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The System Shock Remake has finally been released on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, making it more available to a wider (and likely younger) audience. For anyone who was born because their parents vibed with the rizz and are too Gucci for boomer games, System Shock might sound like an offshoot of Bioshock. Shockingly, it is anything but. Allow me to explain how System Shock is related to Bioshock.
System Shock Inspired Bioshock
Ultimately, there’s no direct relation between Bioshock and System Shock‘s game worlds. However, it’s safe to say that Bioshock owes much of its design to System Shock.
Bioshock was first introduced to the world back in 2007. It’s the spiritual successor to System Shock which was originally released back in 1994.
There are key stylistic differences between the two game franchises, however. System Shock is primarily set in a cyberpunk future. Your character wakes up in a dystopian and dysfunctional space station that was overtaken by a rogue and psychotic A.I. named Shodan. You must then fight your way tooth and nail to escape your predicament.
Bioshock is set in an alternate Art Deco 1960s. A visionary named Andrew Ryan (a wordplay on Ayn Rand) built his own underwater society. As expected, the experimental city quickly crumbled into a den of anarchy. You then find yourself in this rogue environment and must fight through the chaos.
Both games treat the players like mice navigating a deadly, thematically dystopian maze. Bioshock was also created by most developers who also worked on System Shock 2. Thus, the similarities are unavoidable, whether in the game’s name or ideas.
Timeline of System Shock and Bioshock
To explain the related and overlapping history of both game franchises, here’s a timeline to help summarize things for you.
| 1994 | Bioshock Infinite was released, also created by Irrational Games. It was also hailed as one of the masterpieces of its decade. |
| 1999 | Another development studio, Irrational Games, took up the mantle and released System Shock 2. They improved upon on the original System Shock‘s design and added more robust gameplay elements. |
| 2000 | Irrational Games went on to create their own projects like the original Deus Ex which also borrowed a lot of gameplay principles from System Shock. |
| 2007 | Bioshock from Irrational Games, was released. It showcased even more of System Shock‘s DNA, and thanks to its strong narrative ideas and gameplay design, it became an instant masterpiece. |
| 2013 | Bioshock Infinite was released, also created by Irrational Games. It was also hailed as a one of the masterpieces of its decade. |
| 2023–2024 | The System Shock Remake, or simply System Shock was released initially on PC and then on consoles the following year. |
So, while System Shock might not have been the Bioshock offshoot or sequel you were hoping for, it’s still worth seeing and playing if only to check Bioshock‘s roots.
That’s easier than ever now, thanks to the console release and System Shock Remake’s more contemporary and less clunky gameplay.
