System Shock (1994)

System Shock for PC is an extremely complex action-adventure game that allows us to assume the role of a hacker subjected to forced hospitalization associated with embedding a special implant into his nervous system. When our protagonist wakes up from a post-surgery coma after six months, it appears that the Citadel station, where he had to spend the last half of the year, was taken over by an intelligent computer called Shodan. Stumbling on the bodies of murdered scientists, the player declares war on the electronic enemy, intending to get rid of it once and for all.

At the time of its release System Shock was marketed as competition for Doom, but it wasn’t the best comparison. True, in both games we observe the world from a first person perspective and annihilate enemies with an impressive arsenal, but the similarities end there. System Shock contains a lot of elements characteristic for adventure games. Solving puzzles and finding codes that allow us to unlock the next sections of the station is just as important as effective combat. Before starting the game, the player can change the level of difficulty of both elements, making System Shock a more action- or adventure-oriented production.

As compared to Doom, the player was given an impressive variety of moves. We can easily look up and down, squat, lean out, and do other things that the classic shooter from id Software lacked. A crucial element of the game is also the option to enter the network through terminals that we sometimes encounter. Moving around in virtual reality is equally important for the development of events as running through the corridors of the Citadel.

The graphic design is at a high level, although we are dealing with a pseudo-three-dimensional environment, with objects made with the use of sprites. The version of the game published later by Origin allows us to run System Shock in high resolution mode, thanks to which all visual elements gained better quality.

Last updated on November 18, 2015