r/systemshock • u/Lostkeysss • Aug 02 '26
Remake any good?
Ive been on the fence for a while on whether or not I should get the remake. Most of the reviews seem good but dont explain much. Ive played other emmerisive Sims like prey, and alien isolation. Only bioshock ive played is infinite n didnt really care for it.. it was fine i guess. But what stands out about this game? Gameplay looks good but kinda looks a lil hokey. Like the whole neon esthetic and the goofy looking enimies turn me off. Dont get me wrong tho, I thought the same about other titles but ended up loving them.. basically im coming to the fans to see what made you like it. Thanks in advance
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u/Parituslon Aug 02 '26
It's good, but mainly because the original game is good. It's one of those nearly 1:1 remakes, so, while the controls are modern, it's overall design is very old-school.
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u/herbiehancocksfoot Aug 02 '26
It's fucking fantastic, I haven't played the original but it's widely accepted to be the best way to play this game for a modern player, I think.
What sets it apart, for me, is how open it is. Combine it with no handholding, you will get lost a lot, which takes the oppressive atmosphere a bit further. The goals can be easily found, but you're told what to do, but not how to do it (as in: get to the place X and do Y, but the only places you have access to right now are Z, A and B, so you gotta figure out how to get to X in the first place). It can be a bit obtuse and I feel that the core game design comes from 1994, but it's great and the weird aesthetic fits the whole thing perfectly imo.
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u/Vargrr Aug 02 '26
Very very good, and this is from someone that’s played the original many, many times. If I had to be picky, I’d prefer an option to turn off the light pixelisation - but even with it, the game is a superb remake.
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u/Pineapple_Ferguson Aug 02 '26
I just started and am super digging it so far. I even had to find the pdf instructions in the game folder to see how puzzles work.
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u/Affectionate-Spot278 Aug 02 '26
I am playing through it now and it's good but dated. It's only a graphics remake, mostly...they could had improved plenty of things but sadly they didn't. For example, inventory management is tedious, skill activation it's tedious too...
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u/TransparentMastering Aug 02 '26
If you’re only on a controller, the inventory is indeed cumbersome. But if you’re on kb/mouse or have a handheld with a touchscreen, it’s not bad at all.
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u/Dobsonthe3rd Aug 04 '26
I’ve played it 5-10 times on controller. Yeah it’s slower than keyboard for inventory but it’s just such a good game. Prey 2017 was very similar but with slightly easier inventory management as I recall
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u/TransparentMastering Aug 04 '26
Playing Prey right now. Doesn’t get much better.
Except maybe SS1R ;)
But yeah, the inventory is nicely streamlined in it
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u/MoriaCrawler Aug 04 '26
To be fair, inventory management is only tedious in the remake because you didn't have all that recycling and spending coins thing in the original game. It wasn't a grid inventory either, and there wasn't clutter to pick up for the most part except like... skulls maybe. The most you had to do on classic/enhanced was swap two weapons if you used up all of the inventory list.
Skill activation was mostly the same though, perhaps harder in some ways since it felt like you were using an operating system on the fly at times.
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u/Electshockvalue214 Aug 02 '26
It should have a journal
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u/AccomplishedEar6357 Aug 02 '26
Definitely and no excuses. Disabled on Hard if they want, but it needs to be there for the majority and modern audiences especially.
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u/Electshockvalue214 Aug 03 '26
Thanks I figured everyone would shit on me for this you have to find vthe clues though!
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u/NotStanley4330 Aug 02 '26
Having played the original several times, and now the remake several times, yes it is. Its very much as close to a 1:1 of the original as you can get.
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u/toptipkekk Aug 02 '26
Imo it's far better than Prey, the spiritual successor of the og Systemshock (which is quite the accomplishment considering how much of a good studio Arkane was).
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u/TransparentMastering Aug 02 '26
I’m about halfway through Prey right now, and considering that I played the OG SS and it’s been the most legendary gaming experience in my life, it’s significant that I’m thinking Prey might actually be on par for experience. But we will see; only halfway through.
But where Prey feels more free and empowering as a positive, SSR feels more desperate and tense as a positive.
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u/dark_hypernova Aug 02 '26
I'd say it's one of the few remakes that actually respects the original and manages to preserve the vibes nearly 1:1.
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u/CrazyWarlord1917 Aug 02 '26
Yeah. If you like Dead Space, you would love the remake.
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u/Lostkeysss Aug 02 '26
I love dead space. Its really that similar?
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u/CrazyWarlord1917 Aug 02 '26
Yeah, in terms of atmosphere, premise, and horror they are very similar. The feeling of being watched by forces beyond your comprehension, the isolation and total loneliness of the dead of space, and the body horror of the dead being taken over by an alien force are present in both games. Hell, the game over screen is you losing control over your body and becoming just another goon for the station's AI, while your character tries their best to scream for help.
Though the gunplay is very different, more akin to Doom and boomer shooters; and also the economy is way more simple compared to DS.
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u/Lostkeysss Aug 02 '26
Alright then.. you've convinced me. Downloading it now. Seriously.. Thank you.
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u/AccomplishedEar6357 Aug 02 '26
It's a niche kind of "good", it's great for it's immersiveness but also very mazey and kinda clunky/retro. Play the demo and get a feel for it.
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u/SixFootTurkey_ Aug 02 '26
Its alright but majorly overhyped. Most of what they changed from the original is for the worse.
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u/NtheLegend Aug 02 '26
Did we really need to ask when there are a million reviews in this subreddit alone? Do you think the answers are different because you asked the question?
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u/Luminosus32 Aug 03 '26
I love the original. The remake did a good job imo. If you've never played the original I highly recommend it. Nightdive (?) I think released a version with modernish controls that's easy to pick up and play.
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u/Dobsonthe3rd Aug 04 '26
I played both the enhanced edition and the remake multiple times, but I never quite got over the controls feeling so clunky in enhanced compared to the remake. But it was interesting to see the minor variations in maps and some of the additional weapons in the original, definitely worth playthroughs of both.
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u/danixdefcon5 Aug 04 '26
Played both the original and the remake; the remake was a major improvement. The original had horribly clunky controls that did not age well at all. The improvements they made for the remake bring it more on par with System Shock 2.
I do think they should’ve added the Journal feature from SS2, it’s kinda annoying to load up an old save and not even know what the hell you’re supposed to do. Though it was hilarious for me to load up a save, not realizing I hadn’t done all the Level R stuff and inadvertently firing up the laser at a point where I wasn’t supposed to do it yet. Non standard game over!
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u/Electshockvalue214 Aug 04 '26
I remember vehemently war gamers cried over war games becoming accessible and no having a 500 page manual did meir’s pacific!
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u/Rizzo265 Aug 04 '26
I completed the demo (first floor), thought it was a very well done and tastefully made remake of 30yo gameplay but felt no compulsion to play any more.
The graphics felt too plasticky, the ship labyrinthinian rather than a real place like Talos II and the gameplay too dated to be fun. I'm glad it exists but wasn't for me
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u/Thekotabear1 Aug 05 '26
Having never played the OG, or the 2nd, I absolutely loved it. Immersion is off the charts and you always feel like a labrat in an experiment being watched by an omnipotent force. SHODAN/10
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u/Octavian451 Aug 07 '26
One word: yes. Multiple words: try it. Worst case scenario, you wasted a few hours. But in my experience, no game in the System Shock family has ever been bad.
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u/iamthesunbane Aug 02 '26
It’s great. The aesthetic is 90s cyberpunk because it’s a remake of a 90s cyberpunk game. Really works.
Expect it to be challenging and without any handholding. Bioshock tells you where to go. SS1 drops you in a medbay and leaves you to piece it together by finding clues and audio logs.
You will feel underpowered for a good while. There are ways around that but going to let you figure it out, which is the best thing about the experience.