The System Shock remake, which first launched on PC back in March last year, is officially coming to consoles in May.
Announced in a recent post to the official System Shock Twitter / X account, the remake is set to launch on May 21 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. An updated reimaging of the original System Shock from 1994, the game is a Sci-Fi action-adventure first-person shooter (FPS) title with a big focus on exploration and experimentation.
The action takes place on Citadel station, a dilapidated space station that has been taken over by SHODAN - an evil AI. With almost all of the station’s inhabitants transformed into hideous cyborgs, it's your job to fight your way through its many levels in order to shut SHODAN down. If this setup sounds a little familiar, it’s likely because System Shock was a huge inspiration for the Bioshock series - which expanded upon many of its mechanics and core themes.
Although the 1994 release managed to maintain a sizable cult following, the System Shock remake rebuilt the game from the ground up with modern visuals, all-new sound effects, and a much more approachable design. It was released to critical acclaim, including a fair amount of praise from us here at TechRadar Gaming.
In our System Shock remake review, we awarded the game four out of five stars and highlighted its brilliant overall aesthetic and thrilling combat. We also drew particular attention to SHODAN, describing the rogue AI as “one hell of a villain” elevated by a superb performance from the returning voice actor Terri Brosius.
Despite all of the efforts at modernization, we still found the movement and checkpointing systems a little clunky. Confirmed by developer Nightdive Studios in a follow up Twitter / X post, the console control scheme has been “extensively tested” - so we’re optimistic that this upcoming release could address one of these major criticisms.
For some great console games to play, check out our guides to the best PS5 games and the best Xbox Series X games.
