System Shock Review (Switch 2)

I absolutely adore the System Shock remake from Nightdive Studios. When it launched on the PS5 last year, this reimagining of Looking Glass' 1994 classic was just about all I could think about for weeks on end thanks to its immersive gameplay, oppressive atmosphere, and stunning visuals that blend pixel-art textures with advanced lighting technology.

I do not, however, adore System Shock on the Switch 2. In fact, the game’s performance on Nintendo’s console is so poor at launch, I’d recommend giving it a wide berth for the time being.

Let’s start with the positives. In terms of content, everything from the PC and console release is retained here on the Switch 2 port. This is a strictly single-player narrative experience with three difficulty options available across four separate categories: Combat, Mission, Cyber, and Puzzle – lots to tinker with to suit your tastes, then.

Your mission is to survive the horrors within Citadel Station and bring down the rogue AI, SHODAN. The station itself is separated into distinct floors, starting with Medical. You’ll need to explore each floor thoroughly, collecting audio logs, equipment, and weapons, while combating a plethora of cybernetic monstrosities. Although System Shock 2 is widely regarded as the spiritual predecessor to BioShock, you can still see the latter’s DNA in the original game, and Nightdive’s remake showcases it wonderfully. The audio logs, in particular, really help to provide key narrative context.

System Shock’s FPS gameplay is slow and methodical; you’ll inch your way around the station to get the drop on your enemies, while the in-game inventory will need frequent TLC to ensure you’re only carrying the essentials. Thankfully, any junk you do pick up on the way can be vaporised into scrap via the inventory screen. This can then be taken to designated locations in the station and swapped for cash.

You’re encouraged, then, to pick up as much stuff as you can and vaporise what you don’t actually need. This may prove tedious for some, but for me it was reminiscent of the attache case from Resident Evil 4, with larger items taking up more inventory slots. I enjoy the rhythmic maintenance required to keep it in tip-top shape.

Weapons procured along the way do a good job at fending off enemies, and there’s a healthy mix of melee and projectile at your disposal. Ammo is quite scarce, so you’ll often find that using the wrench or pipe is a good option for some of the weaker foes, while stronger enemies will require beefier weaponry. Like most modern Nightdive games, gyro aiming is included for fine-tuning, but you can also tinker with its sensitivity in the options menu if you want a greater range of motion.

At various points during your stay at Citadel Station, you’ll also hack into Cyberspace terminals to access locked doors throughout each floor. The Cyberspace is a digital maze in which you fly around in first-person and shoot down colourful enemies. It’s a pretty psychedelic experience; one that Jeff Minter would be proud of, and the visuals on display are truly spectacular.

What’s even better is that these areas don’t outstay their welcome; the bulk of your time will be spent exploring the station, so when the Cyberspace sections do occasionally show up, they add a welcome dose of variety. Meanwhile, other puzzles on each floor are perhaps a bit closer to BioShock in their presentation, requiring you to rewire circuits to direct the flow of electricity and unlock new passageways. These are fun, if a bit throwaway.

I’d love to end the review there and urge you to buy System Shock on Switch 2; fundamentally, it’s a great remake that remains faithful to the original while introducing a host of improvements for modern audiences. Unfortunately, the frame rate is absolutely all over the place and it ruins the experience.

Nightdive is gunning for 60fps here, but it almost never reaches its goal, and the unlocked frame rate results in some frequent, heavy drops while exploring. It makes basic aiming feel off all the time, and although gyro helps stabilise it somewhat, it’s still nowhere near as smooth as it should be.

It’s especially frustrating when you consider that System Shock would be the perfect showcase for mouse controls on the Switch 2. You can toggle this option for both normal exploration and the Cyberspace sections, and in theory it works really well. There’s very minimal input lag which, compared to the disastrous Skyrim port recently, is very welcome, while opening up the inventory screen immediately brings up an on-screen cursor to make management much easier.

Again, however, even with the mouse controls, the frame rate suffers from frequent hitches that make it near-impossible to aim accurately. You’ll pan the camera around to get an enemy in your sights, but when the game tries to manage all the background visual information, it instantly judders, causing you to completely overshoot your mark. It’s extremely frustrating.

Curiously, the Cyberspace sections run perfectly – a solid 60fps with no noticeable drops. This is great, but as I mentioned earlier, these jaunts are few and far between, so the vast majority of System Shock is, sadly, plagued by poor performance. To be doubly sure that it wasn't something iffy with my Switch 2, I transferred the game from the SD Express Card to the onboard memory – sadly, the issues remained unchanged, and a pre-release patch seemingly did nothing to smooth things out.

Coming from Nightdive, a team that prides itself on delivering slick gameplay experiences, this is a disappointing port, to say the least.