Review RPG Codex Review: Shadowrun Returns

[Infinitron]

Too bad that this game was supposed to more than just a fast-food deal.

Was it? The original funding goal was 400,000 dollars, man. It was supposed to an iOS casual game. (inb4 it still is)

That's true. Still, where did the extra millions go?

Lovely isometric graphics don't grow on trees: http://www.rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=9054

While Gitelman says he has no problem telling his inner executive to go sit in a corner, he is not so disciplined when it comes to design issues. As an example, he brought up the decision to go from a top-down 2D game to a 2D-3D hybrid with an isometric viewpoint as one with cascading consequences for development.

"That one decision right there added amazing complexity and cost to the development, that one decision more than any other," Gitelman said. Beyond the greater demands on the art team, the user interface was similarly complicated by the switch, impacting things like line-of-sight calculations.

 

[Castanova]

Too bad that this game was supposed to more than just a fast-food deal.

Was it? The original funding goal was 400,000 dollars, man. It was supposed to an iOS casual game. (inb4 it still is)

That's true. Still, where did the extra millions go?

Lovely isometric graphics don't grow on trees: http://www.rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=9054

While Gitelman says he has no problem telling his inner executive to go sit in a corner, he is not so disciplined when it comes to design issues. As an example, he brought up the decision to go from a top-down 2D game to a 2D-3D hybrid with an isometric viewpoint as one with cascading consequences for development.

"That one decision right there added amazing complexity and cost to the development, that one decision more than any other," Gitelman said. Beyond the greater demands on the art team, the user interface was similarly complicated by the switch, impacting things like line-of-sight calculations.

That mention of "line-of-sight calculations" reeks of bullshit, though. I could implement a basic isometric engine with working line-of-sight and pathfinding algorithms in one day. You just google "isometric line-of-sight and pathfinding" and convert whatever code you find to your language and your proprietary project structure.

 

[Crispy]

Good review. Honest, on-point, praising the game where it deserves, i.e. its writing.

I'll just say that if this is the direction that crowd funded RPG's are going... then the future, at least in my eyes, is pretty bright.

 

[tuluse]

That mention of "line-of-sight calculations" reeks of bullshit, though. I could implement a basic isometric engine with working line-of-sight and pathfinding algorithms in one day. You just google "isometric line-of-sight and pathfinding" and convert whatever code you find to your language and your proprietary project structure.

 

[thesheeep]

Hmm, actually, neither line-of-sight nor pathfinding have to do with isometric vs top-down perspective, as both can be (and should be) abstracted in code anyway. And in their abstracted layer, both boil down to "simple" 2D calculations.

I do understand the part of the increased art cost, but I don't see where a 2D pathfinding would be affected by the game it is used on being 2D, 2.5D or even 3D (if you can't jump/fly that is).

 

[tuluse]

What do you mean by abstracted? How does one "abstract" line of sight?

 

[Brayko]

Simply not worth the money. As someone mentioned, I think Underrail is a more promising project. Hopefully, with the profits from this game, they could conjure another Kickstarter and kick in fuel from them when they hit their funding goal, which should be no less than $1,500,000, and actually make a worthwhile RPG.

 

[pusheax]

What do you mean by abstracted? How does one "abstract" line of sight?

It's basically array of tiles anyway.

 

[Crispy]

Simply not worth the money.

$19.99? Like Roxor said, you get a lot of bang for the buck with this title. What are you talking about?

 

[Brayko]

Go back to GD, Crispy.

 

[KickAss]

To me, the game equals something like 2 NWN units (NWN is a game that's barely ok enough for me to pay for). More, if there will be good user mods. So considering I'm getting the second module for free, it's totally worth it.

 

[Crispy]

Go back to GD, Crispy.

Fuck you. Did you even play this game at all?

 

[villain of the story]

Darth Roxor writes the most boring and pointlessly long reviews. He also makes an issue out of non-issues. Descriptions to traditional genre skills not detailed enough? Give me a fucking break.

 

[Infinitron]

Darth Roxor writes the most boring and pointlessly long reviews. He also makes an issue out of non-issues. Descriptions to traditional genre skills not detailed enough? Give me a fucking break.

He also makes an issue out of non-issues.

So, what about that Obsidian Stealth Retrospective?

 

[villain of the story]

As soon as I'll have the time.

 

[HiddenX]

Darth Roxor - good and comprehensive review - thank you.

 

[Sensuki]

There are a few types of ICPs, most of them pretty basic, like melee attacker, buffer, etc. They do damage only to the decker's persona, and cannot kill him outright, only forcibly kick him out of cyberspace.

I don't think this is completely accurate. Every time you die in the Matrix your Decker loses some health. I entered the matrix with a Decker once when he had 25% RL HP and he died from just normal ICPs and I had to revive him in meat land with a trauma kit

 

[Mrowak]

Darth Roxor

Splendid job. Another great review to get inspired by

Finally, a weird thing about the difficulty is the difficulty setting. There are four modes – easy, normal, hard and very hard. I played on the three highest ones, and to be perfectly honest, I have no idea what differences they have. The numbers of enemies you face stay the same, and their hp largely doesn't change either, I think. I believe they only get some very basic AI tweaks, as I don’t think I've ever been bombarded by grenades on normal, while they are used more often on higher difficulties. Generally the enemies were harder to hit on hard/very hard, so I suspect they also get some minor stat boosts.

I observed major stat boosts for melee attacks. Like in this one fight I remember a bunch of junkies would do 3 damage per fistpunch on Normal difficulty, whereas on Very Hard it would be whooping 9 hp. Also, on Very Hard I keep getting hit with -1 AP shots - that did not happen on Normal.

 

[Grunker]

Finished it today on Very Hard. No fight was particularly challenging except the final one, but some fights showed that with just a bit of tuning, the combat could have been so much better. Agree with Roxor's review from A to B. No full-fledged game, and your milage will definetely vary. For me, it was worth the $20, though barely. I hope the future will expand this game's scope. There was real potential there.

I will say though, that if WL2, Torment, P:E and such manage to bring more wholesome experiences, incline might be ahead. At the few times where I had real fun with Shadowrun, I had fun with a game that felt almost like the games I remember and haven't played for so long.

Here's to a bright future

 

[toro]

There are a few types of ICPs, most of them pretty basic, like melee attacker, buffer, etc. They do damage only to the decker's persona, and cannot kill him outright, only forcibly kick him out of cyberspace.

I don't think this is completely accurate. Every time you die in the Matrix your Decker loses some health. I entered the matrix with a Decker once when he had 25% RL HP and he died from just normal ICPs and I had to revive him in meat land with a trauma kit

My decker also died because he was killed in the Matrix. I think some ESP are doing Host Ip Damage which means that they are damaging the actual decker. But I might be wrong.

 

[Bizarro Jimmy Olsen]

I had a decker doing fine in the Matrix -- took some minor damage was all -- and when it was next his turn he just dropped dead in meat space.

And typos here and there I can almost forgive, but there's half a dozen "it's" in there when it should have been "its" (the possessive pronoun). Holy shit that one bugs the hell out of me. Average idiot on the Internet doesn't know the difference? Fine. But a professional writer? Really?

 

[AstroZombie]

This isn't a new Troika-esque rpg but a 'good for what it is' snack in a time where we sadly can't be all too picky.

Perhaps, but if the prophecies are true and stuff like Wasteland 2 and Divinity:OS get released this year, I suspect Shadowrun will fade into nothingness, barely remembered by the end of the year, unless some really fantastic mod is made...

I think those will be "early 2014" games.

 

[Sensuki]

There are a few types of ICPs, most of them pretty basic, like melee attacker, buffer, etc. They do damage only to the decker's persona, and cannot kill him outright, only forcibly kick him out of cyberspace.

I don't think this is completely accurate. Every time you die in the Matrix your Decker loses some health. I entered the matrix with a Decker once when he had 25% RL HP and he died from just normal ICPs and I had to revive him in meat land with a trauma kit

My decker also died because he was killed in the Matrix. I think some ESP are doing Host Ip Damage which means that they are damaging the actual decker. But I might be wrong.

There are some ICPs that state that they do host damage, but I think an actual death in the Matrix has a health cost to the runner.

 

[DramaticPopcorn]

Cool review, Roxxor.

 

[Morkar Left]

Good review. I agree with most of it but some points are overdramatization in Darth Roxor style. I liked the in dept explanations and no use of spoilers.

The main problem is if you were expecting a full fledged rpg you were already missing the initial intention. The main influence was the SNES shadowrun game, secondary the genesis game and tertiary X-com. The shadowrun console games were just that: console games. As in action games with some rpg elements.

The genesis game added actually some nice rpg elements from the pnp game like ammunition, security cards and outlawed weapons and hiding them and the like on a very simple but effective basis. That is missing in Shadowrun Returns but I guess it can have a comeback in Berlin.

All in all Shadowrun Returns is an interactive novel with combat in some charbuilding in between but lacks the true rpg feel because of it's total linearity. That being said the greatest strength is the writing accompanied by the artwork and music. This three elements carry the whole game. The combat and rpg mechanics can need some tweaking but overall are satisfying for me.

For 20$ I say it's totally worth the price if you like shadowrun or cyberpunk (and you can get over the magic ofc... pussy).

General Improvements besides get rid of bugs would be:

- runners can permanently die (preventing this would be a better way for a doc wagon contract instead of extra heal)
- other runners can heal the main char
- more cyberware
- more sidemissions
- more interactivity with the environment (with choices and consequences)
- harder difficulty
- an initiative system; being the quickest was always VERY important in Shadowrun (a samurai without reflexboosters was laughable)
- a perception skill which allows to notice this extra cash, heal kits and the like lying around or offer additional quest solutions
- a stealth skill and an alarm system similar to the matrix
- more use for the biotech skill; maybe introduce some bioware (lol) or allow to brew your own combat drugs?
- better safe system; you should be able to safe your game outside of runs. In runs I would like not being allowed to safe.

If these improvements (or most of it) get in Berlin dlc or another big update I will shovel some additional money to Hairbrained besides getting the dlc already for free.