Shadowrun Returns

I'd give this more of a side thumb. Also, if you play in a higher resolution, make sure to turn on the bigger UI in settings. Good: The base campaign is decently long and interesting enough. The characters have a fair amount of personality. They aren't all snide and full of themselves in the same way as watching a Marvel movie, or playing Baldur's Gate 3. The abridged game rules are fairly close to the tabletop games'. Music is fitting and engaging for the theme. Bad: There are quite a lot of typos in dialogue, inspection screens, and tooltips. Tooltips often don't provide enough information. It's hard to balance a campaign around skills (or reverse); but the base campaign gives heavy incentive to skill into decking, and drone rigging instead of summoning. Melee combat is generally very bad. Guns don't seem to have a penalty in close range, and ammo management isn't too stressful in a game with unlimited ammo. Magic is tricky, and some spells could use a bit more range. Biotech (healing) is underwhelming. Getting 2-3 more healing per skill point for the karma investment is quite bad, but more would be too strong. I think that it needs a secondary effect to give it more utility. The game is fairly old now, so I have to forgive many quality of life issues. If you set a character to overwatch, you can't undo it. You can't end a character's turn without spending all AP; but you can end the whole party's turn/round. Minions aren't able to benefit from info based passives their master has unlocked, such as seeing enemy HP. Turn order and AP values seem to be buggy. This gets worse the further you get into the campaign. Some enemies will bug and continue to attack after dying (not for story reasons or anything). I did have one soft-lock that required me to open the console, do a hard save, and reload the save. I found a vent that is one-way, with no indication of this.

Brings back the good old days of the TTRPG. I'm doing a replay for the 3rd time since it's release. I highly recommend the sequel as well!

I was craving for some cyberpunk and turn based combat. I've got all of that plus some plot craziness on the side. Loved every second of it

I really enjoyed this one despite its age. It has parts where it could use QoL but that's to be expected from a rather old game. The characters and the story are definitely the game's forte.

I don't care if the game sucks, which it doesn't. Shadowrun was my favorite tabletop RPG, with a fantastic lore, and brilliant mechanics.

Gameplay Mechanics: 7/10 Narrative: 8/10 Graphics: 6/10 Sound and Music: 7/10 Replayability: 6/10 Innovation: 7/10 Shadowrun Returns is a stylish tactical RPG that brings the cult classic cyberpunk-meets-magic universe back to life. It’s a strong foundation for the series reboot, with tight turn-based combat, deep lore, and a gritty noir storyline that’ll pull you in if you're into that dystopian future vibe. Gameplay mechanics are solid. The turn-based combat is XCOM-like, with a strong emphasis on positioning, cover, and abilities. Hacking (decking), summoning, and character builds offer variety, though it’s more streamlined than later entries. Score: 7/10. Narrative is a major highlight. The story feels like a proper cyberpunk detective tale with twists, shady characters, and a dense world. Dialogue is well-written, and while it’s mostly text-based, it does a great job of building atmosphere. Score: 8/10. Graphics are serviceable but dated. The isometric view and art style are stylish in a gritty way, but animations are stiff and environments a bit flat. Still, it gets the job done. Score: 6/10. Sound and music complement the world well. The soundtrack is moody and atmospheric, and while it’s not especially memorable, it enhances the setting effectively. Score: 7/10. Replayability is okay. There are multiple builds and dialogue options, but the linear main story limits how different repeat playthroughs feel. Mods and the built-in editor help extend the experience. Score: 6/10. Innovation gets a nod for successfully reviving a unique setting and merging tactical combat with rich narrative in a compact package. It laid the groundwork for Dragonfall and Hong Kong. Score: 7/10. Bottom line: Shadowrun Returns is a great intro to a gritty cyber-fantasy world. It’s not the most complex RPG out there, but its focused story, solid combat, and world-building make it a worthwhile ride—especially for fans of tactical strategy with a strong narrative backbone.

Great tabletop brought to PC

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