System Shock, originally released in 1994 for the PC, is a full remake from the ground up featuring all-new graphics and built in Unreal Engine 4. NightDive Studios has gone as far as to release a playable demo build of the game, and continues to provide fans anticipating its release with more gameplay showcases.
Gamers anticipating the upcoming remake of System Shock are being given another taste of the gameplay. With the release of a new showcase, NightDive Studios is showing off its gameplay and graphics in detail, without giving away too much of the mystery.
The trailer shows seven minutes of gameplay in the Research section, which in the original game was the second location the player would explore. Those who have played the original will note layout similarities in the map, as well as combat that closely resembles the original's methodical approach. In a world of game trailers with flashy and quick cuts showing very little gameplay for the moment-to-moment sections, System Shock's slower, more player-focused showcases stand out and show players the more tense moments of the game. Any cut in gameplay throughout the trailer moves through almost contemplative moments.
The System Shock Research trailer shows an attempt to re-create the feeling of the original System Shock environments with modern technology such as dynamic lighting and rendering much more using detailed 3D models. The showcase is not as mind-blowing as the original System Shock was in 1994, but NightDive Studios is not targeting next-generation fidelity, instead going for an approach that re-creates the original and tries to enhance it without leaving what made it special behind. Of course, with System Shock 3 potentially a dead project, fans are likely relieved to have anything System Shock-related at all coming in 2021.
The original System Shock mixes horror elements with environmentally-oriented puzzle-solving, and the remake appears to be carrying that mentality forward, with the gameplay looking like a polished, modern version of the 1994 original. The original was an impressive game for the time, both graphically and mechanically, and the remake sets out to further polish and refine the mechanics using lessons learned in the many years that have passed since the initial release.
With recent talk of the BioShock series' next entry being set in space, System Shock's provision of a similar "0451" experience with its immersive sim-style puzzle-solving and gameplay may help keep immersive sim fans occupied until the next BioShock.
System Shock is scheduled to release in late summer 2021 for PC via Epic Games Store, GOG and Steam.