What started out as an excellent expansion pack gets the full game upgrade. You don't need to have played the earlier Shadowrun game before this. Those who have might notice that it's longer than it was in its first iteration, but the new version covers much of the same ground with some new additions. A lot of it is familiar in terms of art, sound, and gameplay. One distinct change present is the user interface has gotten something of a facelift. It's not a radical change, but it's enough to give a sense of separation from the first game, a feeling that you're not playing an expansion pack per se, but a fullblown game that can and does stand on its own.
For those who might have missed the first game, and haven't played either the earlier titles on consoles or pen-and-paper RPG, Shadowrun: Dragonfall places you in the role of a “shadowrunner,” a figure that is equal parts money grubbing mercenary, violent criminal thug, and honorable brigand.
In the near future, magic has returned to the world alongside the advent of practical cybernetic prosthetics and full-immersion VR computing. Elves, dwarves, orks, and trolls have metaphysically mutated from ordinary human beings, while multinational megacorporations wage private wars with each other and the enigmatic dragons who walk the world once more. Dragonfall takes players to the broken remains of Germany, where you must investigate the death of your best friend while the two of you were on a job together.
At the same time, you're trying to survive the byzantine gambits of anarchists and corporate honchos, fighting off rebels serving an ancient evil, and getting to know the strange crew of shadowrunners you've suddenly been put in charge of. Along the way, you'll learn spells, pick up ever more powerful weapons and armor, and modify your body with the latest in cybernetic and bio-engineered upgrades. The character creation process is pretty quick and there's plenty of helpful descriptions about what different stats do that can make guiding your character's development through the game relatively painless.
The game, as was mentioned earlier, hasn't changed much from its first go-around as an expansion pack save for new content and modified UI.
On the upside, the actual mechanics are pretty much point-and-click when it comes navigating maps and going through combat.
On the downside, it retains a save scheme that is slightly flawed.
Going into whole new areas causes an autosave, which can be a boon if you forgot to save manually, but it also means that if you've screwed up in some fashion, it may reload you at a point that will require a lot of backtracking. And if you've happened to bring the wrong people for the mission at hand, there'll be a lot more backtracking and some frustration as you try to figure out which save holds the team at a point where you feel good about proceeding. Additionally, some players may feel kind of irked by the “mission fail” nature of missions. Rather than letting you proceed with the game after a busted job, you have to reload and try again, which may lead to the aforementioned save hunting.
For all of the little irritations that come up, Shadowrun: Dragonfall is probably one of the best values in gaming that any RPG fan could hope for. The characters are as well rounded and engaging as any would find in any medium, the storyline keeps things moving, and the tactical gameplay allows for plenty of surprises when the bullets start flying. If you're not quite ready to give up the traditional heroic fantasy RPG, but you're wanting something a little more fresh, your game has come in. Just don't make any deals with a dragon.
- Axel Cushing
Follow @RavingArmy
The Good:
- Excellent value
- Great characters and engaging storyline
- New content
The Bad:
- Irksome save mechanics
- Potential for excessive backtracking
