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We’ve talked about System Shock 2. We’ve reviewed the System Shock remake. And yet, we’ve never got to talking about the one that started it all back in 1994. Oddly, that seems fitting for a title that despite its acclaim that has only grown over the years, it was overshadowed upon its release by the likes of Doom. And yet, System Shock was nothing like Doom, despite being lumped into the crowd of “Doom clones” at the time. In fact, many of the mechanics that were introduced in System Shock (that weren’t in Doom) ended up becoming the standard for what we expect from our first-person shooters. Once all of the shooting was over, of course.
The year is 2072. You are an unnamed hacker who’s just been caught trying to get in the backdoor of TriOptimum Corporation’s network. As a result, you are brought aboard TriOptimum’s Citadel space station. However, instead of being prosecuted, TriOptimum executive Edward Diego offers you a deal: reprogram Citadel’s AI system known as SHODAN (Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network) to remove the ethical constraints for “reasons”, and you’ll be rewarded with not only your freedom, but also a new military-grade neural implant. You agree to the deal, and after holding up your part of the bargain, you are fitted with the implant and put into a healing coma aboard the station for six months. However, when you awaken, you find that Citadel has been taken over by SHODAN, with the crew having been either killed, mutated, or transformed into cyborgs.
The origins (no pun intended) of System Shock began with Origin’s Ultima series. Specifically, Ultima Underworld in 1992, which was developed by Blue Sky Productions (which eventually became LookingGlass Technologies, then Looking Glass Studios). Ultima Underworld sported a fully 3D environment where players were able to look and move in any direction, doing away with tile-based movement that was common for RPGs at the time. After working on the sequel to Ultima Underworld, Blue Sky Productions wanted to try their hand at a more futuristic setting for their next project. After discussions with Origin’s Warren Spector, work began on what was initially intended as a spin-off of the Wing Commander series called “Alien Commander,” though this was eventually dropped in favour of creating an entirely new IP. What resulted was System Shock.
Unlike other games that employed 3D at the time (inluding Ultima Underworld), the view in System Shock was not confined to a small window with the interface surrounding it. You were fully immersed in the world. You could walk, run, jump, look up or down, duck or go prone., climb walls, and even lean to peek around corners, with the HUD showing your current body position to indicate what you were doing, as well as your inventory. While it’s admittedly a bit cumbersome then as it is now, not to mention that you didn’t move as quick as you’d like, this was the first time in a first-person shooter that anything like this was possible. In fact, thanks to Seamus Blackley‘s physics system, there were little touches in your character’s movement that enhanced the immersion, such as your character’s head tilting slightly forward as you ran, and “recoiling” when you stopped.
Immersion aside, System Shock took a leap graphically beyond what came before it. While it utilized a combination of a 3D environment and 2D sprites like Doom, System Shock featured slopes in the environment, as well as light-emitting objects. You also had segments where, in keeping with the game’s cyberpunk theme, you could enter cyberspace and explore inside a computer in full 3D. Granted, it was presented with wireframe graphics and simplistic polygonal shapes to represent things like data elements and enemies, but this was still amazing to see, and a full year before Descent gave fans a game that was entirely 3D and texture mapped.
But who cares about achievements in graphics? We want horror! You certainly got that right from the start. Not long after you awaken, you find your first email from one of the crew aboard the Citadel. While you could choose to read the text (though if you bought the floppy disc version, that was your only option), the voice recording adds just another layer of terror and tension to what’s transpired. This whole notion of using emails and logs to relay information to the player emphasizes the isolation, as well as having your mind “fill in the blanks” to what sort of horrors the crew had experienced. Obviously, Looking Glass and later Irrational Games would continue to use the concept in System Shock 2, as well as the spiritual successor series, BioShock.
Things only get more disturbing from there, as exiting your room puts you in combat with a Serv-Bot. If you fail to destroy it, you end up dead. Don’t worry, you won’t be dead for long, as SHODAN has use for you. As detailed by the subsequent cutscene, your body is dragged into one of the healing chambers and turned into a cyborg. The text puts it best: “They find your body and give it new life. As a cyborg you will serve SHODAN well.” Fortunately, you can later on find a switch to change these back to their original purpose. Once you do, these chambers function as a “checkpoint” on that particular level should you die.
Despite the obvious that you can save at any time (this is a PC game, after all), the whole concept instils a sense of dread and desperation as you try to find the switch for a particular level and activate it in order to save yourself from a fate worse than death. Not to mention that throughout the game, you’ll be constantly listening for doors opening and closing, as well as the various sounds enemies make as they wander the halls. Unlike in Doom, this essentially forces you to take a more cautious approach, as you can quickly find yourself being shot from behind or the side if you blindly wander into the open.
Adding to the tension was the appropriately cyberpunk score by Greg LoPiccolo and Tim Ries, which actually changed dynamically according to the player’s actions. According to LoPiccolo, each track was written at three different intensity levels, which for example changed when players were close to enemies, or there was a specific event triggered by the player. Admittedly, the score isn’t as menacing as one would expect, but there’s still come creepiness to be found once you hear the Maintenance level music.
In a way, you’re not truly isolated in System Shock. Citadel station is filled with screens, which will often display SHODAN’s “face”. You’ll also receive notifications from SHODAN herself (voiced by Terri Brosius), taunting and threatening the player. SHODAN appears to be seemingly omnipresent, emphasizing her “godhood” and casting you as the “insect” that she sees running around her corridors. This omnipresence is explained by Citadel’s numerous security cameras, which SHODAN will use to block your way. The obvious solution is for you to not only destroy the cameras on a level, but also engaging in System Shock‘s hacking mechanics (again, something that we’d see later on in subsequent games), once again emphasizing the game’s cyberpunk theme.
Of course, System Shock allows you to take the fight to SHODAN and her minions with a variety of weapons. Starting out with your trusty lead pipe, you’ll soon be able to upgrade to more lethal and effective armaments, including several pistols and rifles (some with multiple ammo types), as well as thrown explosives and energy weapons. And since you’re already making use of an implant, you can also find other cybernetic implants scattered around the station that will upgrade you and grant you new abilities. However, as one might expect, ammo isn’t exactly plentiful for guns, and your energy weapons and cybernetics require energy in order to use. Coupled with the fact that you’ll need to take a more measured approach to exploring (lest you get overwhelmed by enemies), one could see System Shock as having Survival Horror elements. And with the System Shock‘s adjustable difficulty settings, you can certainly get that sense.
Innovations aside, System Shock is not without its faults. The game’s difficulty can be a bit much for some players, particularly if you’re going into the game thinking in that “Doom clone” mindset. As mentioned earlier, the idea of the game is to not go in guns blazing, but to take a more cautious approach and explore, picking up the necessary emails and logs to get your clues for what to do next. Bottom line, running around will get you killed. And to go along with the need to pick up and read the logs and emails, you will have to do some backtracking for certain quests, which is exacerbated by encountering respawning enemies. And again, the innovative interface was admittedly clunky, but today is downright nightmarish. Thankfully, System Shock 2 had the sense to have it cleaned up.
Despite it being dwarfed by the Doom phenomenon that resulted in its low sales figures (even though, once again, it was nothing like Doom), System Shock was and still is a pivotal moment in the FPS genre. Many of the game’s mechanics have become standards in the genre, and its unique way of revealing story to the players goes hand-in-hand with the horror it conveys. Obviously, if it wasn’t for System Shock, we wouldn’t have its spiritual successor in the BioShock series, which achieved the commercial acclaim that eluded Looking Glass’ masterpiece. And, thanks to Nightdive and the remake, modern audiences can enjoy the cyberpunk horror that old-school fans fell in love with decades ago. Of course, if you’re willing to deal with its minor inconveniences, the original is still the go-to if you want to experience SHODAN.
