4.5/5 ★ – merklepox's review of System Shock.

Took me some time to actually review this, but here we are. I backed the kickstarter for this game my sophomore year of college in 2016, and then waited. After seven years with a full restart on production, long periods of radio silence, and several team members coming and going, I basically had given up hope for this remake of one of my all time favorites. Then it came out, and goddamn. They did it. SSR's greatest stength is in its atmosphere and presentation - the artstyle Nightdive went with is a nice blend of high-ish poly models with pixelated textures. It's bold, and once I got used to it I actually think it's a fantastic choice that gives the game a very unique and beautiful look. Environments are colorful and varied with fantastic lighting that gives the game a huge range of environments to get lost in - and you will get lost. The design of the game and maps is very true to the original: labyrinthine levels with minimal to no indication as to where you're supposed to go. Objectives are communicated to the player, but they can be subtle and you need to pay attention and either write things down or have a good memory to keep track of what you need to do and how you are supposed to do it. This is certainly a divisive design philosophy, but it's true to the original and in my eyes enhances the immersion. All things combined, the System Shock Remake creates a world that is an absolute delight to explore. Crawling through the beautiful dungeons of Citadel Station is tense, spooky, cinematic, and intensely gratifying. There are certainly a couple blemishes - combat can be janky (though the weapons are each fun to use), and the final boss battle is questionable. That being said, this is a masterpiece of a remake that brings one of the veritable granddaddies of the immersive sim genre into the modern age with beauty and grace. Can't recommend enough.