Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut

The best story out of the Shadowrun trilogy, love the choices the game gives you, with multiple approaches to each mission.

Me encanta la ambientacion Fantasia/Cyberpunk. Historia interesante, el sistema de combate se podria mejorar pero esta bien hecho

An excellent followup to Shadowrun: Returns, if you liked that, you'll love this. It is a bit harder than the previous instalment, so be aware, but it offers wonderful characters, an amazing story and an atmospheric feel that is hard to beat.

They squeezed every penny out of that budget. Truly memorable characters and quests, the best Shadowrun video game period. Would be perfect with gamepad support and bigger text.

Good Game

Great game! Interesting visual style, very solid plot well-grounded in Shadowrun lore, likeable characters, and INCREDIBLE writing. Seriously, the game is worth playing just for the amazing dialogue and characterisation. Mechanics / gameplay is pretty straightforward which I consider a win, but fans of more complex systems might find it lacking, I guess. There are still some bugs / glitches in 2024 and at times it's just a bit clunky, but these are minor and by no means overshadow how good the game is. Just remember to save the game from time to time and you're golden.

Since the whole trilogy is on sale so often, there's really no reason not to get this if you're an RPG fan!

It's definitely one of my few favorite games. Story-rich and stylish cyberpunk/fantasy RPG in a turbo capitalists dystopia, where some worldwide competing private conglomerates were left and have completely taken over all economy sectors and finally also taken over our liberal and sovereign civil nations. Private conglomerates are only interested in their own security, secrecy, gated communities and doing researches in hidden departments. They enslave humankind for profit and power. Game is based on the pen and paper shadowrun from the 80s. i paid 1€ on sale =)

Great world design and story. Despite being old this game still shines in 2024. You will enjoy it.

I don't like the characters and the overall -not serious- tone of the game, the fact that you basically don't have an UI visible most of the time is unforgivable.

Directors cut still with a lot of game crushing bugs.
Limited fun with repititive fights.
Very clunky game management - poor character development
would not recommend

As long time fan of the Shadow Run universe i'd love to see more

Fun game, good story

I can't do it. I booted up the Shadowrun Return games for old times sake (mainly because I started reading some Shadowrun novels and was disappointed by them). I knew the games had their issues and suffered through Deadman's Switch (had to cheat a little because of a game breaking bug that prevented me from progressing). I remembered Dragonfall was way better. It is, but it still sucks. Same issues: characters blocking tiles preventing you from moving there, useless dialog options that lead nowhere, hit percentage is a joke, healing is still stupid (I don't care if that's how it works in pnp), and all the good ol' random bugs that you need to reset your save state for in order to move forward. The only thing I like about the game is its story, and it's not even that great. It is way better than the novels I've read though. And just like the review for the novels, all the good reviews are rooted in nostalgia or just because they're huge Shadowrun fans. Meh.

I liked this better than "returns". This is a wonderful game, and the love that went into this shows.

This is a really fun game. Urban fantasy is a fun genre that doesn't get as much love. This is a huge upgrade over the first.

Shadowrun: Dragonfall is developer Harebrained Schemes second foray into the storied world of Shadowrun.

The mechanics are based on the tabletop game and are very solid. One of Shadowruns greatest strengths over many other cRPGs is the lack of any classes - you can essentially build however you want.

If you've played Shadowrun Returns, then Dragonfall is essentially a longer and improved version of it. Everything has been expanded on - there's more side content, there's more equipment, there's more (and imo better) story and most of all, your party members have more of a personality this time around.

If you haven't played the previous game, then no worries - the stories are connected only in the sense that they take place in the same world.

The story itself is pretty linear, with some major deviating decisions along the way that will affect the outcome of the ending.

Whether you're coming off of SR or are a newcomer, I highly reccommend this game!

A little too uneven in both story and gameplay to give a full recommendation, but gets a lot better towards the end. As per usual for these kinds of games, getting invested in the backstory of all the other characters helps a lot to keep the game interesting throughout. The addition of self-made/community campaigns is also really cool.

Killing a dog is trickier than a dragon.

nice alt tab crashing (:

100% recommend at sale

I was a huge Shadowrun fan and used to play the tabletop RPG. This game does a good job of capturing the brillance of the game.

The best of the shadowrun games

Gosh, the narrative in this game is great.

It's just a wonderful, interesting story about a little family of mercenaries dealing with a series of heavy issues. Cozy in a way, it's paced wonderfully, and has interesting enough combat to not groan when the bullets start flying. 'sgood.

Excellent characters and world building

Game has it issues, being 20 years old. User interface is terrible, dialogue shows up at right side of screen and caused some neck strain when playing this on huge television screen. There is a fog of war everywhere, including home base and there's very little player can do with squad inventory. There's squad turn based tactical combat, but XCOM this is not and I don't believe it ever tried to be.

Game shines on writing department. Regardless of Shadowrun setting featuring fantastic creatures and people finding that fascinating or a a bit silly, it doesn't really matter that much. Characters are multidimensional and make sense in the world regardless if you agree with their opinions or not. Same can be said about story, which belongs on intellectual and more timeless aspect of Cyberpunk than promotional pictures let out.

I played newer game in Shadowrun trilogy, Hong Kong about 6 years ago. I found it too long for what it had to offer. Shadowrun: Dragonfall is much easier to manage. There's enough different decisions to be made in game that multiple playthroughs are possible.

Anyone interested about what is possible when writing for video game should play this game. It's a stellar showcase about how medium and setting can be used constructively instead of backing in some unimaginative corner.

Ah, yes, Shadowrun. A 1989 table top role playing game that, unfortunately, I never have gotten the chance to play with other people made it into the videogame world. Shadowrun: Dragonfall is not a new game, it was made in 2014, and I’m writing this review ten years later in 2024 after testing it out on the Steam Deck.

It actually holds up really well. I had no issues with the game that seemed to be directly related to the fact that I was playing it on the steam deck and for context I played through this game twice to get all the Steam achievements. First, play through, I had no issues at all. It ran smoothly all the way to the end. The second play through, there was a minor frustrating game freezing bug that had me restarting a fight four times before things sorted themselves out. 

In the end though, it was over all an enjoyable experience. The game had an interesting story set in a dark cyberpunk meets fantasy setting with a bad of engagingly roguish characters with dark and troubled pasts. It really sparks the imagination.

First session I was a Half-Troll cyborg that specialized in unarmed combat and had some basic healing magic. The second session I was a hyper charismatic decker(hacker) that specialized in bypassing security and whipping around a shotgun when everything else failed. You build your character into whatever you want using a skill point system instead of a strict “class” system. I had a blast with both, making dramatically different decisions story wise and strategy wise. The customization options really kept that TTRPG feel while at the same time keeping the story tight and organized without making a player feel railroaded.

So, thumbs up, in the end. I was surprised that this game didn’t have a Steam Deck rating, considering how well it ran for me.

still fun in 2024

great story

Great intro to crpgs for any beginner, and improves on pretty much everything from the first game.

The world building still shines, absolutely love the setting, and on my way to the 3rd and sadly final game in the series.

Shadowrun: Dragonfall is fantastic.

Well, at least when it doesn't suck. Which, in my opinion, it luckily only does during one specific quest. You see, this second game in the franchise takes everything from the first one and expands on it. Including that one horribly bugged quest, in this case "APEX Rising" (not sure how to get through, maybe don't summon spirits and make sure you kill the enemy decker in the matrix?).

That being said, I absolutely love this game. The presentation, the writing, the story, the core gameplay .. all great, immersive and fun. As others have pointed out, the story is mostly linear without much choice, but trust me, you probably won't mind too much because it's so well told. The turn-based combat is fun, I actually prefer it to X-COM for being rather fast paced (no tedious turn-based traversal of huge maps).

Not sure what else to say, go play it already!

Good game decent workshop content

Brilliant Game a classic

Having started the Shadowrun Trilogy with Shadowrun Returns, I can say that Dragonfall is far superior. Shadowrun Returns feels like a tech demo or a rough first draft compared to Dragonfall. This game has aged well.

The engine is identical to Shadowrun Returns. I'd recommend folks consider starting with Dragonfall, since its engagement and polish are miles ahead of the first game.

Owned this game for quite a while before I played it. I enjoyed the hell out of the game. Only real issue is in the late game, would experience freezes resulting in crashes every now and then,

I loved Shadowrun Returns, and so far - I'm currently busy with a variety of side runs - Shadowrun: Dragonfall absolutely delivers. Slick, heavily atmospheric, and very entertaining.

Great game

Quintessential Shadownrun story of a party biting off soooo much more than can chew. Best mechanics in the franchise.

Great Crpg if you're into this kind of aesthetic

Dragonfall is the best Shadowrun game out there. I said it.

Out of the Harebrained Trilogy it is without a doubt the best paced, most tightly written and balanced. After finishing Returns I was mildly optimistic that a sequel could take the first game's good points and elevate them further while fixing some of its issues. And my optimism was rewarded.

It can't be understated how tight the pacing of this game is. It always feels like you are advancing towards a goal, the amount of missions is JUST right and nobody overstays their welcome. Kreuzbasar is a great hub and the constant changing environment of the Berlin Flux-State is an absurdly original setting, even for Shadowrun. The game doesn't shy away from using a lot of German terminology and phrases, really immersing you into the setting in a way most other games wouldn't. I bet a lot of people looked up what "mein Freund" means.

Now for the gameplay I can't complain. It is extremelöy similar to Returns battle system, aka very Xcom. However there are quite a few quality of life improvements since the last game that you only really notice if you play them back to back. I have played a Decker in all three games for consistency and I had a much more interesting experience in Dragonfall than Returns. The game offers opportunities for every class to shine, which is commendable. Frankly you always should have a Decker on team, but some missions don't provide an allied one, so being a Decker yourself is always great.
The Karma system is still here, but this time it doesn't feel like you are showered in Karma. You actually have to invest strategically. And the game is very good at giving you exlcusive options depending on what traits you raised and what class and race you are too.

What stuck out most to me were the companions this time around. Your shadowrunner crew. As the game progresses you don't just get to know them better, the dynamics heavily change. This extends even to the residents of the hub who you can chat up and influence. You are becoming a leader not just of the crew, but the entier kiez (district). Can you measure up? Can you protect these people and build something to last? This is a genius implementation that makes you care.

Finally, the plot was very well thought out and original. There were twists I could not predict and a variety of outcomes that truly felt very different. This time around there is actually a post-game summary that alludes to what your decisions affected, which is a necessary improvement to Returns. I still wouild have liked more of an epilogue with more details in regards to your companions especially.

Honestly, you can play Dragonfall standalone and it would be amazing still. If someone ever was to play a Shadowrun game, make it this one. Take my word for it, it's that good.

One of the best games I have ever played... Was it Challenging,? YES.. Story rich? More than YES!! Cool? YES! Fun? Oh'YEAH!! Graphics..well It's pix-elated..

One of the best games ever made. :) I wish someone would make another shadowrun game. Cyberpunk 2077 had big inspirations from it...but I wish it was the world of shadowrun. Too bad Earthdawn never got famous...another TTRPG made by the same company that made battletech/shadowrun. DND is so boring compared the worlds of shadowrun/earthdawn or even mechwarrior.

Shadow Run RPG. If you like it, you'll like it.

Really immersive feeling game. Great combat systems. Story is good and quite interesting.

Combat gain you nothing. Only the mission itself give you reward. This combined with prolonging and unavoidable fights render the gameplay really tedious and annoying

it's okay i guess, seems like they're is a cool story there but there is a lot of jank and limited systems getting in the way. the game came out in 2014 but it feels older. it might be worth picking up on a sale, i guess, if you're into games like x-com. x-com enemy unknown a game that came out 2 years earlier feels much more modern and feature rich...you should probably just play that.

The best shadowrun experience - many ways to approach playing through the game the game with a fascinating plotline. Enough mystery to keep you searching for more, but unfolding at a satisfying pace.

Not my cup of tea, but if i had an attention span larger than a dead raccoon this would probably be amazing.

Horrible hit RNG and Line of Sight drive me up the wall. Just not fun to see 1 of 7 attacks miss/do paltry damage, get crit from every enemy attack and spend the next few rounds healing. No thanks. At least hair brain schemes learned their lesson in Battle tech (or maybe its a mod I'm using?) that lets you see what hit percentages are after a move BEFORE you move. In a tactics game like this, it sucks to carefully make your move only to find out NOPE, you can't even SEE the target. Wasted move. Here is a crit for you though! Frustrating.

This was a kickstarted indie game iirc and has the production values you'd expect - or better really, it wasn't their first project. The vibes though are immaculate. I

Shadowrun: Dragonfall is a difficult game to evaluate. Not because I'm mixed on the game, because I'm not; I wholeheartedly recommend it. In every single metric that is usually brought up in game reviews, this game is good-to-great. Mechanics, story, characters, challenge, UI, art and world building are all really good. It was a positive surprise for me, because I didn't necessarily have any high expectations. There is no doubt that this game is good, maybe even great, and I think anyone could pick it up and have a good time with it.

So, why am I hesitant? Well, while I didn't have any expectations on the game going in, I ended up picking up some after the first few hours. I was excited, because I really thought that this would be a cyberpunk game that actually lived up to the name (even though it has a bunch of fantasy mixed in, admittedly). It hints at larger mysteries, political complexities, questions on human nature – in short, all the good stuff that cyberpunk is about when it's at its best. The storyline is an actual mystery/thriller, something that makes you wonder and drives you forward to get some answers, and it's great. The characters are fun and feel human, they challenge you and develop throughout the game, with some really cathartic moments in their personal missions. Emotionally, I walked away from this game fully satisfied.

But intellectually? Playing Dragonfall made me think of the Metro games. In Metro, the different factions with their respective ideology were fleshed out and commented on, with their own goals in changing the world. I didn't necessarily agree with the depiction, but at least it was an honest attempt at commentary. In this game, everything just... is. People sneer at the totalitarian companies, but they work for them anyway. You encounter communists, but they're actually just posers. Human nature is just a matter of some people being crap and others not. More than that, there are just no goddamn goals. No one actually seeks to change anything; at most, change just happens randomly. Only personal morality exists, while anything that is even close to structural is just "how things are".

This might have been less infuriating if the set up wasn't so good. At the start, there is a sense that we have been caught up in something we don't understand. We're at the bottom of society, but now we're forced to look at the bigger picture to figure out who is hunting us. The stakes are personal and the tension is high. But that bigger picture? It's just a bad guy. No corporate meddling, no political games, just a crazy bad guy. And when you come out of the game, all that you've done is defend the status quo. The immediate crisis was averted, but nothing has changed and your life hasn't gotten any better. And that's a good thing apparently, given the game's tone.

I wanted more from this game. Maybe it took on more than it could chew, like many other cyberpunk games, but there's also this word that keeps sticking to the back of my head: Cowardice. The game is just not brave enough to actually go anywhere or give any takes, instead choosing to take the turn into action/mystery and avoiding any potential speedbumps on the way. I guess that's fine, but I really wish it hadn't.

There are some smaller things I could bring up. The fact that you can't swap between characters or pick items up with anyone else than your main is dumb. I get that it might be there to give you a sense of the gang being independent from you, but given that you can control them in battle I feel like a simple "Hey, can you pick this up?" option should have been added, especially in the Director's Cut. But anything else would just feel petty. I loved the XCOM-like strategy, the items and abilities, skill points being tied to mission progression and not an XP bar. I haven't gushed enough about the mechanics or the characters, but know that they are great and time will fly when playing this game.

Overall, Shadowrun: Dragonfall is a good game. This review is probably very rambly and too critical compared to my actual feelings on it, but I had to let my thoughts out. I really, really like the game, which is why I wished that I could point to it as one of the best RPGs out there instead of just, well, a good one. I love this world and believe me, I will go and play the other Shadowrun games right after writing this. If that's not enough of an endorsement, then I don't know what is.

What a great experience. Still holds up as one of the better CRPGs, but maybe not somebody's _first_ CRPG. The lack of voice acting means you're reading a lot; thankfully the writers knew not to dump exposition on you and instead feed it to you through environmental storytelling and natural dialogue.

If anyone's wondering what class they should play for their first time, I'd suggest a decker with a dip into quickness/ranged combat. It felt both narratively appropriate and mechanically satisfying. I ignored Drones entirely, though there were several dialogue choices in the game where 3-4 points into that would've been beneficial as well.