This game was a suprise for me. I did not now about Shadowrun universe before, and i was kind of dumbstruck about the setting. Think DnD with cyberpunk. This alone made me buy this game, and this beauty did not disappoint me.

Combat is like the X-COM Enemy Within. Not detailed as much but still, enjoyable. The campaign is interesting (though not as much as dragonfall) and you can download more campaigns through steam workshop. There are many campaigns there and some of them are very, very good. Have I mentioned the setting is ♥♥♥♥ing awesome?

This is an awesome game and it deserves it's pricetag.

Took 17 hours to complete.

I loved it!

There is a LOT of reading. All dialogue, and this game has a lot of story content, is text based.

Good for playing 5 min or 5 hours at a time.

The combat is Xcom like, graphics and animations are less of a focus though.

The world seems well developed, classes seem balanced enough. It's all turn based, which is great for me. There is nothing that happens that you need to respond to in any fixed amount of time. This means you can get up and get a drink in the middle of combat with no trouble, or during a dialogue sequence. You can save at almost any point as well. This helps when you don't know how long you are going to be able to play for.

An enjoyable isometric RPG set in a cyberpunk Shadowrun universe. Really enjoyed the story but have failed to finish it twice. Third time lucky!

Well i grew up playing the SNES game Shadow Runners and It was a title that I was quite fond of. I saw this game on steam one day and I thought taking a chance on a purchase was a no brainer...

I'm glad I did.

While it is not an official sequal to the SNES classic the story does continue on in the same shadowrun world. The story is a little cliche' you play a shadow runner avenging the death of your friend. I don't want to give away too much of the plot as the campaign is quite small and unfortunately linear however the story and gameplay do create an enjoyable experience. There are many different character classes. Some specialise in close or ranged combat. Others specialise in magic and summoning. There is also a decker class that specializes in breaking into computers and invading cyberspace. You get a choice of how you would like to play the game based on Karma (attribute points) to apply to your skills. Party Combat itself is fun although not difficult just requires basic tactical common sense.

Overall I have really enjoyed the experience and recommend this game 100% when its on sale. Thanks to the steam workshop there is some replayability however the main story is only worth one playthrough. I hear the other Shadowrun games on steam are even better so I am excited to try!

As a fan of the Shadowrun tabletop RPG setting since way before playing the videogames, I can say this game is a dream.

Shadowrun Returns is based on a setting that I know and love for a long time. The main campaign has great writing and it feels like it was made for old time fans. But the best idea is the editor. This tool was a dream for people like me, that spent hours creating shadowrun adventures that where never played to the end.

The world of Shadowrun takes some time to understand. It is a cyberpunk future where magic has returned, elves, dwarfs, orcs and trolls, dragons and magical swords get along with high-tech cyberware modifications, virtual realities that you access directly in your brain and self-conscious AIs. The gameplay of Shadowrun Returns is turn-based combat and text dialogues, no voice-acting. Still, the story is worth reading.

Great game, offers a lot, but it is just a first step. The sequels are now a much better option.

Positive points
* Very faithful adaptation of a tabletop RPG
* Easy to play, also on Android

Negative points
* Limited combat and character options
* The editor engine is not optimized, you have to buy the sequels to have access to better options.

No experience with the previous NES title or the tabletop game but this game (& the awesome community mods) made me adore the system. Baldur's Gate meets X-Com. 11/10. Janitor respeck.

Now I've never played a Shadowrun game before, however I'm not exactly new to turn based/strategy RPG games, having played games in a similar vein like the Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor series and Fire Emblem. However, I'll be the first to admit I'm far from a veteran in the genre.

One of the key things I think Returns did right, is the tricky task of drawing me into the story immediately. It's pretty simple: your friend is dead, he's left you a "dead man's switch" - a recorded message promising a hefty reward if you can find the killer. OK. I'm in.

As for the ease of playing the game... as someone who's often daunted by complex RPG interfaces with endless choices, decisions, and items to equip, I thought Shadowrun's interface is a breeze. It clearly shows you your weapon slots, inventory slots, and which body parts you can equip on armor or modifications. As for playing the game itself, you can simply click on your HUD to switch between weapons or end turns, but there are hotkeys for the more practiced player, too.

You encounter many characters on your way to solve your friend's murder, and you get to pick and choose your own team of Shadowrunners to go on every mission with you. Each has their own specialty - summoning mechs, specializing in "decking" (hacking), melee combat, guns, magic, and so on, and I had a great time testing out all the different classes.

All of the characters have their own specialties, but the game is forgiving, and you could probably get by just using guns on everyone. I realized one of my runners had a healing ability 3/4 of the way through the game, and had been getting by just fine without knowing that. So if you're worried about difficulty or complexity, don't be.

Another positive for me is the game is heavily text based. There is a lot more discovery and reading than combat. You can also save anywhere except an NPC turn in combat, or in conversation. So I could get up to answer the door or grab some food without bothering to pause, or quit at a moment's notice if my friends asked me to play a multiplayer game.

I know I'm writing a review no one will ever read, for a two year old game, but it gets an easy recommendation from me, especially if you're a busy person who can only enjoy games in bits and pieces before you're on the go again.

First all, let me tell you about my background - 39, working professional, married with kids. Was looking for an RPG game that I can really sink my teeth into without getting bored, and coming from a gamer background myself, not many games can catch my attention.

Then saw a recommended game review somewhere about this Shadowrun, so being the typical gamer that I am since I dont like to pay for something I haven't tried yet....so I *cough*cough* got a copy of the game to try.....

...and then I closed the game, went to the Steam website, and purchased a legitimate copy. Let me tell you why :-

a) this is an RPG - story, story, story - this is what's it all about
b) the interface and game - slick, modern XCOM style combat, with that turn based system thats good for my pace and strategy.
c) the real world/cyber world - the transitions are nice, a good break from the routine.
d) Story - did I mention story? I like how I have to slow down to read, even the freaking Splash screens got something to really read

So I parted with my cash to show support to this developer. Keep up the good work and I look forward to purchase Dragonfall and any more of DLC of this kind :)

Strongest point of Shadowrun Returns is its writing. In best tradition of older RPGs, game describes what you character sees in flowery language. Character introductions, location descriptions and dialogues are smart and charming. The setting of Shadowrun is a blend of cyberpunk and urban fantasy - don't think I knew something like this exists before. I wouldn't mind experiencing Shadowrun Returns in book or graphical novel form.

As a game, however, it is not so magnificent.

SR was made by relatively inexperienced developers on tight budget using Unity and it shows. Graphics are mixed bag - wonderful character portraits, bright and detailed, if somewhat cartoony 2D backgrounds, but awful character models and awkward animations. Sound direction feels cheap overall - music are fine, but forgettable and there is absolutely no voice acting. Combat mechanics ripped straight off X-COM: Enemy Unknown.

The biggest flaw of SR is its linearity. I just didn't have the opportunity to explore the world of Shadowrun - game kept railroading me on one story after another, with brief breaks in same small hub. All two side missions are one chance affairs - go on them right now or miss it forever. While writing itself is great, spending points to improve charisma and get new dialogue options felt like total waste - game is too short and there is almost no opportunity to use your mad speech skills - I think I used each etiquette only once or twice in whole game. Story starts as a noir-like murder mystery, but after halfway point abruptly turns into "save the world" scenario and ends with series of boring battles against bugs. Absolutely unnecessary twist, in my opinion.

My final impression: SR is an enjoyable short RPG; not without flaws but if you are able to overlook them, you will have a great time playing it.

The Shadowrun short story simulator, that is what this is - and it's glorious. Gameplay may be somewhat shallow and linear, but excellent writing in the official campaigns (Deadman's Switch and Dragonfall) make up for that. Particularly Dragonfall is a MUST PLAY for any Shadowrun fan. The neo-anarchist Berlin provides an excellent backdrop for a genuinely exciting story with lots of memorable characters (each with an interesting backstory that you slowly uncover over the course of the campaign) and some excellent twists and turns til you reach the epic conclusion. I should note however, that Dragonfall is a separate DLC that you need to buy on top of Shadowrun returns (Thanks to pruwyben for pointing this out in the comments - it is a bit unfortunate that I cannot write a single review just for the DLC.)

Make no mistake, this is basically a text adventure, lots of reading, most of the "roleplaying" is happening in big blocks of text and the general storyline can't be changed in major ways. The XCOM-ish battles are a nice intermission between the big chunks of text, but they are not particularly deep or varied for the most part. Every now and then the game mixes it up a bit with a few events that I do not want to spoil, but for the most part this is an interactive novel with excellent music running in the background while you read what is going on.

Personally, I love it - graphics may be super-awesome these days, but small details and nuances still can't be done with the same ease as plain old text does it. And the superb writing brings the world of Shadowrun to life like no multi-billion dollar production could have done in my honest opinion, the atmosphere and flair Harebrained Schemes achieved with these simple means is just amazing.

If you enjoy good writing in your videogames, don't mind somewhat limited gameplay and/or are a Shadowrun-nut you need to check out Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall - do it! Deadman's Switch + Dragonfall + the editor to make your own stories a reality, one hell of a deal!