Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut (PC)

Shadowrun: Dragonfall really took me by surprise, especially because I was not too impressed with it's predecessor. Namely, I never finished Shadowrun: Returns because I found it to be too linear and simplistic with some very strange design decisions, and by the time I began playing it, Dragonfall was already out with positive word of mouth. To be more precise, the word on the internet was that Dragonfall addressed most of complaints people had with the first game, so I decided to immediately give it a try. To my surprise, Dragonfall turned out to be not just a very good game, but in my opinion a true classic that every roleplayer should have in their collection!

Official trailer by Harebrained Schemes

Man meets magic and machine

The year is 2054. Magic has returned to the world, awakening powerful creatures of myth and legend. Unchecked advances in technology have blurred the line between man and machine. Great dragons play humanity for pawns, while ruthless corporations bleed the world dry. In this new reality of elves and trolls, corporate arcologies and terrifying new magics, anything is possible... for a price. And when the powerful and the desperate need a job done, they turn to shadowrunners - mercenaries, living on the fringes of society, surviving day-by-day on skill and instinct alone. 

Your story begins in the Free City of Berlin - The Flux-State - a stable anarchy enforced by an ever-shifting coalition of megacorps, political factions, and savvy power players. A place where almost anything goes, and where the right connections can be the difference between success and starvation. Dangerous jobs abound here and there is no better place to earn a quick payday - provided you live long enough to spend it. This is just a small taste of the incredible setting you will immerse yourself in!

The graphics look and feel like they were made in the late 90s - what I call the golden era of roleplaying games

The good

There are so many things done superbly in this game that I don't know where to begin. The game is literally only a few short steps from being a true masterpiece and although there is still some room for improvement, there is a lot to love here! First of all, the setting which I already mentioned is original and interesting; secondly, the story is mysterious, engaging and has a nice twist in the end; and thirdly, the characters go through a lot of development with superbly written dialogs and some interesting moral choices to think about. In fact, dialogues are done so well that I would be hard pressed to find a game that does it better! Not only are there a lot of skill checks everywhere, which allow you to bypass certain problems just by talking to people - but even more importantly - characters express their opinions vocally, they disagree with you, question you and contribute to problem solving from their own perspective. This is something I have not seen since the days of Baldur's Gate and something that Shadowrun: Dragonfall does ten times better than Pillars of Eternity!

Perhaps the best dialogues I have ever experienced in a game

The game also features a very good turned based combat that resembles Wasteland 2 and X-COM - something without which the game would definitely not be as entertaining if they messed it up. Luckily this was not the case and combat is engaging from beginning to end, even though it is not too complex. Basically, you have 2 or 3 moves per turn depending on your character level, you can take cover behind various objects and then you deal or take damage based on your stats and weapons being used. The developer did an excellent job at balancing your stat based character progression with combat, although you will be forced to specialize in one or two things if you want to be any good at it. So the combat is pretty good overall and the only thing I was missing was the ability to position my squad before the battle begins. However, this is a minor complaint that can easily be ignored since it does not affect the game in any significant manner.

Combat is nothing too complex or original, but it does the job just fine

Another thing that needs to be praised is the general design of the game. Here I am not just talking about the visual aspect which captures the not-so-distant future perfectly, but more importantly I am talking about the different ways you can approach a problem. Namely, there are many skill checks in dialogues which allow you to gain important information or completely bypass a problem and the same can be said by having a decker or a rigger in your squad which allows you to hack into various computer systems or droids. However the best thing about the overall design is the fact that there is no hand-holding! In other words, the game rewards exploration and I cannot count the times when I was digging through something that on first glance looked like worthless piece of information, only to find it useful at some later point of the game if you managed to recognize the hidden clue.

Furthermore, hacking various computer systems is a small game of it's own, because your decker needs to be phisically connected to a computer in order to enter cyberspace with his consciousness. This adds another layer of depth to both combat and setting, since cyberspace not only looks completely different from the rest of the game, but your decker also needs to be protected while he is connected to a computer. Often times you will find yourself in a situation where you are being overrun by enemies, while your decker is desperately trying to hack the code needed for your escape. And as if this is not enough, the world of Shadowrun also features other dimensions which exist with their own set of rules. All of this provides a very unique experience that can best be summarized by describing this game as Deus Ex meets Baldur's Gate. I for one will buy anything that manages to accomplish that!

Cyberspace comes with it's own set of rules and dangers

The bad

Majority of my complaints stem from design of the interface which is awkward and non-intuitive to use. This is difficult to explain, but in a lot of ways it feels like it was designed with the mobile crowd in mind and I cannot count the times I found myself scrolling through menus just to check my character's health level. I also had a slight problem with accepting the lack of loot I am so used to in roleplaying games, or the inability to equip new items while being on a mission. Now, none of these things were a big issue for me, but they are nevertheless a bit annoying.

I also cannot do an objective review without mentioning certain things (or the lack thereof), which are probably the product of low production values. Namely, there are no cutscenes in the game, no voice overs, the animations are a bit stiff, the game is still pretty linear and I really wish they included some character portraits that weren't so deformed by the cyberpunk theme. Luckily there is an easy way to import your own portraits, but I am still trying to find a suitable male character that would fit the overall look of the game.

The interface is a bit clunky, but still better than majority of console ports

Conclusion

As I mentioned in the beginning of this review, Shadowrun: Dragonfall is only a few steps short of being a true masterpiece. Although I have some issues with how the inventory system works, lack of loot and linearity of the game, it is superbly written, fun and addictive. The music and atmosphere is nothing short of brilliant, the characters are engaging, combat is fun and this is definitely a game that is a strong contender for the best game I have played this year! There is room for improvement, but I can easily recommend it to any old school RPG lover out there.

Final score: 8.5/10