The world of Shadowrun is a mess, mythical creatures have risen from rips in the earth and magic is crackling through everyone’s fingertips. On top of that, mega corporations own the cities and conduct shadowy operations against one another, often having civilians caught in the crossfire.
And you can play amid it all.
Shadowrun Returns is due out later this month and its launch trailer conveys quite why you may want to jack in.
Shadowrun’s compelling world was a large part of what carried them game successfully through its Kickstarter campaign, that, and the involvement of Jordan Weisman, who created the series 25 years ago. Besides that though the blend of technology and magic in the game is an intriguing one. Yes, on paper a hackers ability to see through walls by taking over security cameras in other rooms could just as easily be a farsight spell cast by a wizard but the interplay between the magically adept and the folk who have to get by on technology could lay the seeds for an ace set of stories.
Also, the inclusion of mod tools will hopefully lead to a whole host of player-made expansions. It all relies on the systems within the base game being compelling enough to attract an audience.
Shadowrun Returns is due out 25 July.