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.
“Elevated Horror.” Of all the combinations in the English language, that one is the most insufferable.
It represents almost a decade of scary movies that, for the most part, took themselves too seriously. Horror responds to the moment, so its “why so serious” lean makes sense as we scuttle through the “worst of times” equation of Charles Dickens’ famous opening lines. But there’s still an opening and a need for a lighter approach; one that not only has fun with its audience but takes the piss out of a genre that is seemingly letting its newfound “respectability” go to its head.
Wes Craven believed devotees see horror films to let out their fears one primal scream at a time. At their core, these movies are roller coasters; they bring us as close to the edge as possible before pulling us back into a safety net of reality. The need for a bigger and badder coaster increases during times when the size of that net decreases.
There’s a thrill that comes from imagining being in a foot race with a madman, or outthinking the hordes of zombies on the other side of the door, plus the scavenger humans coming behind them. There’s even a rush that comes from imagining how one might deal with possession to see good triumph over evil in the end. It’s all about building tension and releasing it through catharsis. That cathartic release usually sounds like screams followed by laughter, which signals relief. Genre heavy hitters over the past 10 years offered very little of that respite when the credits rolled. Films like Hereditary, The Witch, Talk to Me, and even Smile (pick one) keep that tension going after the screen fades to black.
Hereditary
As the genre became obsessed with creating trauma metaphors, that lack of release made sense. Anyone with even a small sample size of traumatic experiences knows those emotions don’t magically resolve themselves in an allotted run time. But how much trauma can one take? Especially when there’s a mess going on outside that few of us can escape from. Movies offer that off-ramp, no matter how short.
Everything can’t be, nor should it be, “elevated.” Audiences need thoughtful explorations of life’s ills via monsters as much as they need murdering masked maniacs with kitchen knives. And no, it doesn’t have to go any deeper than that. Sometimes, a knife is just a knife, and it’s still worth our time and respect. As weird as it sounds, that simplicity is comforting not in spite of the trauma but because of it.
The worst of times should manifest more than just anguish. People need to laugh just as much as they need to think seriously about this moment in time. Even the Scream franchise forgot the meta rock upon which it built its church when the latest foray sacrificed the subtle comedy for serious drama. Scary Movie returned at the perfect moment. It provides the necessary laughs, but it’s not a cure-all.
This isn’t a call for Scary Movie imitators but a return to a mainstream landscape where Killer Klowns from Outer Space sat with The Serpent and the Rainbow, nestled neatly with the latest Nightmare on Elm Street, which took nothing away from The Vanishing.
They Live
Even They Live, John Carpenter’s horror sci-fi satire sandwich, kept its tongue firmly in cheek while discussing serious ideas still relevant in 2026. Yes, a film about aliens taking over the world through subliminal messaging only visible through coded sunglasses is, in fact, a tad silly. Carpenter understood that mainstream horror can’t become so self-important that it never looks itself in the mirror and laughs at that inherent silliness.
The thing is, horror historically excels at poking fun at itself. Most of the Scream franchise, The Cabin in the Woods, or The Blackening show adoration without kowtowing. They recognize tropes and trappings but invert them for an audience already in on the joke, but one that also finds solace in said conventions. This keeps the genre on its toes; once something gets parodied, it’s usually time to evolve. That breeds new ideas and fresh filmmakers, which not only strengthen the genre’s collective voice but also amplify it.
Get Out, as “elevated” as some critics want us to believe it is, is a cathartic, populist scary movie that spoke to an untapped audience rather than speaking down to them. Backrooms is one of the biggest horror hits in years, partially because it’s fine-tuned for modern-day teenagers instead of their parents. Movies like these tell everyone the genre is open for business; open for innovation and, yeah, open for new ways in which people can lovingly poke fun at with a wink and a nudge.
Horror needs dread as much as it needs laughter.
Catharsis is just as important as tension, and pulpy populism has the same merit as more high-brow material. Respectability shouldn’t come at the expense of an experience akin to walking through a haunted house. At a time when joy seems in short supply, horror should look to its past to map out its future, and make things just a tad brighter for audiences.
Backrooms
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