The legacy of System Shock 2 is so impactful, that even a later game like Void Bastards is marketed front and center with the tag line “from the development director of System Shock 2 and Bioshock”. “ System Shock 2-likes” feel as if they have at least one big hand print of System Shock 2, like a Urah-kai’s mark of Saruman, over the design document. As if metroidvanias like Hollow Knight, Dust: An Elysian Tail, and Quacamelee! would have to invite Castlevania’s real life Dracula, creative director Koji Igarashi, to consult on each game as a show of authenticity. Additionally, these game require an almost constant reliance on utilizing some of the original System Shock 2 staff. What sets apart, and realistically limits the amount of games given the moniker “ System Shock 2-like” compared to the relatively swamped subgenre of metroidvanias is, a necessary bigger budget. Dracula’s castle from Castlevania: Symphonia of the Night was metroidvania’s mother (father…adopted gay mom?), and System Shock 2’s spooky mega-corporation owned space ship, the Von Braun, create an iconic setting within a subgenre it unintentionally created. It further combines survival-based combat with a focus on RPG style skill trees and paths created its own distinct subgenre of video game, often labeled “ System Shock 2 like”. This late 90’s PC game, is a mix of low-key cyberpunk and the alright movie Event Horizon. System Shock 2 is one of my favorite games.
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