Shadowrun Returns First Look

About ten months ago developer Harebrained Schemes was successful in its Kickstarter attempt to get a new Shadowrun game off the ground with a haul of almost two million dollars. Now, we're finally getting a look at what they've been up to since then.

This early alpha footage shows a few levels and combat in the game, and reminds me of some of the earlier Shadowrun NES games in it's isometric approach to the gameplay. The game runs in free mode for exploring and interacting with the world, but transforms into a turn-based combat mode very similar to Xcom: Enemy Unknown when the fighting begins, complete with the ability to take cover, go into overwatch, use multiple weapon functions and abilities, etc.

The hiring of Companions -or Runners as their called in the Shadowrun universe- is also shown, as well as the squad combat system....which again is much like your traditional turn-based strategy, or like Xcom...for those who have that as a contemporary reference.

Dialogue options also seem like they'll have some depth to them as choices become available based upon characater skill such as strength and charisma.  Hopefully this will play a crucial part in the narrative, and open up story arcs that might have previously been unavailable to the character. 

Shadowrun is still in the early stages but already I'm liking the old-school approach. The Animations are solid and I especially like the color palette they've chosen for a futuristic run-down Seattle. It would have been easy to blanket the world in dull greys and browns, but instead they've chosen a much brighter color scheme which is much more inviting to the eye. Thankfully we might be finally coming out of the days when dull was in.

Another thing I'm noticing is the attention to detail they're putting into recreating a futuristic Seattle. Looking at the screens of Pike Place Market I can tell you that's a fairly great representation. That little path leading downward from the left of the main sign really exists, and leads to both a good bar and our famous “Gum Wall.” And yes...there is produce across the street from that sign as well.

Here are some additional details Harebrained Schemes added with the video for reference:

00:20 - Lady Z prefers to dress-for-effect (dig that gas-mask – so punk) but there will be a variety of outfits for you to choose from so you can make your character look the way you want. We plan to release more outfits after the game launches.

00:39 - For those of you who know Seattle, this is Pike Place Public Market in 2054. The neighborhood may have taken a downturn.

03:30 - options: Burst Fire, Full Auto etc. We also have character combat abilities like Aim. We also use the tabletop “stages” of damage with from Weak (1/2) to Crit (x2). All of this is based on the math from the SR tabletop game. You can see your chance to hit with every character but you need to invest Karma in weapon specializations to see your chance to crit with each weapon type. As your weapon specialization skill increases, so does your chance to crit.

05:00 - Note that Lady Z’s corp security etiquette skill is missing from her character sheet. The screen underwent a recent revision and it was left off of this version temporarily. Also, Scooter the Rigger’s drone skills are currently higher than his Intelligence and the Shaman’s spirit control and conjuring skills are higher than his Charisma. Not to worry. These bugs are already addressed.

06:00 - Obviously, Lady Z could just whip out an Ares Predator and drill this guard but guns make a lot of noise and Jordan doesn’t want to attract too much attention – our AI NPCs will react to gunfire and investigate. So instead, he whips out Lady Z’s katana for a (relatively) silent kill. One other note – you’ll see that the guard asks Lady Z for her SIN. Just want to make it clear that there’s no “SIN system” in the game and runners are SINless. But fake credentials are very useful in getting past guards, etc.

06:10 - You’ll notice the rigger is automatically being followed by his drone. If you check the rigger UI at the bottom of the screen, you’ll see that you can set the drone to remain stationary. That’s handy if you want to leave the drone behind to provide line-of-sight on a location after you leave (so there are no surprises when you get back).

08:08 - Inside the shaman’s backpack are magical fetishes that he uses for summoning elementals: air, fire, water, and earth. Fetishes are consumable to keep the shaman from being overpowered. They can be replenished by purchasing more at the local talismonger.

08:22 - Every turn, summoned spirits have a chance to break free and that chance increases every time you commit APs for them to use. However, increasing your Spirit Control skill reduces the risk. It’s a good investment because when a spirit breaks free, they’ll attack anybody.

09:37 - Yup, the AI loves it when you clump up your characters. If they have an equipped grenade or area-of-effect spell, this will happen to you too.

10:14 - Some spells have cool-down times associated with them and you SHOULD wait for that time to expire before using the spell again. However, you CAN use the spell again but you’ll take Drain HP damage from pushing yourself.

15:18 - Ley lines are the intersections of magical energy flowing through the world. Only Mages can see them. When they stand on a ley line, Mages cast spells far more easily and with greater effect: cool down times are reduced, and chances to hit are increased, as is damage.

16:17 - Shaman don’t always need to expend fetishes for summoning spirits. Intense concentrations of emotions or natural elements can be used as gateways for summoning as well. Only shaman can see them. Once a concentration has been used as a gateway, it can’t be used again (until the shaman raises his summoning skill high enough), so best to keep a magical fetish in your pocket.

17:27 - The AI re-evaluates their threat list every turn. The basilisk decided that the abomination spirit is the biggest threat in the room.

 Shadowrun Returns will be released on PC, Mac, and Apple & Android tablets at some undisclosed point in the future.