Game News Shadowrun Returns Alpha Gameplay Footage

[Hellraiser]

Looks solid, a shame on the inventory/looting but turn-based combat and stat checks are

Also the music is good.

 

[DwarvenFood]

So after fully watching the video, you can see they are having fun with the game, and one of the guys is the CEO, which I think is pretty awesome, and boy it looks like great fun and less than half a year away

 

[Volrath]

Surely it's time for a Codex interview?

 

[General Maxson]

I'm very happy with what they have done with such small budget of 1.8 million. Hopefully they will expand it further as this has a LOT of potential. Overall .

BTW. some of the complaints here ARE valid, like some of the guys said (Gwendo, Phantasmal, Kem0sabe), but I really can't hold it against them, since as I said, small budget, and short development time. I do hope they will continue to improve and upgrade the game and follow the path of further , instead of dumbing it down or popamole-ing it. Can't wait to play it.

 

[Luzur]

looks...surprisingly good, actually.

was expecting something like that new X-COM stuff.

 

[Eyeball]

I've been playing Silent Storm lately, and holy shit, this combat looks like crap.

Even reminds me of the turd that was XCOM 2012.
Too streamlined is the general feeling I get, floaty also.
Same for the hud, it looks pretty generic and boring.
Graphics look halfway decent, but are way better when zoomed out.

Honestly I can't understand the hype surrounding this game, even within the Codex's current state of "OMG SO MANY GOOD RPGS COMING".

Unfortunately I second these sentiments, apart from the interface which looks fine. It looks....shallow, in the same way that X-Com 2012 was. Characters stand five feet away from each other and pew-pew away, taking multiple machine gun bursts before dying, all animated fairly stiffly. Really, it reminds me more of Omerta's combat than the admittedly more stylish X-Com gunfights, and that is far from being a good thing.

Big bonus points for seemingly allowing different approaches to combat, though. I liked them having the opportunity to raise a spirit from an environmental source and of the non-violent way of disposing of the basilisks in the last room, but I could definitely see this getting old fairly fast. Unless the toolset is really BOSS AWESOME!

 

[Dhralei]

It looks awesome . Preordered.

 

[Severian Silk]

2013 is like the Codex's Arab Spring.

 

[Angthoron]

2013 is like the Codex's Arab Spring.

Ran by corrupt liars that will ruin our hopes and dreams? Great simile bro.

No, 2013 is like the thing Codex was talking about.

 

[jagged-jimmy]

I am not familiar with shadowrun, but magic in a cyberpunk setting? Why?

 

[Severian Silk]

Didn't know he was an ass-man too.

 

[Shannow]

I'm very happy with what they have done with such small budget of 1.8 million. Hopefully they will expand it further as this has a LOT of potential. Overall .

Funny. I just re-read some of the original KS announcement thread and how butthurt I was that you, Grunker and Burning Bridges kept whining about the campaign being too vague when all the information was there if you'd only bothered reading.
So, did you pledge or where you part of the reason that they ended up with a smallish budget?

(For the record, I totally over-reacted in that thread. I was just about to completely drop my grudge -which was stored in a txt and I'd completely forgotten about it until I read it just now -, but then you wrote that and I simply couldn't resist... No hard feelings )

 

[Angthoron]

I am not familiar with shadowrun, but magic in a cyberpunk setting? Why?

It's like Arcanum but IN THE FUTURE.

Seriously though, Spoony has a good explanation about the setting, I recall.

 

[winterraptor]

I am not familiar with shadowrun, but magic in a cyberpunk setting? Why?

I know...back in the day, it was all about the CP 2020 for me. Keep the magic for other genres. I'll definitely play this, though, and probably learn more of the system just cuz. So, yeah, I'll learn to love it I guess.

 

[Eyeball]

I am not familiar with shadowrun, but magic in a cyberpunk setting? Why?

Because why not? It's a funny idea and lends to some interesting, if somewhat silly, stories.

As for the setting, it basically goes that the world went on as usual until the early 21st century at which point some cosmic malarkey went down and people started turning into elves and trolls and shit and unicorns and dragons returned as well as people becoming able to cast spells. Dumb and unexplained, but it sets the stage fairly well and also sets up some Arcanum-ey social tensions in future society, orcs being generally looked down upon as stupid, scary and violent and living in slums while elves as glamourous and blamed by some for all the world's ills, like the gnomes in Arcanum.

Interesting sidenote: William Gibson hates Shadowrun.

 

[Grunker]

That's rich. There wasn't shit said about character or combat systems - no idea what the game was going to be like. I asked you guys several times here as well, and got no replies. Hence why I didn't pledge.

I pre-ordered the minute I saw that video, and for the first time (despite having watched all video updates they've done) having just some kind of picture of how the game would play. Naturally, I pre-ordered instantly. But don't tell me you knew this was how the game would play. They said nothing about it, and when I asked them or you neither replied. You can even look at Kaizoku's defence from back then:

I thought their kickstarter was incredibly vague. That was the reason I didn't pledge, and still haven't.

I mean, if I'm left with basic questions like "is this an RPG and if so what kind?" then I really don't even know what kind of game it's going to be at all.

Of course it's a RPG you doffus, they sa---
Oh wait.
Good point.

They didn't even say what kind of genre they were working with, much less what kind of turn-based combat they were going for, and whether it would have complex character creation. Shadowrun: Returns was easily the most vague Kickstarter of them all. Pitches cause pledges. If you get small amounts of money, your pitch is at fault, not the good people who are willing to throw money at most anything if there is at least an idea of how the game will play.

 

[jagged-jimmy]

I am not familiar with shadowrun, but magic in a cyberpunk setting? Why?

Because why not? It's a funny idea and lends to some interesting, if somewhat silly, stories.

As for the setting, it basically goes that the world went on as usual until the early 21st century at which point some cosmic malarkey went down and people started turning into elves and trolls and shit and unicorns and dragons returned as well as people becoming able to cast spells. Dumb and unexplained, but it sets the stage fairly well and also sets up some Arcanum-ey social tensions in future society, orcs being generally looked down upon as stupid, scary and violent and living in slums while elves as glamourous and blamed by some for all the world's ills, like the gnomes in Arcanum.

Interesting sidenote: William Gibson hates Shadowrun.

Yea, that's what puts me off. It feels silly. Gameplay variety is fine, but i like my cyberpunk gritty. I dig the style tho.

Also did not notice any skill checking while interacting with pc terminals? Are "interactive objects" adventure style? There are certainly stats in the game (also present in the dialog), but any (serious) interaction should require skills.

 

[Eyeball]

The PC terminal in question was, as stated, already logged in and open. Wouldn't take a master hacker to go through those files.

 

[Wizfall]

I am not familiar with shadowrun, but magic in a cyberpunk setting? Why?

Back in the day magic (with dwarf, elves and trolls) and cyberpunk were incompatible for me too. A heresy or something that just could not fit.
Until i read the background of shadowrun and how those aspect have been perfectly integrated in all the aspects of a grim cyberpunk setting.
Don't worry it is done very cleverly, not at all fantasy but very logical.
I'm more a Shadowrun than a cyberpunk guy now.
But to understand how those aspects have been introduced you have to read the background of the PnP game.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/www.harebrained-schemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/shadowrun_primer.pdf (it is very long to load)

You will see anyway when playing the game how those elements feel perfectly natural/logical.

 

[hiver]

Ive never could stomach the basic premise of the setting either. Thats mostly why i didnt even think to contribute.

Elves and orcs... just because! Magic!

I think i posted a different take on the matter, somewhere, saying it would have been much better if it was basically humans re-engineering themselves by doing advanced sorts of "plastic" surgery on genetic and physical level and such.
And doing so much of it that in the end its hard to even consider those that changed "humans" anymore.

But, hell... a good game is a good game and if they continue like this i will probably spend some money on it. Even my own money!

 

[General Maxson]

I'm very happy with what they have done with such small budget of 1.8 million. Hopefully they will expand it further as this has a LOT of potential. Overall .

Funny. I just re-read some of the original KS announcement thread and how butthurt I was that you, Grunker and Burning Bridges kept whining about the campaign being too vague when all the information was there if you'd only bothered reading.
So, did you pledge or where you part of the reason that they ended up with a smallish budget?

(For the record, I totally over-reacted in that thread. I was just about to completely drop my grudge -which was stored in a txt and I'd completely forgotten about it until I read it just now -, but then you wrote that and I simply couldn't resist... No hard feelings )

C'mon bro, I don't hold a grudge against you. I said what I said, and I still think this was a gamble, but a gamble that I am now glad I took. I don't like "tablet adjustments", quest compass and am worried just how "limited" the loot will be, but I still like what I see a lot, especially considering the budget. What I'm hoping is they'll go the route (i.e. try and continue making proper crpgs) in the following expansions/sequels, and not try to make it as much popamole as possible for $$$. I pledged 30$ on kickstarter, and trust me, it's like I gave them at least a 100$ if I were living in Western Europe, or USA/Canada. Couldn't have given them more even if I wanted, I contemplated between this and 15$, but ultimately wanted to help possible incline more. Also interesting setting helped (as I never played such cyberpunk games, and it seemed very cool).

 

[serch]

Upping my pledge

 

[MasPingon]

I'm still looking forward to it, but it feels like a mobile/tablet game a little bit too much for my taste.

My first impression - looks like a facebook game

 

[Ninja Destroyer]

Hacking terminals? Yeah! Great isometric incline, waiting for the full version. I wonder how the editor will look like? Think about the possibilities. Filthy corporate mages.

Spoiler

 

[Jaesun]

Azrael the cat perhaps once this is released you can make your Lithuanian Hitmen mod in this.