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Sum-Up

In-depth analysis further down.


🟩 Pros
🟥 Cons



• Compelling exploration that rewards attentive players with great advantages and resources.
• Zero hand-holding will have you rely on wits and data to understand what to do next.
• Terrifying, oppressive setting where danger lurks at every corner and combat is brutal.
• Huge quantity of secrets, Easter eggs and hidden areas to find.
• Exciting progression, with enough devices, weapons and augments variety to stay fresh.


• A few weapons and consumable combos are massively OP and can make even bosses (comparatively) trivial.
• Excessive backtracking for some objectives.





🟨 Bugs & Issues
🔧 Specs



• Steam Cloud-enabled savegames don’t transfer correctly between devices.


• 3900X
• 2080Ti
• 32GB RAM
• SSD
• 1440p





Content & Replay Value:
It took me around 32 hours to reach the end of System Shock on Hard combat difficulty, taking considerable extra time to explore every recess of the station I could access. The content is linear; there’s no reason to replay once finished.


Is it worth buying?
Absolutely. The price of 40€ is in-line for this amount of content and production value, while the quality is superb. I can recommend getting it even without a discount.


Verdict: Masterpiece
Rating Chart Here
A stellar remake that preserves the atmosphere, feel and gameplay of the original masterpiece, while introducing much-needed, modern quality-of-life features.


Follow our Curator page, Summit Reviews, to see more high-quality reviews regularly.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3002629840

In-Depth

Writing & Worldbuilding
In terms of story, System Shock won’t present you with intricate mysteries or 300-IQ plots; Tri-Optimum’s brand-new AI, SHODAN, went rogue (or rather, was made…) - in consequence, the corporate station orbiting Saturn quickly morphs into a nightmarish prison filled with mutants, scrambled robots and other horrors, all ruled by their cybernetic god(des).
Playing as the nameless, silent and experienced Hacker, you’ll have to find a way to stop this madness. Throughout the station you’ll reveal, either by log files or environmental storytelling, the fate of its crew members - many of which branch into sub-plots of sorts that may give you useful hints, and are interesting to follow. The writing of all characters is crowned, of course, by SHODAN; each power-tripping rant and email is more terrifying (not to mention actual, nowadays) than the previous.
The setting spans throughout a dozen levels, masterfully crafted to be as faithful to the original as possible. The world-building makes the station feel like a cramped, dark, dangerous hell you have to progressively conquer and cleanse, while each level has enough features to feel unique and apart from the others. Combined with the great soundtrack and creepy sound effects, immersion is assured.
Exploration & Secrets
Citadel Station is nothing short of massive, divided between twelve levels and the command bridge. You’ll explore it on foot, with a handy automap updating itself as you go. Some upgrades and tools will also allow you to highlight loot and perceive the unseen, but normally you’ll have to rely on your own perception to find items, supplies or secrets - the latter of which are abundant, and hold valuable resources or even unique items. Many areas will initially be locked-out behind security keys, codes or hazards that you might only overcome with specific items or actions.
Other than the recordings you’ll find or receive, there won’t be any further hint on what to do or where to go - except if you play on Easy mission difficulty, that is. But don’t do that, as figuring things out is part of the experience, and the game is designed well enough so that you won’t need to google stuff all the time, if you pay attention.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3002137872
Combat System & Bosses
Fights in SS are slowly-paced, tactical and high-stakes most of the time. From deranged cyborgs to genetic abominations, all enemies will move and attack at a moderate pacing, but so do you (unless you pump yourself full of drugs and become a superhuman demigod for half a minute…). Your ranged foes will be dead-accurate and lethal, while melee enemies can tear you to shreds in just a couple of hits on Hard. Baiting shots to then peek from cover and shoot, taking your time to advance without rushing, paying attention to sounds are all critical components of a system that punishes recklessness.
Most weapons will have different types of ammo, best-suited for diverse foes, such as piercing ammo being perfect for dealing with armored robots. Ammo is finite, enemies are not - the respawn rate will be oppressive at first, until you destroy enough security cameras and computers - that will slow and eventually stop the respawns entirely in each level. Boss fights are few, but quite unique and significant; these formidable foes won’t only be durable and have a distinct armament, but also capable of one-shotting you if you’re not careful with positioning and cover. That being said, if you save up enough consumables and ‘good’ items for them, like EMP grenades capable of stunning even bosses, they will be much more manageable.
The physics and modern touches added to combat really enhance the action, with enemies being beautifully mutilated, decapitated and torn to pieces on a regular basis, emphasizing the power of your shots. In general, there’s a good weight, stagger and realism behind how guns are handled - it’s a shame, though, that the aiming dot can’t be disabled and that you can't ADS either - those would have been good modern additions, as well.
Your fights won't end in reality, as cyberspace is another battleground where you'll fend off SHODAN's formidable virtual defenses, and breach security, in a 6DOF shooter fashion, developing throughout labyrinthine cyberscapes.
Character Progression
There won’t be any XP or levels to be gained; your only form of progression will be the items you’ll find around the Station. Between better implants to enhance your cybernetic functions, like night vision or energy shields, and weapon upgrades sold at automated machines in exchange for credits, you’ll increasingly become more powerful and have a better variety of options at your disposal. You’ll quickly run out of space, so finding a place somewhere relatively safe is a very good idea for storage purposes - or, you can just leave behind what you can’t carry, but I wouldn’t recommend that, as you’ll really need every bullet and medkit on the higher settings.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2999944299
Quests & Objectives
Your main objective is simple: stopping SHODAN. As to how you accomplish that, you’ll have to figure it out on your own. There will be optional sub-objectives of sorts, derived from the info you’ll find in documents and recordings, like, for example, a secret stash to locate. These optional tasks will lead you to secondary parts of the station over various levels, and are worth doing for the sake of exploring and obtaining better gear. The lack of hand-holding in a game needs to be well-designed, and in this case it indeed is, as there won’t be anything too obscure, provided you spend time reading the files you find. If you don't like reading and just want a quest marker to show you the way, play on Easy mission difficulty.