- Publisher: Harebrained Schemes LLC
- Release Date: Jul 25, 2013
- Also On: iPhone/iPad, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Jul 25, 2013This is one of the most satisfying and complete tactical roleplaying experiences to come out of 2013 and realistically the last few years.
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Jul 25, 2013The fact that this game costs less than a night at the movies (Steam price is $19.99, though you can pick it up for 10% off for a very short span after you read this) and delivers a storyline you’ll want to play more than once, as well as the promise of infinite expansion, it’s very easy to recommend.
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Jul 29, 2013What we have here isn't just a great game, but the potential for even greater ones.
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Jul 29, 2013Turn-based tactical combat, skills, spells and upgrades, thick and well-written dialogues, great cyberpunk atmosphere, good longevity and a powerful level and campaign editor.
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Jul 26, 2013Shadowrun Returns stumbles a bit in its effort to re-create on the PC the isometric RPG world gamers fell in love with on classic consoles, but it redeems itself by providing players with a seemingly infinite toolbox to craft their own adventures.
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Jul 25, 2013Even if you never played the tabletop game or the original Shadowrun console games, Harebrained Schemes has crafted a potent argument for joining in on the fun. Here’s hoping this reawakening is just the beginning of a new lease on life for the Sixth World.
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Pelit (Finland)Oct 5, 2013Shadowrun Returns is a bit more simplistic than I had hoped for, but at the same time it is not bad at all. [Sept 2013]
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LEVEL (Czech Republic)Sep 9, 2013A well-made and entertaining comeback of the old brand-name brings the atmospheric campaign, but mainly its potential longevity thanks to the user-generated content. [Issue#233]
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Hyper MagazineSep 4, 2013If this is the quality we can expect of Kickstarter games, then bring on Project Eternity and Doublefine Adventure. [Oct 2013, p.57]
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CD-ActionAug 28, 2013Every writer in the game industry should learn from Harebrained Schemes. It’s been a really long time since I was following a game’s story with such pleasure. [CD-Action 10/2013, p.50]
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Aug 28, 2013Shadowrun Returns is a neat return. Maybe you'll miss a sophisticated combat system or long narrative story, but the game makes it up to you with its crime story and its great atmosphere. If you are positive for isometric RPGs, it would be a pity to miss this one.
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PC PowerPlayAug 27, 2013An entertaining 12 hour romp with some seriously powerful modding tools that promise many more campaigns to come. [Sept 2013, p.82]
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Aug 7, 2013Even if Shadowrun Returns can't be compared with the giants of the RPG genre, it has enough character to shine and to show us the storytelling potential of the powerful editor.
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Aug 7, 2013Those that love or have fond memories of Shadowrun will get the most out of Shadowrun Returns, but anyone that enjoys RPGs, XCOM and cyberpunk settings could also find something to love.
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Aug 6, 2013Nice 2D graphics, intense battles, a right degree of ‘hardcoreness’, almost no show-stopping bugs, well-written story and dialogues – that is quite an achievement for an indie studio.
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Aug 5, 2013I hadn’t touched a strategy game with any serious intent until Firaxis turned my world upside down with XCOM. Though Shadowrun Returns assumes too much about the player’s prior knowledge about the universe and too often skimps over introducing key gameplay systems, getting over the hump is worth discovering the deeply gratifying strategy game within.
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Aug 5, 2013Shadowrun Returns aims to bring back the classic RPG feeling — much like BioWare’s Dragon Age did when it was released — and succeeds wholeheartedly. It’s not too deep, has a short main campaign, and has design flaws from being built around a tablet, but it’s still the best RPG in ages.
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Aug 2, 2013Shadowrun Returns shows how good a Kickstarter project can be. A very solid project for RPG fans, with an excellent setting and a fantastic editor. Is it enough?
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GameTrailersAug 1, 2013More than enough material to keep the shadows running long into the future.
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Aug 1, 2013Shadowrun Returns succeeds because, beyond its cyberpunk leanings, it's also a mash-up of many concepts born in that halcyon decade. It's very much of its time, but for many of us, its time was pretty great.
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Jul 30, 2013Even if you’re discounting any additional future content (and the developers are already hinting at follow-up campaigns post-release), this is a game that deserves your attention right now. A.M.F, chummer, see you in the sprawl.
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Jul 30, 2013The focused narrative and fighting mechanics work hand in hand to make for a real alternative to more expensive (and expansive) monster-rpgs, without being any less deep or engrossing for it.
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Jul 29, 2013The result isn't quite a masterpiece, but the game is smart, fun, and best of all, explicitly built with the intention of spurring more creativity in the future.
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Jul 29, 2013While there are a few flaws in Shadowrun Returns, most notably linearity, the lack of a save function and a slightly under-utilized world, the excellent and consistently fun writing and XCOM-inspired combat make it a worthwhile experience.
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Jul 25, 2013One the one hand what’s already here is enjoyable and compelling, for the comparatively short amount of time it’ll take you to play through it, but the promise of more makes me feel like Shadowrun Returns is only going to grow in value as time goes on. If the players really latch onto the capabilities of the editor, it’s going to be an incredible rich offering, and one that could theoretically never stop giving.
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Jul 24, 2013Judged purely as a standalone game, it's an unambiguous success.
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Aug 1, 2013Although its design weaknesses keep it from becoming an instant classic, the game as it is provides a great starting platform for future player-made content and official expansions.
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Aug 20, 2013Shadowrun Returns is an old-style RPG based on a robust and well calculated gameplay, that will entertain all the fans of the genre and a large group of nostalgic. At the same time, this project is also very limited and linear.
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Jul 31, 2013Shadowrun Returns is precisely what it promised to be on Kickstarter: a game that harkens back to the olden days, with HD resolution. Especially older gamers will find nostalgia and fun in this world, expanded by the level editor. For the younger audience the old fashioned imperfections might be too disruptive, but every RPG fan who loves Blade Runner should give Shadowrun Returns a shot.
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Jul 29, 2013Shadowrun Returns is a compelling tactical RPG that delivers a fantastic storyline, but it's less ambitious than we expected. Thankfully, the game has a complete editor for the community.
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Jul 26, 2013Shadowrun Returns is a fun game. It is solid and with enormous potential. What is being shown now is just a small part of what may be achieved and everyone knows that when the community has the necessary tools, they end up doing great things. Harebrained Schemes has managed where to draw the line between the possible and the ambitious, but seems to have behaved too conservatively and it shows with the lack of content. If those responsible and users know how to profit what has been created, we will have a game that will be worth much more. But all of this is about to happen.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 638 out of 1042
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Mixed: 273 out of 1042
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Negative: 131 out of 1042
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Jul 25, 2013
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Jul 25, 2013
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Jul 25, 2013