Shadowrun Returns
- August 30, 2020
- Harebrained Schemes
- 14h median play time
Some of the best computer RPG gameplay I've experienced since Baldur's Gate, Shadowrun returns in style. A must for RPG fans
"Shadowrun Returns" is a tactical RPG set in a cyberpunk world where magic has returned. As a shadowrunner, a mercenary in the shadows of massive corporations, you must navigate the streets of Seattle to find a mysterious killer. With a blend of technology and magic, and a cast of diverse characters, you must use skill and instinct to complete your mission. This game brings the unique world of Shadowrun to life with its rich storytelling and intense combat.
Reviews
- story9,389 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story in "Shadowrun Returns" is generally well-received, characterized as engaging and immersive, with a compelling cyberpunk narrative that revolves around a murder mystery. However, many reviewers note its linearity and brevity, often feeling that the plot lacks depth and meaningful choices, which diminishes replayability. Despite these criticisms, the writing is praised for its quality, and the game is recommended for those who appreciate story-driven experiences, particularly in the context of the Shadowrun universe.
“A very good game albeit a short one, with a great atmosphere and a thrilling story in cyberpunk Seattle about the murder of your friend.”
“It's a well-written and immersive story that kept me engaged all the way through.”
“The story is interesting and pretty dark.”
“The story is incredibly short and linear with most dialogue options circling back to the same outcome anyway.”
“The choices that are allowed to be made seemed to have little to no impact on how the story folds, which ruins the immersion of the game.”
“The main story module 'dead man's switch' is extremely linear and side quests are few.”
- gameplay2,689 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of *Shadowrun Returns* is characterized by its turn-based combat and tactical mechanics, drawing comparisons to classic RPGs like *XCOM* and *Baldur's Gate*. While the mechanics are generally solid and accessible, many players find them simplistic and linear, lacking depth and variety, which can lead to repetitive gameplay. The engaging story and rich world-building often compensate for these shortcomings, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of narrative-driven games, despite its flaws in gameplay complexity and polish.
“The overall presentation, quality of writing, and core gameplay are all great.”
“Its engaging story, challenging gameplay, and immersive world make it a standout title in the genre.”
“The gameplay is solid and the world is bleak yet immersive.”
“The gameplay opens up in the second half of the game after you acquire more skills/items etc. The cover system feels worse than in games like XCOM and I think character positioning is unsatisfying.”
“AI enemies focus on the player and keep getting killed or overwhelmed (seems only specific builds are allowed to actually work)... game gets boring quickly... wasted an hour on stupid combat gameplay.”
“The gameplay is just too slow, clunky, shallow, and just too unpolished in general.”
- graphics1,452 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Shadowrun Returns" are generally described as decent but somewhat dated, with a mix of 2D and 3D elements that create a unique cyberpunk aesthetic. While some players appreciate the hand-drawn art style and atmospheric visuals, others find the character models and animations lacking. Overall, the graphics serve the game's narrative and gameplay well, but they may not satisfy those seeking cutting-edge visuals.
“The graphics are stylish and immersive, capturing the gritty atmosphere of the Shadowrun universe perfectly.”
“Beautiful isometric graphics, nicely combining 2D and 3D, interesting story and satisfying game mechanics.”
“The artwork of the city streets is nice and colorful and manages to be dark and gritty without being overly grim.”
“The game presents flaccid technical competence and production values, without much personality or aesthetic value and deep mechanics, letting almost all of its charms appear through the text and some sporadically used concept art (which is no big deal).”
“The graphics are not great, even for the time.”
“The graphics are serviceable but even for the time seem a bit low end compared to similar games.”
- music818 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its ability to enhance the cyberpunk atmosphere and fit the game's themes. However, a significant number of players noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive and lacks variety, leading some to mute it in favor of their own playlists. Overall, while the music is often described as fitting and atmospheric, its repetitiveness detracts from the experience for some players.
“The music is fantastic and really adds to the atmosphere.”
“The soundtrack is purely amazing with a capital A.”
“The music provides all of the atmosphere, all the cyberpunk feels, the heightened excitement in combat... it's memorable, it's what you'd expect for the genre and it almost single-handedly makes the game.”
“Music is fairly standard, nothing really blew me away.”
“The music sounds incredibly generic thus gets repetitive very early in the game.”
“The soundtrack is so bad and dull I had to switch it off after a short time.”
- atmosphere748 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Shadowrun Returns" is widely praised for its immersive and gritty cyberpunk setting, effectively capturing the essence of the original tabletop game. Reviewers highlight the game's strong visual style, atmospheric music, and detailed world-building, which together create a compelling and engaging experience. While some critiques mention a lack of depth in gameplay and narrative, the overall consensus is that the atmosphere is a standout feature that draws players into its dystopian universe.
“Shadowrun returns captures the atmosphere of the shadowrun universe in a way that appeals to people already familiar with it, as well as newcomers to it, or even cyberpunk in general.”
“The atmosphere, story, and all around style of this game are top notch.”
“Also, the world looks too empty and lacks an atmosphere that would draw me in.”
“The oppressive and melancholic atmosphere is very well done.”
“The atmosphere constantly gives the player the feeling of living in a near-future world where technology and society have gone wrong; with magic added to the mix, it truly gives the game an ambient sense of oppression, like society is truly teetering on the edge of total collapse.”
- replayability516 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
Replayability in this game is a mixed bag; while the main campaign is often criticized for its linearity and limited replay value, the inclusion of diverse character classes and the ability to create and download user-generated content from the Steam Workshop significantly enhance replayability. Many players appreciate the variety of builds and playstyles available, which can lead to different experiences in subsequent playthroughs, but some feel that the core narrative does not warrant multiple runs. Overall, the potential for replayability is largely dependent on community-created content, making it a more engaging experience for those willing to explore beyond the main storyline.
“The choice-driven narrative allows for multiple outcomes and encourages replayability, ensuring that each playthrough feels fresh and exciting.”
“Combine that with a huge array of options and some pretty impressive community stories and you've got a recipe for a lot of replayability.”
“The game features an editor for custom campaign creation (there's a steam workshop for it), which adds theoretically infinite replayability to it.”
“Regretfully, the story is linear and there is not much replayability.”
“The linear progression, lack of choice or sidequests, and similarity between classes means there is little to no replay value.”
“The main story is very linear with little replayability.”
- stability172 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with many players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and freezing issues that can hinder gameplay and even prevent progress. While some users have experienced minimal problems, the overall consensus indicates that the game is riddled with stability issues, making it frustrating for many players. Despite these challenges, a few players still find enjoyment in the game, suggesting that it may be playable for those willing to tolerate its technical shortcomings.
“The game runs great on older machines.”
“Shadowrun Returns is as bug-free as you could ask for and runs incredibly smooth with a gorgeous tileset.”
“I noticed no glitches or problems from doing this, whatsoever.”
“Game freezes up randomly every single time I play; devs need to fix it or make it free-to-play.”
“Couldn't even finish it because of bugs; I don't know why I paid for this game, full of glitches, soft locks, and bugs.”
“I am unable to complete it because the game freezes at the exact same part every single time.”
- character development166 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its depth and variety, particularly in the "Dragonfall" DLC, while others criticize it for being simplistic and lacking emotional engagement. Many reviews highlight the strong narrative and unique character designs, but also note that the character development can feel linear and limited, especially with a fixed crew and minimal team bonding. Overall, while there are solid character customization options and engaging storylines, the depth of character development varies significantly across different aspects of the game.
“Deep character development and amazing storyline!”
“The story is good, giving you tough choices on how to complete each run; but the character development is where it really shines.”
“Fantastic writing, great art (the player and NPC portraits are full of character and style), and flexible character development (mix magic and hacking, summoning and swordplay, or any other interesting combination of skills that seems cool to you).”
“There's no real character development so it's hard to care about why you're doing things in the game.”
“Character development lacks depth.”
“A shallow character development system, dated gameplay, dated graphics, limited replayability mars this remake of a SNES favorite.”
- grinding150 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be minimal, as there is no experience or money grinding available, which some appreciate while others miss the opportunity for character development. However, many reviews highlight that the gameplay can become tedious, particularly during combat and exploration, with repetitive mechanics and lengthy missions that detract from the overall experience. The lack of grinding is seen as a double-edged sword, as it prevents unnecessary repetition but also limits player engagement and progression.
“It's interesting at first, but gets tedious real quick.”
“The final run was tedious and required no thought, and none of my final decisions or demeanor in-game really seemed to matter.”
“Combat becomes annoying and tedious.”
- humor104 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is frequently praised for its witty writing and engaging dialogue, often eliciting genuine laughter from players. While some moments are described as hilariously absurd, the humor is sometimes contrasted with darker themes, creating a unique tonal balance. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with a rich narrative, though some players feel that the dialogue can be overly lengthy or inconsistent in quality.
“Shadowrun Returns is the first game in a long time that actually made me laugh out loud; the story and script are amazingly good.”
“The dialogue is generally well-written, sometimes genuinely funny, and the descriptions are the appropriate length, never becoming needlessly long and tedious to dig through.”
“The story is fun and pulpy, and the dialogue was often funny and engaging.”
- emotional48 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the depth and immersive storytelling, particularly in the DLC, while others criticize the lack of character development and emotional engagement. Many feel that the main storyline is coherent but emotionally flat due to underwhelming side characters, leading to a disconnect from the narrative. Overall, while some players find moments of emotional investment, the game often falls short of creating lasting connections with its characters.
“This trilogy will not let you down on the emotionality, depth of story, darkness of world, and ultimately - the forbidden fun of being a cool shadowrunner yourself you will be expecting from the games.”
“I found myself worrying about my companions' emotional lives during a run, and I looked forward to coming home to our safehouse and wandering the neighborhood to chat with the locals as much or more than speculating on what our next action-packed job might entail.”
“They have a past, they have feelings, and the story is given increased emotional weight through conversations with these characters.”
- optimization28 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with many players reporting smooth performance even on low-end machines, though some express a desire for further improvements. While the graphics and combat mechanics are considered mediocre, the game runs effectively on older systems, and the community-driven modding scene adds to its longevity. However, there are mentions of bugs and a lack of optimization in the editor engine, suggesting that while the core gameplay is stable, there is room for enhancement.
“I experienced no performance issues.”
“It maintains good graphics and performance on garbage machines.”
“Most surprising to me is that SR runs smoothly at 1366x768 resolution on my old 2009 Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop running Ubuntu 12.04, with only a mere integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD; Intel Core 2 Duo (2.0 GHz x 2), 2 GB RAM DDR2 800MHz.”
“Do not purchase this version because Shadowrun Dragonfall has an optimized remake of it.”
“The editor engine is not optimized; you have to buy the sequels to have access to better options.”
“There are a few bugs and optimizations that need to be sorted out, but I also need to upgrade my PC (really badly), so I'd like to hear how those with beefier rigs hold up.”
- monetization8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game has been criticized as feeling exploitative, with some reviewers suggesting it relies heavily on nostalgia to justify its high price tag. Many recommend waiting for discounts, as they believe the usual price is not reflective of the game's value. Overall, the sentiment leans towards viewing it as a cash grab rather than a fair investment.
“Best to see you get it on sale though, the usual price tag is too high for this game (personal opinion).”
“This game feels like a cash grab that succeeds solely because of nostalgia.”
“I feel like despite it advertising itself as an RPG, it railroads you pretty hard.”
Critic Reviews
Shadowrun Returns Review
"Shadowrun Returns is the type of game that has long been abandoned by the mega-publishers of the gaming landscape. It eerily feels like the Shadowrun games of old (shooter excluded), though it's noticeably more polished and has a coat of visual and audio gloss on it that lets it stand shoulder to shoulder with anything being released in proximity."
80%Shadowrun Returns Review
Some of the best computer RPG gameplay I've experienced since Baldur's Gate, Shadowrun returns in style. A must for RPG fans
85%Shadowrun Returns review: opportunity cost
Shadowrun Returns' singular take on fantasy sci-fi saves it from middling ambitions
70%