Over the past year, Kickstarter has become the go-to place for seemingly abandoned video game genres. One of these genres, the isometric role-playing game, has seen a resurgence thanks to Kickstarted projects such as Torment: Tides of Numenera, Wasteland 2 and Shadowrun Returns. As the first release of the many Kickstarter-based video game projects, how does Shadowrun Returns hold up compared to what the genre has evolved to in the present day?
Shadowrun Returns takes place in a futuristic setting with a cyberpunk feel. The grimy, dirty streets are offset by the bright neon lights of a futuristic Seattle, in a world where technology and magic combine into one being. Connecting to the Internet, or the Matrix as it is called in-game, involves placing your mental being into a machine. Shamans summon otherworldly spirits to do battle for them. It’s a world that, on the surface, seems relatively normal until you realize that for every human there is also an orc, dwarf or elf.
It’s within this world that you’ll take the role of an unnamed Shadow Runner, a mercenary who takes odd jobs for hire that usually involve killing or stealing. Throughout this 10- to 12-hour story, you’ll encounter a number of twists and turns that bring the Shadowrun universe to life. The story is expertly written and engrossing, instantly recalling some of the greatest CRPGs of previous generations such as Planescape Torment and Baldur’s Gate.
Combat is a simple affair using familiar strategy role-playing game conventions, such as a turn-based combat system and using cover. If you’ve played any strategy role-playing game in the last few years, such as X-Com: Enemy Unknown, then you know what to expect here. Supplementing the combat is a unique visual style and a soundtrack that adds ambiance and flavor to your journey.
More important than the game itself is the editor the game ships with, giving every player the tools he or she needs to create his own Shadowrun story. The editor is a replica of the one used to create the single player story: anything you see in the story is possible to recreate in the editor. In the coming years, Shadowrun Returns will be known for its mod content just as much as for the story the game shipped with.
That’s not to say everything about Shadowrun Returns is a home run, however. Unlike other games, Shadowrun Returns does not let users manually save and instead relies on a checkpoint system. While checkpoints are easy to come by, why the developer opted for this archaic system is a mystery. Likewise, there is no real loot system in the main story and not a lot in the way of inventory management period.
If you are a Shadowrun fan, whether it’s from playing the old Super Nintendo and Genesis versions of the game or the pen and paper version, you’ve likely already bought Shadowrun Returns. For everyone else, this is absolutely a game worth playing and one you should purchase ASAP.
Shadowrun Returns was released on July 25th, 2013 for the PC.
