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A Kickstarter project for the upcoming System Shock remake has launched, with developer Nightdive Studios looking for $900,000 to complete the game for PC and Xbox One.
The game is billed as a “complete remake of the genre defining classic from 1994, rebuilt from the ground up with the Unity Engine”.
In System Shock players were trapped aboard Citadel Station as they fought to survive against the cyborgs and mutated crew members corrupted by a maniacal A.I. known as SHODAN. The game’s story driven narrative was revealed through audio logs and messages scattered throughout the game world.
The development team has big hopes for the remake, delivering a game millions loved to modern audiences.
“It’s not Citadel Station as it was, but as you remember it,” states the Kickstarter. “Many improvements, overhauls and changes are being implemented to capture the spirit of what the original game was trying to convey, and bring it to contemporary gamers.”
The improvements include:
- Re-imagined enemies, weapons, and locations by original concept artist Robb Waters.
- Terri Brosius reprises her role as SHODAN, and new VO will be recorded.
- Brand new musical score composed by Jonathan Peros.
- The user interface, game mechanics, enemies, and puzzles will be updated to reflect modern aesthetics and sensibilities, while maintaining the feel of the original.
In addition a host of modern rendering techniques and visual effects will be used, maintaining much of the original look “while accentuating it beautifully by an array of modern rendering features such as Physically Based Rendering (PBR), screen-space reflections, real-time global illumination, ambient occlusion (HBAO), volumetric particles, and dynamic lighting”.
You can check out the current look of the game in the pre-alpha trailer below.
Industry veteran Chris Avellone – best-known for Fallout: New Vegas, Wasteland 2, KOTOR2 and many more – is also on board to help “shape and direct the existing narrative of System Shock”.
While many Kickstarter projects ask for support based on the pitch, Nightdive Studios has released a pre-alpha demo which it hopes will convince players to pledge their support – $30 or more secures a digital copy of the game.
“This demo represents the look and feel that we want to achieve with the final version we’ll deliver to you, our backers. Please be aware, this is a proof of concept; the PERFORMANCE, FEATURES, and VISUALS are subject to change. We hope you enjoy your time aboard Citadel Station! SHODAN eagerly awaits your arrival,” states the Kickstarter.
If all goes well – and funding is already beyond $345K – System Shock will launch in December 2017.
Source: Kickstarter
