house station, step by step unlocking extra areas within the course of. Launched in 2023 on PC, this remake from Nightdive Studios provides a lick of modernised paint to this traditional, with a visible and gameplay overhaul that ought to enchantment to each new and returning gamers alike.
We wish to begin off by saying that visually, System Shock is an actual deal with on PS5. It sports activities this fascinating blended artstyle of each fashionable and retro aesthetics that completely embodies the unique – as if Nightdive is making an attempt to evoke what you assume the sport seemed like again within the day. Regardless of having this hard-edged metallic design to its many rooms and corridors, there are refreshing pangs of vibrant color that hold every of the sport’s flooring feeling contemporary and distinctive. It’s topped off with a rock-solid efficiency on PS5 meaning you may slither your manner from upkeep to the chief flooring with out a single stutter.
The very first thing you’ll discover about System Shock is that it isn’t there that can assist you – in any respect. It is a powerful recreation, each by means of its so-so fight, and its gruelling house station puzzles. It’s each the nice and dangerous of this remake, as it’s invigorating to play a recreation that basically makes you sift by means of textual content and audio logs. One thing so simple as determining a code could require you to go to a number of areas throughout varied ranges of the station, and also you’ll must bodily observe the code down as the sport received’t retailer it for you. Taking part in a recreation with a notepad by your aspect is a slightly area of interest side of a bygone period of gaming, however you’ll undoubtedly sit up in your seat just a little as System Shock challenges you this manner.
Lastly determining an extended wanted code, or turning on the facility that grants you entry to a complete new stage of the station is immensely gratifying. That is additionally a recreation that feeds off of your curiosity, the place you may observe the storylines of ill-fated characters and slowly piece collectively the puzzle of the station’s A.I. takeover. Very hardly ever will System Shock spell it out for you, so for those who aren’t eager on sifting by means of reams of texts, then its setting will seemingly come throughout as very floor stage. Definitely you aren’t going to seek out environmental storytelling right here such as you do in Dishonored for instance, and System Shock does little or no to ascertain a historical past previous to SHODAN’s present takeover.
That nevertheless is the seed of our frustrations with System Shock. Since lots of the context of the station lies within the textual content and audio logs, there’s little or no motive to discover its varied hallways and places of work past the necessity to progress to the following stage. Each every so often you’ll discover a new weapon, or a modkit station to improve your arsenal, however for probably the most half you’ll be wandering in circles questioning what to do and the place to go, and quite a lot of occasions you’ll spend upwards of 20 minutes making an attempt to realize entry to a room that has little or no reward inside. System Shock is suffering from useless ends, which in itself is ok, however with one other audio log typically being the large reward, it’s arduous to not really feel unenthused at occasions.
Exploration may also really feel trite because of its grindy recycling system, the place you hoard plenty of junk, vaporise all of it to negate stock points, after which cart it to a recycling station to earn a couple of vitcoins. It’s good to see what’s clearly the inception of the recycling system in PREY, nevertheless it doesn’t fairly have the identical satisfying loop. It’s right here too that it turns into manifestly apparent that the sport is just not meant to be performed with a controller. Stock administration is extremely tedious and lacks the pace or ease of use that you just’ll discover with a mouse and keyboard.
Frustrations carry over to the fight too, which if we’re being sincere, simply isn’t nice. To provide credit score the place credit score is due, System Shock tries to maintain issues contemporary with probably the most random assortment of enemies we’ve ever seen. From cyborgs to floating micro organism, there may be all the time a facet of shock as you encounter new enemy sorts, and issues actually enhance as you uncover higher weapons. Nonetheless, the difficulty is that the fight by no means actually has the burden or dynamism that you just’d get in additional fashionable releases. Melee weapons lack impression, weapons lack oomph, and with subsequent to no cowl, you’re basically buying and selling pictures with an enemy that virtually by no means misses – and this is identical within the our on-line world parts of the sport too.
The respawn system doesn’t assist issues both. Since any harm you’ve performed or enemies you’ve killed carry over while you respawn, there’s very hardly ever any feeling of rigidity within the fight. When you’ve unlocked that ground’s respawn space, you will be again in motion inside 30 seconds. You then have a selection of both utilizing your therapeutic provides to inch forward, or hoard them for the boss fights which means you are frequently respawning, resulting in some stilted development. There may be an in-depth issue setting to counter this if issues show to be too powerful, however there may be oddly no choice to alter this mid-game so that you both must keep it up or restart with a brand new save.
Conclusion
On the finish of the day, System Shock is the devoted remake of a 30-year-old recreation, and you’ll really feel that age in each side of its being. In some methods, this can be a tantalising look again on the recreation that began a whole style, and for those who’ve bought the passion or nostalgia for immersive sims prefer it, then it’s value trying out for that alone. Nonetheless, for those who lack that nostalgic connection, then System Shock is extra a showcase of how far the style has come, slightly than a highlight on how effectively it’s held up. System Shock could have walked so others within the style may run, however for us, that stroll is just a bit too gradual.
