Shadowrun Returns Review (Ismaru)
Shadowrun Returns is an great isometric turn-based RPG with a vast amount of lore behind it. Lovely!
❤️️ Pros ❤️️
The game is based on the already established Shadowrun universe. Because of that, there is a lot of lore in place already allowing for great depth and detail in the world that you play in.
The story is good, albeit a little bit predictable. Even though you know what is coming, it is interesting enough to see how everything unfolds.
Graphics are okay - together with the music they really set the tone to create a cyberpunk-like ambience, but no amazing graphics card needed here.
Gameplay is alright - don't expect huge depth here, but it feels like an "XCOM Lite". There's cover and RNG when it comes to hitting your target, but it doesn't go much deeper than that. Enemy AI isn't that smart, generally they run up to you and attack.
There are uniquely named classes, such as the "Street Samurai" and the "Decker" which brings a little diversity to the standard Warrior/Mage/Thief standards.
❌ Cons ❌
There is no spoken dialogue. For a game that's very dialogue-heavy (basically, outside of combat you are talking) this felt like a missed opportunity. The game was funded through a (very successful) kickstarter campaign and that might have made it harder to find good voice actors, but that doesn't make it less boring.
The game is linear. There are optional quests but they are nothing more than a single-map side quest, to then continue down the line that the main quest has laid out for you. Nothing you choose at the start of the game (race/gender/class) affects what you'll end up seeing, besides some dialogue changes. There is an illusion of choice, but no matter how good or evil you are, you always end up going down the same path.
It's not a very long game. I heard that the other games in the trilogy were longer, but don't expect this game to take more than 20 hours.
Final thoughts
Shadowrun Returns is a good (re)introduction to the Shadowrun universe. While it's not an outstanding game, I'd recommend playing it for the cool lore. Definitely consider getting it on a sale.
Was this review useful to you? Check out the Izzy Reviews Curator page for regular updates on reviews for other games!