The original System Shock had its fair share of puzzles, and Nightdive Studios’ remake follows suit. As the hacker who unleashed SHODAN, it’s only fair that you have to put your skills to use saving Citadel Station. If you want to know how to solve junction box puzzles in the System Shock remake, we’ve got the answer.
How to Tackle the Two Types of Junction Box Puzzles
There are two types of junction box puzzles you’ll come across in the System Shock remake. How tough they are depends on the puzzle difficulty level you’re playing at, but it can also be tough to get your head around the second type generally.
‘Pipe Mania’ Puzzles
I recognize that not everyone will know what Pipe Mania is, but these puzzles have you directing a singular flow of power, similar to the hacking minigame in BioShock. The good news is that while it has a lot in common with the earlier game you’re not up against the clock.
There are two squares on each circuit board, and your job is to connect them by rotating the straight and curved pieces. The thing to be aware of is that even though those squares (let’s call them input and output) might be close to each other, you might have to weave your way around the whole board to join them. 
Once you’ve got the hang of the puzzle design, you should find these easy-ish to solve. They can just be a little time-consuming.
Wire Puzzles
These puzzles, the second type you encounter on the Medical Level, require you to supply enough power that the power level on the right is between the two lines. Any power (the glowing lines) that reaches the right hand side of the board raises the level.
Unfortunately, you can’t just rearrange the circuit pieces as you could in the previous puzzle type. Instead, there are three things you can do:
- Redirect the power flow using the red buttons
- Redirect the power flow using switches
- Plug the wires into different sockets (there are single and double plugs)
I get the feeling you’re supposed to sagely look over the puzzle and, maybe with the aid of pen and paper, work out a solution. What I did was to experiment until I was within the general ballpark of the correct total, then start looking at making it higher or lower.
So, if you’re two bars too high, look at diverting power so that it doesn’t reach the right hand side or vice versa.
And on the subject of how to solve the System Shock remake’s junction box puzzles, that’s all you need to know. If you’re looking for more tips to help you make it through the challenges of Citadel Station, make sure to look over our full suite of guides.
