Being rebuilt from the ground up with redesigned levels, puzzles, and weapons Nightdive Studios' System Shock is more reboot than remaster. The Kickstarter campaign for the project has finally gone live, and already looks to be on track for success. And for those who want a taste of what's to come they're also offering up a free pre-alpha demo you can grab right now on Steam.

The demo, which is pretty short, is more proof of concept than anything else. It features a small section of The Citadel space station, a handful of weapons, a few enemies, and some simple navigational puzzles. Visually it certainly captures the look of the classic sci-fi game, and features some great lighting and atmospheric effects.

System Shock was one of the first 3D games that took a methodical approach to exploration while revealing a story driven narrative through audio logs and messages scattered throughout the game world. It was a revolutionary step forward for the medium in a time when developers first began experimenting with interactive story telling.

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, one of the most treacherous antagonists ever conceived. System Shock offered an unparalleled experience that would solidify it as one of the greatest games of all time.

The legacy of System Shock is worthy of this type of remake so we're happy that it looks on track to reach its $900,000 target. As Nightdive Studios has mostly been in the business of getting old games to work on modern hardware with minor visual improvements, a practice that it has become somewhat synonymous with, this marks the first large scale development project for the studio. And with a number of veteran developers, musicians, and artists already on board, they're not pulling any punches.



The demo is also available on GOG.com and the Humble Store