Maybe it's the cute but practical pixel graphics, maybe it's the wildly different and inspired variety of factions, or the chaotic-yet-tactical RTwP battles, but I can not stop thinking about how much more addicting this game is than any of the other heroes-style games. Easy to play, but the strategy is deep. I have taught my brother and we will try some hotseat games. One of the hidden gems that would have otherwise flown under my radar. More Hero's Hour, please!
Don't even bother getting the secrets unless you do purely by chance. When you can see an upgrade pack right in your face but can't get it unless you corner glitch your jump just right......it totally breaks the immersion. The jump mechanics are so bad that it is a huge waste of time. Disregard that, and it's a pretty fun game.
My first experience with anything Shadowrun. Awesome lore and atmosphere. Cyberpunk+Fantasy? Count me in! Story and character development is the best part of this game. Not that the battles aren't fun, too. I played through as a decker/pistol character and though underpowered compared to my squad I was able to complete every mission with relative ease. I didn't even use all my XP. The most fun and challenging battle was near the end where there is an option to turn against your squad and take them all on at once. That was the only time I saw the game over screen, and I am NOT familiar with tactics games. More important is knowing what stats give better results in dialogue trees. Oh, and no need to hoard items/money. Buy those implants and new weapons. Minus one star for sort of disappointing ending, not in what happens, but how it's presented in only a few short dialogue and one abrupt text summary. Couldn't there have been just one satisfying cutscene? Even a short one? I wanted to see more of the dragons in action rather than read about them. I recommend saving at the level called "Panacea" so you can try siding with the antagonist and seeing the much more interesting "bad" ending. On the plus side, this game is just the right length for the story it's trying to tell. I'm sick of every RPG needing to be 100+ hours open world. This felt just right and keeps you focused on the plot. I'll be delving in to SR:Hong Kong and SR:Returns in the future for sure.
20 hours into this game and I'm hooked. First off, this game is not really that difficult, but you can't blindly fly into a dogfight without a plan. There are so many ways to handle the combat depending on your loadout. I personally go with the scout because of the speed and tools available. You can snipe from afar, hack enemy drones and fighters to fight on your side, zoom around rocks and hide inside larger rocks and debris, lure enemies into hazards or opposing factions, or cloak and they'll never even see you coming. Taking out larger battleships with a tiny x-wing-like fighter feels like something straight out of Star Wars. I'm sure the other ships all have their own merits that I haven't discovered yet. Exploration is the other great thing about this game; every time I play, I discover something new and game changing. There's a lot more out there than it seems at first. Do yourself a favor and discover it for yourself instead of reading about it. Although, this review is based on the DLC which I bought at the same time as the main game. Definitely pick that up, I think it adds a lot. The polish is all there. The visuals are wallpaper worthy, controls are solid, sound effects and explosions feel awesome, and the framerate is silky smooth on epic settings on my Alienware 13 R3 laptop. Dying in this game isn't a let down at all, because you really want to spend those credits on ship and pilot upgrades, load up some new equipment, and get back out there again. That's what makes taking risks so fun. Every time I die, it never feels unfair, and I usually think of at least one or two ways I could have handled the situation afterwards. Here's a tip: you can pause the game at any time and craft things to help you in a fight. After 20 hours, each game feels totally unique and rewarding. I don't know how long that will last but it's already been worth every cent.
