Shadowrun Returns: when man meets magic meets machine and when dwarf just takes it and augments his own body for divine purposes.
Small Warning: This blog may contain a few minor spoilers, although I do avoid the storyline as much as possible.
I have recently delighted myself in this little gem that was only €17 when I pre-ordered it. The reason of my pre-order was mostly one of pure fangasm, I used to play a little RPG called Shadowrun for the SNES back in 1993. Shadowrun was based upon the PnP roleplaying game of the same name and was set on planet Earth in a cyberpunk future. Magic is reintroduced to the world, and it is inhabited by different races, humans, dwarves, elves, orks and trolls. the mainrole of the character in each game so far is to take on the role of a Shadowrunner, a mercenary that does dirty jobs in the shadows of the big cities in the year 2054. In Shadowrun Returns you take the role of a Shadowrunner that is desperate for some more Nuyen (cash in the world of Shadowrun), he gets a message from a dead friend of him which is was triggered by the Dead Man's Switch. He asks you to find his killer and you take this job and will end up running into one surprise after another.
This is the basic gist, I have not returned to Shadowrun for ages. Shadowrun Returns is a tribute to the snes version partially, as well as finally giving gamers a proper iteration of the original PnP version. mix this in with a turnbased strategy combat reminiscent of XCOM: Enemy Unknown
While I think the game is pretty damn good, let me get two things out of the way that are a sore thumb to the expectations. Firstly, the game is incredibly linear, don't see this game like Shadowrun for the snes or the Genesis/Megadrive, Shadowrun Returns is more like XCOM: Enemy Unknown. The other downside is the inability of saving anywhere. You are forced to finish an area, and sometimes even a mission, to be able to save, if you try to leave in the middle and go back to windows, you will have to start over again the next time you start up. The developers have said they did not have the resources to do it, I believe it is an odd decision.
Like XCOM, it gives you some kind of hub where you can fall back. The "Seamstress' Union" will supply you with supplies such as health kits, grenades, new outfits, weapons, cybernetic enhancements, spells, datajack equipment and last but not least Shadowrunners. I felt the cybernetic enhancements was the most fun addition to the standard trope of buying items in RPGs. For the majority in the game (as far as I have experienced it)
Unlike ordinary gear, cybernetics are permanent, you replace your arms and they will stay there. with each cybernetic implant you will lose Essence, Essence will make you cast spells better. I myself picked a dwarf street samurai, and I had no issue with losing Essence. At the moment of writing I am a dwarf with a metal exoskeleton as well as cybernetic arms to enhance my hp and body. Leveling your character up primarily is in the form of Karma, which you will spend similar to talent and skill points in other games.
Most missions have you go in a party, be it NPCs like Shanna and Coyote, or hiring Shadowrunners. combat is done turnbased, the more actionpool you have, the more actions you can perform in one turn.I personally feel the transition from just exploring to combat can be done better as there are plenty of moments where you can freely roam around while there is no enemy visible, yet you are awkwardly still taking turns. One single complaint about the combat itself is the UI, it feels like it is practically made for an iPad or some other touch screen device and it sadly shows.
Despite some of my gripes and frustrations, I have been enjoying Shadowrun Returns thoroughly, and a new CRPG in one form or another is always welcomed on the PC by me. The most impressive adition of the game is the editor, which allows people to create their own campaigns as well as settings. It is too early to tell what great things are able to come from it, but if stuff like the early Alpha version of the SNES remake are any sign, the future for user generated content of Shadowrun is great. With a Berlin campaign in the making, the developer created content will hopefully turn it up a notch and create a more linear experience. All in all, great game.. roleplayingwise, I am a cybernetic enhanced dwarf samurai in the future.. in cyberspace, what more would I want?!
