System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster is Nightdive Studio’s tribute to the hugely influential 1994 original. Offering a much-needed technical upgrade, along with a bevvy of extras, System Shock 2 is still an impressive game, even if some of its forward-thinking mechanics feel quite quaint three decades later.
Originally co-developed by Looking Glass Studios and Irrational Games, designer Ken Levine would later refine many of System Shock 2’s core concepts (hacking, hypos, audio logs, wrenches) in its spiritual successor, BioShock. But before Rapture, there was a sci-fi series concerned with the malevolent AI, SHODAN, and an atmospheric, infected space ship called the Von Braun.
Players are cast in the role of an amnesiac soldier who awakens aboard the Von Braun, which has been overrun by a psychic entity known as the Many, turning the crew into twisted cybernetic abominations. Initially directed by a mysterious individual to restore power to many of the ship’s core systems, the soldier is forced to fight through a narrative full of deception, insanity, and somewhat predictable twists (that is, if you’re familiar with Levine’s work).
System Shock 2 differs from the later BioShock series in a few significant ways. It’s much more of an RPG, for starters, and players can shape the way their character plays by picking their service background (combat-focused Marine, tech-savvy Navy, or psionically enhanced OSA Agent). After that, your character can be further moulded by guiding them through several tours of duty, narrative selections that provide statistical bonuses to various attributes, in some cases determining what equipment they start with.
While still a first-person shooter with some powers to play around with, another significant departure is System Shock 2’s punishingly high difficulty, with its “Normal” setting being no joke. Enemies put out astonishing damage numbers and regularly respawn, which makes exploration especially risky and, at times, quite frustrating. To make matters worse, while there is a limited auto-save feature, you will need to rely on manual saves for the most part.
Gameplay primarily revolves around battling enemies, scavenging for gear, and searching for the necessary item or objective to progress. The atmosphere and environmental storytelling, along with a liberal supply of audio logs, make the Von Braun a compelling setting, and players can and will need to return to earlier areas, giving the ship a familiar feeling.
Graphically, System Shock 2, even gloriously remastered, shows its age, and some of its systems (like its clunky inventory and aiming mechanics) are well past their prime. We had to turn the music off entirely in our playthrough, although some might love it; the relentless 90s dark techno, combined with the genuinely spooky barks of enemies, made us feel like we were having an extended, terminal anxiety attack.
System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster is a fantastic way to revisit one of the most influential games ever made. Lightyears ahead of its time, some of its systems haven’t aged well, making it frustrating at times. Still, with a compelling story and solid gameplay, and packed full of art and assets from development (not to mention scans of classic magazine write-ups, as well as a complete Prima strategy guide), it’s well worth the time of any enthusiast.
