Shadowrun Returns had a solid day-one launch on Steam and already, the labor of love is making waves. Here are the basics: Magic and technology are commonplace after some Mayan thing happened and a fraction of humans morphed into Lord of the Rings characters. Society is run by megacorporations, people punch deck into the Matrix, and the help wanted section of future craigslist is full of mercenary mage jobs. The game is a tactical RPG cribbing off the modern success XCOM: Enemy Unknown and the classic 2D Fallout franchise. With its roots deep in pen and paper, the character creation is surprisingly robust. Before the action begins, you’ve got to make a character as per codified pen and paper RPG law. The classes adhere to the standard warrior, mage, healer archetypes, but the cyberspace hacker, known as a Decker, and drone piloting Rigger provide a different flavor. From here, A5hton Cyberpunk’d (or whatever you name your runner), embarks on their story in the neon glow of the new Pacific Northwest.
Outside of combat, Shadowrun Returns has the feel of linear Fallout 1 or 2. Traveling around the Seattle streets and bumping into a side quest or two is the most deviation the game offers. Be prepared for a lot of text. There is no voice acting but plenty of dialogue trees, though there is only a very basic conversation system. The most obvious factor in spicing up non-combat interaction are stats and Etiquette (nothing more than a trait that unlocks a dialogue choice here and there). Completing main missions and side quests result in cash and Karma points. Karma points are applied to the character’s stats which improve the dice rolls and impart some special skills, but don’t be thrown off by the Western view of the word. Karma has nothing to do with good or evil actions.
Shadowrun Returns is a simple yet enthralling toy box. The tools provided appear robust enough for fanatics to sink their teeth into while the included module is plenty for those looking just to play. It isn’t without a handful of flaws, mostly in the form of nitpicky UI quirks and needing a little more meat here and there. They aren’t big enough to be discouraging because I’m still having a hard time pulling myself away from the addicting little tactical RPG playground.