There were no waypoints, no minimap to follow. That game was linear as pants, but you know what, it didn't feel all that linear. But they were also simple enough that I very rarely got lost, and if I wandered off the beaten path I usually was rewarded with a secret, or I could easily find my way back. I could totally imagine real people living in those environments, doing everyday things like walking to the breakroom for a cup of coffee, or forgetting their computer password so they have to write it on a sticky note and hide it in their desk. It was complex, there were always multiple ways to get through a level, but it also felt like a real space. I haven't played System Shock, but is all that complexity necessary?Ĭompare it to the Deus Ex reboot, which I think was a perfect blend between the two. I don't think 'complex' is necessarily better than 'linear.' What matters most is how the player feels. It can't be said enough just how much more impressive the Clockwork Mansion is when compared to anything that SS2 (or pretty much any game for that matter) can muster SS2 was amazing for its' time and it still deserves a bunch of credit for making its' setting feel like a real place, but it hasn't aged well, especially since those late-90's design sensibilities emphasized time wasting and backtracking as something good. It is easy to get turned around or get lost, a lot of places serve no real purpose apart from padding out the play area (and maybe giving you a consumable or two) and everything important is just a little too far apart, creating a bunch of pointless backtracking and a lot of time wasted just running back and forth. On top of that is the problem that SS2's level design is sprawling and multi-path, but not necessarily good. Not to mention that most other maps for Dishonored 2 are absolute marvels in open ended, multi-path design. Aramis Stilton's Mansion is, at the very least, on par with System Shock 2.

The Clockwork Mansion from Dishonored 2 makes System Shock 2 seem like a beginners course in map design.

System shock 2 end nah