This new System Shock footage shows that its chill out there in space

Crank your gamma up. There’s some new System Shock footage here for you to squint at. The remake of the 1994 classic has taken some twists and turns in its development, even rebooting itself, but it’s now at a place where they’re happy to take you through the Research level of Citadel station. The seven minutes of footage below shows off sneaking, shooting, and some hacking. You need to turn your lights down to see it, though.

It’s quite a vibe. I’m so used to modern FPSes spamming perks, and spaceships feeling like haunted houses, that this stands out. If it wasn’t for the lumbering beasts attacking you, it could be an art exhibition sponsored by an LED light company. The relaxing sound track adds to the ASMRy feeling. There are tingles that aren’t always of terror.

It’s a little bit dark, but I guess that’s space for you. The blue and red lighting shapes the darkness rather than illuminates it, which lets a few of the smaller enemies vanish into the shadows. It’s all a little undefined. I slightly worry that I won’t know what’s an over-designed bit of wall and what’s a door when I’m hunting for a place to hide, but a glance at the map will probably see me straight.

There are bits where it all comes together. The diegetic hacking looks especially pleasing to play around with as you swap wires in the panels. And all the guns we see are chunky, which I appreciate. I even like the healing animation. It’s getting there in terms of interaction. You might even say it’s immersive.

The current release date is ‘Summer 2021’. Time’s ticking along, so we’ll see if that happens. But you can still play the demo on Steam, GOG and Epic.