The basic mechanics of this game are superb and on the order of the best out there. Even when compared to some much larger titles and better funded projects (one of which I help fund and own). For the price this is hands down the best isometric, pnp rpg out there that I know of. I really hope to see more from this group and I sincerely hope they release Shadowrun Online on GOG and for linux as well. If you want a comparison I have this and Wasteland 2. Sorry, wasteland 2 was ok but seemed to drag. This game did not. The story line in Shadowrun is better. The action is better. The graphics are actually better but not by much and the mechanics are vastly superior. I found very few bugs in this game and none of them that were show stoppers. I actually bought this and dragonfall for myself and later bought them both for two other people because the game is just that good.
The game is VERY good turn based RPG, it has its flaws(as a shaman why can't I summon a spirit whenever, instead of at set, pre-determined locations?), but overall this is the BEST and most interesting turn based RPG I have played. And I have played games like wasteland 2 and xcom, and frankly, they were no where near the level of this game. The there are some side quests to keep you engaged other than the main mission, and the dialogue choices are different enough to not bore you after an hour. But the biggest problem is how short it is, I think i maybe spend 10 hours on this game? I got this game for $3 so 10 hours is a pretty good deal in my books, but I wish the game could have been longer for what it's worth, because it was definitely a very fun experience to behold.
I think that Dragonfall comparation kill Returns good... Dragonfall and Returns are really different but both really good for different reason.
Dragonfall is good because it has a really deep and non-linear story-line, long and with a perfect gameplay... but many secondary cmp quests are better than the main quest (that it's good but not really original).
In Dragonfall Berlin (the central hub) it's the most important place.
Returns is a really good linear investigation story... it's short compared to Dragonfall but it's still really good.
there is no real hub, you move throught location...
it's like a good demo, when you finish it you want more of it.... but when you take it out of comparation it's still a long, creative and interesting game.
If you ask me you have to play both Returns and Dragonfall... and you will remember really well the plot of Returns while you will just remember part of Dragonfall plot.
I'm reviewing the SDragonfall, it is a significant improvement, you get both anyway.
The best thing about SD is writing - there is a lot of text here and it is very well written, it really pulls you into the world, makes characters interesting and believable. The story is great I was really invested emotionally in the people of Kreuzbazar - the writing really helps with that.
The gameplay itself is the next best thing. There is much more variety compared to the original and different characters give you a lot of options on how to approach battles - sniping, close combat, conjuring, magic, drones etc. Sometimes the hit calculation seemed a bit unfair (70% chance to hit = 3x miss), but overall the difficulty is just right and it never happens that a single miss or a missclick would force you to restart.
The atmosphere is great and if you like the Shadowrun world (I love it) you will really enjoy the game, because it really leverages the mythos - magic, shamanism, decking, megacorporations, dragons you name it it's all there.
The environments are varied and interesting - cities, countryside, seweres, corporate buildings, alternate dimension (sort of :) ) as are the enemies - (meta) humans, drones, ghouls, basilisks, hellhounds...
I like that the game works equally well controlled by a mouse or a touchscreen.
Now for some cons:
SD is relatively heavy compared to how simple the engine is - loading, overall speed, but that's not really a problem.
People complain the game is linear I don't consider it a problem - this is no Baldur's Gate it's rather a series of turn-based battles in a vey interesting environment held together by an engaging story.
I would welcome if besides the main and side missions there would be a random mission generator which would tie to the merc principle of shadowrunning.
You only have 4 character slots for missions which limits your options a bit.
Overall an awesome game. Buy it if you love turnbased combat, Shadowrun or just good stories.
