Game of the Month #126 (Julyu 2025) - System SHock

System Shock (1994)


In System Shock, biological engineering and automation merge in a raging storm completely out of human control. An indentured hacker, you awake from a healing coma on board the space station Citadel only to find yourself in the twisted aftermath of a mutiny. The crew has been mutated beyond recognition to serve SHODAN, a ruthless computer that controls station operations. With your neural implant, you can "jack" into cyberspace (SHODAN's realm) to steal clues to the mystery. Creeping past armies of cyborgs and robots, you find hardware that grafts to your powersuit and neural apparatus, including infrared cyber-eyes, jump-jet boots and an arsenal of weapons. Multi-function displays pump information to the screen, describing artifacts, warning of biohazards and radiation, analyzing targeted foes, and decrypting cyberspace messages. Shaking from adrenalin and information overload, you scarcely have time to think before SHODAN unleashes yet another terror. System Shock is a First Person Shooter but it isn't your traditional run and gun game.
How long is System Shock?
When focusing on the main objectives, System Shock is about 13 Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 21½ Hours to obtain 100% completion.
Platform:PC
Genres:First-Person, Action, Role-Playing
Developer:Looking Glass Studios
Publisher:Origin Systems
NA:September 22nd, 1994
EU:October 22nd, 2015
Aliases: System Shock: Enhanced Edition, System Shock: Classic

System Shock (2023)


After two decades, Nightdive Studios is rebooting and re-imagining the original System Shock. We will keep the new game true to the classic experience, keeping all the things you loved while giving today's gamers the modern look and feel expected from a great game.
How long is System Shock?
When focusing on the main objectives, System Shock is about 16½ Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 33 Hours to obtain 100% completion.
Platforms:PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Genres:First-Person, Action, Adventure, Shooter
Developer:Nightdive Studios
Publisher:Prime Matter
NA:May 30th, 2023
EU:May 30th, 2023
Alias:System Shock Remake

Interesting timing...if things go well, I might finally start playing the remake later this month. I'm strongly convinced I won't get very far and drop it after a couple of hours. I have been wrong before however.

Very cool choice! Tried playing this and it's sequel as a kid, but was too scared. Hopefully this time round I can cope.

Don't know much about System Shock other than it's made by some of the same people that made BioShock. I have the enhanced edition so I'll try to get into it sometime this month.

I've been curious about this game for a long time now. Not sure it is really 'my type', but I guess it's time to find out.

So had my first session.

Reached the area with the force bridges where supposedly the last survivors are holding up. Doesn't look like it

Clunky is prob the best way I can currently explain this game. It's feels to me very outdated. You're having to swap between the menus and the action on the fly and it doesn't do a great job explaining things. It also is not using the controls I'm use to (crouch is not ctrl or c and you can't reload with r. This can be changed and I'll prob look into it). The games feels slower and methodical style shooter. Their doesn't seem to be many enemies but when you do see them they can be powerful and some weapons don't effect certain enemies (dart gun is useless against machines). I'll give a bit more time but this might be a game for me that hasn't aged well

Finally a pinball game for game of the month

Don't know much about System Shock other than it's made by some of the same people that made BioShock. I have the enhanced edition so I'll try to get into it sometime this month.

I looked into this via the credits on mobygames.com and the overlap is not as big as you might think. There were only three employees who worked on both games, which were Dorian Hart as a designer on both games, Robb Waters as an artist to become concept artist and do additional UI support and Sara Verrilli, who did QA and became assistant lead. But there is certainly a bigger history between both games, as many employees who worked at Looking Glass Studios on games like System Shock and Thief joined Irrational Games to work on System Shock 2. It looks most of them weren't around anymore for Bioshock a few years later - actually, between System Shock 2 and Bioshock were 9 years, which is a long time. And of course, System Shock was the first game with the famous 0451 code and its variations, which were later used in Bioshock and so on.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, System Shock is a great game and you guys should play it. It certainly shows its age (which is kinda impossible not to at this point), but it's really interesting how much there is in this game, that is still kinda relevant like audio logs (see Bioshock) and some examples of environmental story telling. It's also interesting how distinct each floor is and how this is basically a sci fy dungeon crawler.

An interesting companion piece (or rather after game) to play is Ultima Underworld, which is kind of a developmental precursor. That game already had conversations with npc's and dynamic lightning.

So far I have similar thoughts as knalb. Game has aged poorly. UI is clunky - needing excessive clicks to get things done. It also has those maps that are easy to get lost (especially if you take an extended break), and really infuriating if you miss a key item/button/clue which leads to endlessly running around confused on how to progress.

I reached the reactor level, but didn't realize I missed a key thing in level 2 which halted my progress until I looked it up in frustration.

Also dislike the excessive enemy respawning.

Regardless, I'm going to persevere through this and it's sequel because they're classics.

Managed some long sessions this weekend and completed System Shock 1 (1994 version).

Pros:
Very interesting setting and characters. SHODAN makes a refreshing and creepy villain. It's sad reading about the rebels getting killed off one by one.
Game does not hand-hold the player. You actually need to read logs, make notes and problem solve. It's satisfying when you work it out for yourself.
Exploring the station was very cool. Getting to visit all the varied levels.
Weapons are great.
Found a funny Easter egg in the Eel Zapper mini game: All the high scores are SHODAN except for the bottom one which is Diego.

Cons:
Time has aged this game. UI is clunky. Simple tasks like picking up items is slow and tedious. I played KB and mouse - was there a KB shortcut to reload your weapon? I played through the game using the mouse to reload.
Sometimes you miss a button, and waste time running back and forth until you finally find what you missed.

7/10 - and looking forward to playing the remake at a later date!

02/07/2025 22:01
Reached the computer room and then destoryed it. Got to the second level and killed all the mutantys there only to kill myself with a live grenade
03/07/2025 23:01
right so reached level 2 and making some good progression. Robots are hard bastards
04/07/2025 23:16
Very productive playthrough. Got over alot of the hurdles and am starting to get into it. Still outdated but I don't feel as weak any more. Got through the second level and down into the reactor where I enaged the shields and disabled the laser override. Ended up destroying the laser on the station SHADON was going to use on earth. Now gotta destory the grove. I know there are some survivors stuck on the flight deck. Finished the maintenance level which was rather short and now onto the fourth level
06/07/2025 22:57
Went through the fourth level rather short so I believe i'll have to be back. Now on the fifth level. Trying to work a platform and noticed one part never being there. Will continue and see where I get

So it took some time but I did get into System shock. Basically the first level doesn't make a great first impression. Now that I've got more fire power it is more fun to play the game as well as change a few of the control configs. It is definitely outdated and it's rather annoying having to switch between gameplay and your inventory. But there our some great variety of guns, enemies and environments and SHODAN is a really compelling antagonist that it is still holding me in this game

07/07/2025 22:06
So finished Level 5 unfortunately the survivors there were all killed before I could reached (Dull surprise). went back down to level 4 and felt stupid as a door was right in front of me which I missed first time round. Went through it and destroyed all the camera. Got the rad suit and platsique now went back up to level 5 and ready for level 6 executive area
08/07/2025 23:06
Got through the whole of level 6 now but need to do the beta grove already flipped the switch for alpha and delta looks like gamma has already been jettisoned
10/07/2025 22:04
Did Beta grove. Annoying contamination in that area and went to flip the master jettison switch looks like it had been broken. Gone down to level 3 to fix it. Found the relay I Need to fix but not the tool I need to fix it
11/07/2025 23:02
Got the tool and fixed the relay and jettisoned the groves. SHODAN is now trying to escape to earth from the station. Currently destroying the relays on level 7. Just got one more left
12/07/2025 23:03
Destroyed the last relay and then went down to the reactor to activate self destruct. Tried to escape but SHODAN stopped me. Now heading up to the bridge where SHODAN is trying to escape from
13/07/2025 20:31
And that is system shock done. So overall I still feel it is outdated at this time but it slowly pulled me in and I'm glad I kept going after the first level. The regeneration chambers were a boon and it was interesting to see them go in the final levels but I just ended up save scumming my way to the end. Took me 13 hours but according to the game it was actually 4. I'll try to write a review but looking about a 7 I think

System Shock
Completion July 13th, 2025
Main+Extras 13h 10m 23s
Notes Normal difficulty for all options
Review
+Foreboding and excellent Antagonist
+Great variety of enemies with different weaknesses
+Great variety of things to do with some interesting puzzles and weapons
-Poor introduction to the gameplay
-Dealing with the inventory is cumbersome
-Excessive backtracking at times
Review:
System Shock is a one of the original 451 games created and while the design and choices to shine through it cannot get anyway from the feeling of it being outdated. There is a lot of design choices which hold it back nowadays and you see what they took and iterated to get where we our in these 451 style games but can’t help feel outdated in design decisions. This especially hurts at the start of the game where it dumps you into the game without much instructions. However the things that made system shock a classic can and does shine through a lot. SHODAN is a very compelling antagonist who talks to you throughout the whole of the game and is a constant presence. She is backed up with a great variety of weapons and enemies in a good amount of level design through each of the 10 floors. IF you can break through the outdated designs then system shock can really treat you.

7/10

System Shock
Completion July 13th, 2025
Main+Extras 13h 10m 23s
Notes Normal difficulty for all options
Review
+Foreboding and excellent Antagonist
+Great variety of enemies with different weaknesses
+Great variety of things to do with some interesting puzzles and weapons
-Poor introduction to the gameplay
-Dealing with the inventory is cumbersome
-Excessive backtracking at times
Review:
System Shock is a one of the original 451 games created and while the design and choices to shine through it cannot get anyway from the feeling of it being outdated. There is a lot of design choices which hold it back nowadays and you see what they took and iterated to get where we our in these 451 style games but can’t help feel outdated in design decisions. This especially hurts at the start of the game where it dumps you into the game without much instructions. However the things that made system shock a classic can and does shine through a lot. SHODAN is a very compelling antagonist who talks to you throughout the whole of the game and is a constant presence. She is backed up with a great variety of weapons and enemies in a good amount of level design through each of the 10 floors. IF you can break through the outdated designs then system shock can really treat you.

7/10

System Shock
Completion July 13th, 2025
Main+Extras 13h 10m 23s
Notes Normal difficulty for all options
Review
+Foreboding and excellent Antagonist
+Great variety of enemies with different weaknesses
+Great variety of things to do with some interesting puzzles and weapons
-Poor introduction to the gameplay
-Dealing with the inventory is cumbersome
-Excessive backtracking at times
Review:
System Shock is a one of the original 451 games created and while the design and choices to shine through it cannot get anyway from the feeling of it being outdated. There is a lot of design choices which hold it back nowadays and you see what they took and iterated to get where we our in these 451 style games but can’t help feel outdated in design decisions. This especially hurts at the start of the game where it dumps you into the game without much instructions. However the things that made system shock a classic can and does shine through a lot. SHODAN is a very compelling antagonist who talks to you throughout the whole of the game and is a constant presence. She is backed up with a great variety of weapons and enemies in a good amount of level design through each of the 10 floors. IF you can break through the outdated designs then system shock can really treat you.

7/10

Excellent write-up and I mirrored your thoughts.

Games in this era had yet to implement in-game tutorials and instead relied on a physical manual that players were expected to read prior to starting the game - I am really glad this is mostly a thing of the past! I did read through the manual before starting my playthrough, it helped set the scene and get my bearings, though it also contained gameplay spoilers like all the items/weapons/levels that you were going to encounter.

I know there are people annoyed with how many remasters/remakes we get nowadays, but System Shock is a perfect example of a worthy of remake. Such a great concept and synopsis, held back by limitations of it's time. Really looking forward to playing through the remake, but I will give myself a gap so it won't feel like playing the same game back to back.

knalb - do you think you'll play the remake?

I enjoyed this game (remake). It is pretty difficult, nowadays I do not know how I was able to handle finish it and it took me longer than other users. I do not know if I would replay.

Regards!

Excellent write-up and I mirrored your thoughts.

Games in this era had yet to implement in-game tutorials and instead relied on a physical manual that players were expected to read prior to starting the game - I am really glad this is mostly a thing of the past! I did read through the manual before starting my playthrough, it helped set the scene and get my bearings, though it also contained gameplay spoilers like all the items/weapons/levels that you were going to encounter.

I know there are people annoyed with how many remasters/remakes we get nowadays, but System Shock is a perfect example of a worthy of remake. Such a great concept and synopsis, held back by limitations of it's time. Really looking forward to playing through the remake, but I will give myself a gap so it won't feel like playing the same game back to back.

knalb - do you think you'll play the remake?

Unlikely. I've completed the game now and don't really need to go through it again

Finished the game today - clocked in at about ~18 hours in the end =)

Overall I really enjoyed playing System Shock (remake) as it was clear throughout why this is such an influential classic and how much it has inspired a huge number of immersive shooters that came later. The gameplay felt good (at least in the remake it did) and there was enough variety of enemies and weapons to keep things interesting, but what really sucked me in was the world building and level design. I love that the entire space station where the game takes place had been created and was essentially open to explore at all times. Of course, there are progress gates to allow for progression, but it really felt like I was able to explore and go anywhere I wanted.

Although, this is also the cause of my one big complaint about the game, as the endless backtracking did wear thin at times. On one hand, I loved that I'd end up in a position where I realised that I needed some code written on a wall from three floors below if I wanted to progress, but on the other hand I ran into a handful of occasions where I was almost completely unable to progress at all.

I mentioned on Discord about picking up the plastique early on and then dumping it somewhere random, which led to an arduous search to find where I'd randomly left them later on when I needed them to progress - something that could have easily been solved with a dispenser in the original location... even one you needed some credits for or something - but a method where you absolutely could not lose the key items needed! There were other examples as well, but that was the most annoying and I almost retired it at that point.

Ultimately though, I'm glad I got to finally focus on this game and play it - as it's clearly a stone cold classic (for better or worse). There are some systems that have been improved over time (inventory management being the first I can think of), but there are others that have been lost (level design in particular) - it's always fun playing an OG like this and seeing what all the fuss is about... definitely a good time.