The Innovative Design Of ‘System Shock’
LookingGlass Technologies/Origin SystemsPlayers must fight against enemy mutants in System Shock.
System Shock was released in 1994 by Origin Systems. The game is set in a futuristic space station called Citadel Station in the year 2072.
Players take on the role of a hacker tasked with infiltrating and destroying the plans of an evil artificial intelligence called SHODAN, which controls the station. The human crew once in charge of the station have been defeated and mutated by SHODAN, making them hostile toward the main character.
The hacker must navigate the space station and collect communication logs that reveal how to defeat SHODAN once and for all.
Although the game was not a commercial success, it earned praise for its three-dimensional gameplay and complex movements. Critics commended the game’s immersive environment and complex story. It also set the stage for its sequel, System Shock 2, which is considered one of the best PC games in history.
“To say System Shock was epoch-making may be a bit of an overstatement,” a 2018 review on GameTripper reads. However, it was definitely a major milestone in gaming history… It was dark, it was atmospheric, and it was brilliant.”
