Shadowrun Returns Review

Man meets magic and machine. Cyberpunk meets fantasy role-play. Classic SNES game meets waves of fan-driven nostalgia and a very successful Kickstarter campaign. The gritty world ofShadowrun, indeed, returns 20 years after the first game based on the 80s pen and paper classic.

Despite Sega Genesis's own Shadowrun game, it's the SNES original that fandom heralds in history as the one true Shadowrun game. Don't get me started on the Xbox 360 FPS monstrosity from 2007. But riding high on the franchise's overwhelming support comes the latest attempt at not sullying theShadowrun name, this time it's in the hands of small, little-known, studio: Harebrained Schemes. So, have they done it justice?

In short, yes. They have presented a game that is very much in keeping with the true spirit ofShadowrun, and built it around a very accessible turn-based combat system with a nice modern-retro feel to it. The rich fantastical cyberpunk universe of Shadowrun is fully realised, complete with its own terminology and unique nihilistic style, and built around fairly intricate RPG and isometric turn-based battle systems.

Shadowrun Returns draws you, the gamer, into the seedy, dystopian near future of Seattle in a world where orcs, elves, trolls and dwarves are commonplace, as is powerful magic and huge technological advancements. When you get a call from a friend of yours via a prerecorded hologram, you realise your friend is dead, and this message has been sent to you because of his demise, and it is now up to you to find out why he was killed and bring his murderers to justice, street style.

Right away from the character selection screen you are given a wealth of choice for who you can be, and gives you an idea of the rich detailed world that lies ahead. Do you want to be a Decker, someone who can jack into the Matrix and steal secret information, shutdown security systems, etc via a Deck (every hacker's weapon of choice)? Or go into situations with three guns rather than one as the Street Samurai? Perhaps the ability to Hadouken your way through thugs tickles your fancy and you want to become a Mage with fireballs at your fingertips?

More character archetypes allow for the conjuring of spirits to fight in your place, the remote usage of combat drones, or to do away with such superfluous things and master the martial arts – choices are plentiful and offer a surprising array of ways to tackle the game. And it's a system that works very well. The core game structure is the same no matter who you end up becoming, but so many factors determine your best or preferred method of getting from A to B.

One playthrough I fully nerded-up and decided upon a Decker with the Security etiquette (another character-specific choice to make on what personality defines certain responses you make throughout the game). This allowed me to bypass certain events by talking my way out of fights and shortcut past difficult authorities standing in my way, and in certain fights I could 'enter the Matrix' and shutdown the system that gives my enemies the upper hand and use it against them. Next I was the more gun-friendly Street Samurai with the more in-your-face Strength etiquette, meaning guns came in my direction more often but I could handle it better... with more guns.

The combat system is classic turn-based fare, drawing inspiration mainly from XCOM: Enemy Unknown with its use of AP, overwatch mode and frankly most other aspects of it. It's familiar territory, but in a good way. What does niggle, however, is the slightly unfinished feel to the combat. Sprites freeze for a second here and there during an attack, sounds of a shotgun blast become silent at times, and occasional slow-mo as an enemy falls down dead. Despite its polished feel elsewhere, the main combat portions feel rough around the edges and leave a lot to be desired.

The core structure to Shadowrun Returns is its Karma system, which isn't very karmic at all. Another word for generic XP, Karma awards you points on getting jobs done and simply by advancing levels, and these points are spent on levelling your character. Now, while in essence this works out as being a well worked, intricate RPG-style system, the game is too short to be of much use. The single most desirable tactic isn't to make your character a well-rounded person with traits of all races and classes, but to max the hell out of certain stats as and when you can. Spreading your Karma evenly across the skillsets allow for a hard game a few levels in, but become a master in your given field and you're laughing.

The campaign only lasts between eight and ten hours, and while Karma drops out of every nook and cranny, there just isn't enough of it or the game to be fully utilised. The rich, beautifully dark and disgusting world of Shadowrun Returns does a fantastic job of painting a believable world where people jack into BTL (Better Than Life) machines much like a drug addict would inject himself with heroin, where orcs are hired as bouncers or security (having low intelligence but big frames), and where big businesses rule the world. But then it ends, and the love you glean from this exciting and detailed world is gone in a heartbeat.

It's a bonus, then, that Shadowrun Returns is so replayable. The short campaign is countered with themyriad ways of dealing with the many situations it throws your way. Along with this, as a rather unexpected bonus, the PC version comes complete with a level editor – not just a level editor, but the same level editing program the developers used to build the entire game. You can now create your own Shadowrun epic, or play someone else's. Normally these additions are tacked on to give the impression of extra value, but here it's absolutely fantastic. Only a little time and patience is needed to understand how to use the editor (via very handy, step-by-step tutorials), and soon the ability to create the isometric turn-based RPG from your dreams becomes very accessible. Someone out there is in the process of remaking the SNES original with this editor, and I am (with mixed success) attempting a Metal Gear-inspired Shadow Moses level.

If you're looking for a decent RPG, you could do a lot worse than Shadowrun Returns. It's topped up my nostalgic need for more Shadowrun and more turn-based RPGs rather than action-based, as is sadly the trend nowadays. Sure, it's too short and feels pretty rough at times, but it stays true to its roots whilst simultaneously introducing the franchise to a newer (read younger) audience, and doesn't sully the Shadowrun name. So don't spend your nuyen on any other drek, leave meatspace and jump into the Matrix to immerse yourself in total cyberpunk fantasy heaven.