Shadowrun, based on the pen-and-paper RPG of the same name, is a futuristic sci-fi/fantasy game, taking inspiration from Neuromancer, Blade Runner, and other cyberpunk stories.
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Shadowrun (SNES) delivers a unique blend of cyberpunk and fantasy in a gritty, atmospheric package. The story is gripping, the dialogue system adds depth, and exploring a dystopian Seattle is cool. Combat can feel clunky, and there's definitely a learning curve. If you have patience and love the cyberpunk genre, it's a hidden gem worth digging up.
Great game, lots of good and fun dialogues;
When I finish you. WHEN I FINISH YOU!!!
Shadowrun is a pen and paper RPG that I always wanted to play but never got to (mainly because I'm not into the concept of pen and paper RPGs) but I have always loved the universe and the story of Shadowrun. Playing a video game based in that world was a dream come true but I have also found both the SNES and Genesis games to be difficult as hell to progress through. I still have fond memories of renting them and giving them a shot, though.
I kicked 2023 off with Shadowrun Returns on Steam, and with the year coming to a close I thought it'd be interesting to pay a visit to its SNES uncle. And this game really started off strong, with a more effective narrative hook than Returns; before you even select "New Game" you watch as your character is gunned down by a hit squad and left for dead, only for a mysterious shapeshifter to cast a spell on you before leaving. You wake up in the morgue with a splitting headache and amnesia and have to piece together what you were doing before. And while this may sound a tad derivative, the Cyberpunk-Noir atmosphere and the way the game slowly opens up in a nonlinear way really make the difference - the vibes really do a lot of the heavy lifting here!
Mechanically there are plenty of interesting ideas as well (mostly adapted from the tabletop ruleset): the ability to spend karma (experience points) to raise specific stats, spending money to hire mercenaries to fight on your side, and later on finding a character who will teach you various magic spells in exchange for various random trinkets you've (hopefully) been collecting. The execution is mixed - it's not hard to raise your stats to the point that you can go without hired help, and few of the spells are particularly useful - but the effort is appreciated.
Where the game falters is in its UI. It uses a point-and-click interface which, on the SNES controller, is unsurprisingly clunky. Using different buttons for shooting, casting, investigating, and picking up is unnecessary - why not just a dedicated 'action' button? And if all this merely added up to clunky menu-hopping I might still be inclined to give it some goodwill, but the point-and-click system also extends to the (real-time) combat! It makes aiming an absolute pain, and reduces 99% of combat to standing in one spot and DPS-racing the enemies - moving around strategically in between shots simply isn't a usable approach because your enemies aren't constrained by the point-and-click system and can aim instantaneously.
Add in some extremely obtuse requirements for progression and some very suspect balancing (the most dangerous enemies are rats!) and you have a game that becomes quite a chore to play at points. Still, if you're willing to use a guide, this is a relatively streamlined sub-10-hour experience that's worth trying out if you're into this genre!
Also one of the characters looks like Robin Williams with elf ears.
Mechanically there are plenty of interesting ideas as well (mostly adapted from the tabletop ruleset): the ability to spend karma (experience points) to raise specific stats, spending money to hire mercenaries to fight on your side, and later on finding a character who will teach you various magic spells in exchange for various random trinkets you've (hopefully) been collecting. The execution is mixed - it's not hard to raise your stats to the point that you can go without hired help, and few of the spells are particularly useful - but the effort is appreciated.
Where the game falters is in its UI. It uses a point-and-click interface which, on the SNES controller, is unsurprisingly clunky. Using different buttons for shooting, casting, investigating, and picking up is unnecessary - why not just a dedicated 'action' button? And if all this merely added up to clunky menu-hopping I might still be inclined to give it some goodwill, but the point-and-click system also extends to the (real-time) combat! It makes aiming an absolute pain, and reduces 99% of combat to standing in one spot and DPS-racing the enemies - moving around strategically in between shots simply isn't a usable approach because your enemies aren't constrained by the point-and-click system and can aim instantaneously.
Add in some extremely obtuse requirements for progression and some very suspect balancing (the most dangerous enemies are rats!) and you have a game that becomes quite a chore to play at points. Still, if you're willing to use a guide, this is a relatively streamlined sub-10-hour experience that's worth trying out if you're into this genre!
Also one of the characters looks like Robin Williams with elf ears.
Cool game, sadly there are a few design decisions that make it worse. Nothing weird for the time, if anything it's excellent remake material.