In 1994, System Shock blew away gamers and critics as one of the first immersive sims, offering unmatched freedom with emergent gameplay in the reactive Citadel Station, melding sci-fi and horror. Hacking, environmental tricks, and systems-based interactions gave multiple creative ways to tackle challenges, outshining the “Doom clones” of its time. Its groundbreaking engine featured sloped floors, dynamic lighting, leaning, and wireframe cyberspace hacking shooter sequences, while robust RPG elements brought cyberware upgrades, inventory management, and tense, ammo-conscious combat. Today, most gamers are familiar with the game design elements found in games like Half-Life, Deus Ex, BioShock, Dead Space, and Metroid Prime, to name a few. After a long wait, the remake has finally arrived, smartly updating its intricate gameplay for modern audiences. How does it perform on the Nintendo Switch 2? Could the addition of mouse mode make this the ultimate console version of the System Shock remake?
In 2072, a hacker is caught by TriOptimum security while trying to steal data on a neural implant. Recognising the hacker as an asset, he’s brought before an obviously evil executive. The hacker is offered a deal: all charges will be dropped, and the precious implant will be given in exchange for removing SHODAN’s ethical constraints, a mining Citadel station’s all-powerful AI. Naturally, the TriOptimum executive wasn’t exactly what he seemed. While he kept his promise about providing the neural implant, the hacker was knocked unconscious and sent off to the station controlled by SHODAN.
After a six-month-long nap, the hacker wakes up in the Citadel medical bay and is set loose in what can best be described as a wide-awake cyber-nightmare. SHODAN fancies herself as a god, and during the hacker’s recovery, she got to work turning the Citadel’s crew into cybernetic abominations. The station was just the testing ground for her plan, and now she’s set her sights on Earth, determined to fully assimilate humanity into her twisted vision. If played on the hardest modes, the game imposes an in-game time limit of 10 hours before SHODAN uses a giant mining laser on Earth. Humanity’s only hope lies with an anonymous hacker, armed with nothing but what’s available on the station, to outsmart the rogue AI’s schemes.
As a hacker, the protagonist isn’t much of a fighter. Unlike in System Shock 2, he/she won’t be making bodily augments that grant telekinesis or pyrokinesis, or become more proficient with weapons. The original System Shock leaned more toward being a horror shooter than an RPG, and this remake stays true to that. While it may be less complex than its sequel, don’t assume that this is a dumber game. System Shock is a very challenging and deep experience that pushes players to think on their toes while exploring the huge Citadel. If Metroid Prime 4: Beyond left you feeling disappointed, System Shock might just satisfy that first-person metroidvania craving even more.
The hacker’s abilities marginally improve and expand with upgrades found in various USBs strewn about. These can be anything from reading biometrics, high-jump boots, or even an auto-mapping system. Everything has its use, but sometimes it’s necessary to turn off certain features since they can consume a lot of energy. Learning how to keep energy usage in balance becomes an important aspect of survival since energy stations are typically far and few in between.
The core mechanics and shooting feel satisfying enough, like any modern shooter, but where System Shock stands out is with its complex inventory system. This is the whole reason why it’s been so troublesome to find an audience on consoles. System Shock’s inventory system is both robust and complex, a throwback to 90s-era PC game design with a user interface full of widgets, icons, and clickable elements. It’s a kind of system that does not fit well with a game controller at all, and as seen with the System Shock 2 remaster, it dramatically slows things down. Luckily, the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con features a mouse mode that solves common issues while providing the comfort of a controller and intuitive button mapping.
It goes without saying that the mouse mode improves accuracy when shooting, but it’s utterly crucial for managing inventory. The grid-based inventory system has players picking up items, placing them on things, combining them, breaking them down for recycling, applying modifications, and quickly slotting gear onto a hotbar. The Joy-Con mouse makes gameplay smooth and intuitive, eliminating the need to slowly navigate menus and highlight objects one by one. This fluidity isn’t limited to the inventory, but also the hacking minigames and shooting.
Sometimes, hacking is rewiring a circuit board to get nodes to light up. Other times, it’s a full-on Lawnmower Man-esque flight sim in cyberspace. Hacking in cyberspace feels like a full-on sensory overload, with rapid-fire action where the goal is to shoot anything that moves and blast the main target to shut down a system or unlock a door. In the 1994 version, these modules were originally on a timer, but the remake allows gamers to take a more measured approach since the hacking sections are generally stressful and overwhelming.
System Shock‘s main event is easily its setting. The citadel is absolutely massive and built to a convincing scale across all of its decks. Exploring this station unfolds like a metroidvania where players are given little direction apart from the audio logs and reading signs. The atmosphere is tense and thick with dread as the halls always seem like they have a mutant lurking around the corner. Environmental puzzles are seamlessly integrated into the theme of each area, and there always seem to be switches that trigger something in another part of the deck. Almost every item lying around can be picked up and examined or recycled. Even dead NPC’s name tags can be ripped off.
The gameplay is surprisingly faithful, but it doesn’t look it at first since the visuals have gotten a huge overhaul. The art direction is best described as high poly with pixelated textures that tastefully homage System Shock‘s retro roots. The colors and lighting effects are intense, and the artists liberally apply shaders and glossy specular effects to various surfaces, giving the game a striking aesthetic. There isn’t anything else out there that resembles this remake, except for maybe the original System Shock. Even the sequel looks dull and plain in comparison.
