Set to be the inaugural title from developer Ghost Story Games, the project is being headed by Ken Levine, a principal figure behind the System Shock and BioShock games. Of course, BioShock fans who aren’t all that interested in the System Shock series also have Judas to look forward to. Plus, the game boasts a distinctive pixelated, quasi-low-res style that serves to blur the line between the mid-1990s and the modern day. It’s also apparent that the remake won’t be shying away from the RPG elements of the 1994 classic, something from which the BioShock franchise moved away. It also helps to establish the rogue AI SHODAN, setting the stage for some seriously sinister sci-fi scenarios.Īs was the case with previous demos for the new iteration of System Shock, combat and inventory management come across as a bit clunky, though that’s certainly an intentional preservation of the original game’s design philosophies. The most obvious new addition is an entirely original opening sequence which takes place on Earth and fleshes out the background of the game’s protagonist.

The new System Shock demo released as part of the Steam Next Fest celebration rehashes a lot of the same content seen in previous demos, but a few crucial changes have been made that for keen fans to pick up on.

RELATED: Far Cry 5 Writer Confirmed For BioShock 4 Rumors concerning a fourth BioShock installment have been circulating for some time, and, though some believe the title could be properly revealed within the year, fans of the series shouldn’t overlook the upcoming return of System Shock. While System Shock and its 1999 sequel earned praise on their own, their prestige grew in later years thanks to their statuses as spiritual predecessors to the more widely-known BioShock franchise.

A much-needed modernization of the decades-old DoS game, Nightdive Studio’s new version of System Shock breathes fresh life into the long-stagnant IP while simultaneously staying faithful to its aesthetic and hardcore RPG elements.

First announced back in 2015, Nightdive Studio’s remake of the 1994 sci-fi horror classic System Shock is set to debut in March, and the developers recently released a revamped demo as part of Steam’s Next Fest.

System shock demo impressions