All System Shock Remake Difficulty Levels

Fans have had to wait almost 30 years for the System Shock Remake, but it has finally arrived on our screens. The sci-fi horror action-adventure game sees you exploring a space station that has gone rogue, thanks to the AI (named SHODAN) having completely lost the plot. As it controls the station, everything on it is out to get you. But how hard the new version of the game is can be changed by altering all of the System Shock Remake difficulty levels before you play.  

What are the difficulty levels in System Shock Remake?

There are several different strings to the System Shock Remake’s gameplay bow, and luckily you can set the difficulty level of each to suit your personal gaming strengths and weaknesses. There are four New Game levels for each of the Combat, Mission, Cyber, and Puzzle settings. You can choose between three numbered settings (with Two being normal difficulty).  

Related: System Shock Remake Platforms and System Requirements

For example, putting the Combat setting on One (Easy) will mean that all mob settings are reduced, so you’ll face fewer, weaker, and less aggressive (aggro-range) enemies. Or if you chose to ramp up the Puzzle difficulty to Three (Hard), you’ll have more challenging puzzles to solve as you work through the levels.

Changing the Cyber setting either removes the need to worry about SHODAN’s programs in cyberspace (Easy) or makes it so that dying in Cyberspace also kills your character (on Hard). Finally, the Mission category is really about gameplay time and quest help. On Easy you can relax and go at your own pace, while quest items are made pretty obvious. On Hard, you’ll only have five hours to complete the game and will face permadeath on any level on which you haven’t activated the Restoration Bay.

Whatever settings you choose, don’t expect an easy ride on any of the levels, as the game always feels as if it is a challenge. You should also note that, once you start a new game, you can no longer change any difficulty settings until you start a new game. For a first playthrough, unless you’re totally awesome or rubbish in one area, I’d suggest sticking to normal across the board to see how it feels, then you can tinker before your second run.

For more on the System Shock Remake, check out How to solve the Medical and Research Panel Puzzle in System Shock here at Pro Game Guides.