Editorials
Terror In Space: Revisiting The Sci-Fi Horror of ‘System Shock 2’ On Its 20th Anniversary
The System Shock games remain some of the most intriguing works of science fiction horror to this day. With today marking the 20th anniversary of the critically successful System Shock 2, let us embark down a nostalgic road of chilling sci-fi delight.
The game takes place aboard a spaceship in the year 2114; you take on the role of a soldier with amnesia who awakens in a cryo-tube. The ship is infested with mutated beings, controlled by an alien hive mind called “The Many.” Upon awakening, you are contacted by Dr. Janice Polito, who guides you through the ship and instructs you to find her. From there, it is up to you to survive and put an end to all the threats that await you.
Co-developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios, as well as designed by game auteur Ken Levine, System Shock 2 is an iconic landmark in the first-person shooter and survival horror genres. Along with its terrific atmosphere, the game incorporated role-playing depth into its FPS gameplay, while providing an intriguing narrative.
As a whole, the ship embraces a cold and haunting atmosphere. Through audio logs and ghostly apparitions that appear at times, one is able to learn more about the game’s backstory. The environment exudes a grim appeal that is similar to films like Alien. Levin and the developers really hit the nail on the head with this environmental storytelling, providing a setting that establishes emotion, while also feeding the player bits of narrative context. Players can also hack machines and research enemies, providing further depth into System Shock 2’s world and gameplay.
The RPG elements come in the form of what military branch the player chooses at the start of the game, as well as how they develop their avatar overtime. Each of the branches offers a particular specialization; for example, the “Marine” branch has stronger expertise in weaponry compared to that of the “Navy” branch. “Cyber-modules,” which can be collected through completing missions, can be spent at “cyber-upgrade units” to build upon your character’s stats. Along with guns and melee combat, there are also that of psionic powers (such as invisibility and the ability to shoot fireballs).
Narratively, System Shock 2 involves SHODAN, an evil A.I. and the antagonist of the first System Shock; however, another aspect that makes System Shock 2 so fondly remembered is how SHODAN is utilized in the game. Spoilers ahead. At the end of System Shock, the player destroys SHODAN. Later on in System Shock 2, the player comes to find out that not only is Dr. Janice Polito dead, but the voice of the doctor that has been speaking to them has actually been SHODAN. She decided to mask herself as the doctor in an effort to gain the soldier’s trust. She shares that she is responsible for the Many aboard the ship and wants to guide the player towards defeating them (since they are beyond her control now). Towards the end she reveals her desire to merge cyberspace and real space, and it is up to the player to defeat her.
What is fascinating about SHODAN within the narrative is how she manipulates the player. With the introduction of the doctor, it is normal to assume that she is there to assist the player and navigate them through objectives. Because of such gaming conventions, it comes as a surprise when SHODAN is revealed and the player has been doing her bidding. This narrative component of the game not only makes the story all the more interesting, but also creates a fascinating meta aspect. Funny enough, this meta element is something that Irrational and Levine would explore further in System Shock 2’s spiritual successor: Bioshock.
Not only did System Shock 2 release to a wave of critical praise, but it received several “Game of the Year” awards. To this day System Shock 2 is remembered as a heavily influential title in gaming history; from its unique take on storytelling, to its innovative merge of RPG, shooter, and adventure elements, System Shock 2 has gone on to impact numerous video games.
For years fans have been wanting a sequel to System Shock 2. At the time of this writing, a remake of the first System Shock is in production (you can pledge funds towards the production and learn more via this link), and a fully-fledged sequel was first announced a few years back, with behind the scenes troubles meaning we only got a first look at it earlier this year.
System Shock 2 is one of gaming’s most powerful works of nostalgia; while it may not graphically hold up to modern titles, its story, gameplay, and environment, still make for a fun and intriguing experience. System Shock 2 remains an important title in the world of science fiction horror, while also being responsible for new shifts in video game design and development.
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
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