The intial view of KS backers was that they had been had - a very short adventure and an unfinished game. I got this game from the other place - installing their duff software to play it because I'm an SRun fan. I've just bought it from GOG - DRM free - and for the discount ($9.99) price its worth it. Mainly because of its ability to support user created content and because one day I expect modding will give us even more.
It has stacks of potential, and for this reason its worth it for SRun fans.
Other reviews have already described in depth pros and cons. One the most common point is about the linearity of the game. I don't mind that. Open endings are not the most important part of a game for me, as long as the story and the atmosphere are good. And they both are here.
The main problem is the difficulty level. Outside combat, there is no challenge whatsoever. Go forward, talk to that guy, check that item. There will be pop up showing you where to click. Inside combat, I never had really a problem. The AI of the enemy is pretty simple. The combat system reminds of the latest X-Com but no need to be bothered with highly tactical positioning. The areas are too small, enemies will be after the doors. I started with the normal difficulty setting, tried to change it to hard during the game. I am not sure it worked, combat was still too easy.
Anyway, I went through all the way to see the story and it was an ok experience. I bought the game just because the reviews of Dragonfall were better. Frankly speaking, now that they are separated I suggest to buy the original adventure only if 1) you are super aficionados or 2) it's on sale.
Shadowrun Returns is an okay RPG. It's very linear with no narrative/story choices that I can recall. I've heard great things about the games that followed this one and if they really do improve upon this one, they're going to be great.
It's not super long either, took me about 12.5 hours. If you have it, or get it cheap now, it's definitely fun to play through once.
I will say this upfront: Shadowrun Returns will be an enjoyable CRPG experience to those you like Cyberpunk themed games (which is my case) or the franchise; to anyone else it might feel average at best.
Indeed, this game’s two strongest points are its writing and art. The writing is generally amazing (the quality tends to drop though) as it describes characters, environments, and situations in an immersive and sophisticated way. The art also contributes to the game’s cyberpunk-y atmosphere. The streets of Seattle indeed look and feel futuristic and harsh. Character portraits are stupendous.
The story will be able to entertain you for about 15 hours and is filled with mystery and some twists. Unfortunately, is also very linear and your choices are of little consequence. Dialogue options will yield you different amounts of Karma points (used to upgrade your avatar) or nuyen (cash). Side quests are very limited in number.
Everything else is average.
Combat is turn-based and very much like X-Com. Basically, at the start of your turn each of your characters will receive 2 Action Points (later this will be upgraded to 3 AP). Movement will take between 1 to 3 AP, depending on the distance travelled. Simple attacks take 1 AP while certain abilities, such as burst shots, more powerful spells and grenade throws will take between 2 to 3 AP.
I believe that except for one spell, this game doesn’t differentiate between magic and physical damage. Magic feels very underwhelming and gunplay yields more attack options; although having a magic user in your party is quite useful for buffs and healing.
Hence, combat can be quite shallow and some classes can feel less powerful than others. This last point, coupled with the linear story, greatly decreases this game’s replay value.
This game and it’s two expansions are frequently on sale and might be worth picking up if you are, for example, enjoying a week of vacation during a cold winter and don’t have much else to play.
What I want to add here is to say if anyone remembers Dreamweb... And loved that, they should probably not miss this game. It's like Dreamweb with a dash of Fallout Tactics.
For me it's easy five stars. I don't care about what anyone says. The atmosphere is just right. It's rare enough get to play cyberpunk games in isometrics or anything non-first person perspective that these are pure bliss for my kind :P
