Shadowrun: Hong Kong (2015)
The third standalone entry in the Shadowrun Returns role-playing series arrived in late August 2015. It continues the legacy of the previous instalments with confidence. The story, setting and characters are all new, and there are new elements in character progression, yet the broader game structure and strategic depth remain recognisable. Shadowrun Hong Kong is a top-tier indie title — if one can still call it that; it is polished, mature and extensive.
The game is set in the year 2056, in Hong Kong as the title suggests. In this world humans, elves, orcs and various spirit beings live side by side. Mega-corporations run the city-state and control public truth. Behind the scenes, power struggles unfold—between corporations, within corporations, between criminal gangs and even within them. Everything is interconnected.
An orphan chasing his missing foster father
The player assumes the role of a shadowrunner, essentially a mercenary who survives by taking on dangerous covert jobs. In Hong Kong, assignments are handed out by a ruthless female gangster with her own grudges and ambitions in these decaying city districts.
The missions involve information gathering and sabotage, and they include combat. Turn-based pacing gives room to reflect on battle strategy rather than pushing the player into panic. The isometric view further distances the player from the situation, which I consider a good thing.
The story ties closely to the protagonist’s personal background. The man who adopted him from the streets as a child contacts him in alarming circumstances, then disappears. Together with a foster brother and several supporting characters, the player begins to uncover what happened.
At the same time the entire district struggles with vivid nightmare visions — including the player character. “Bad qi energy” leaks from a notorious slum, and something immense and astral is pushing through. Eastern mythology plays a visible role. The magic-rich plot unfolds gradually and everything ultimately receives an explanation. Thanks to the player’s actions, a district drowned in despair may have a chance at renewal.
The game alternates between story-driven sections, strategic combat, exploration, dialogue and trading.
Shadowrun Hong Kong contains a substantial amount of reading. There is extensive background material on characters and missions, lending the world the weight of its own universe. Combined with striking visuals, the result is gaming history.
Character evolution
Players can engage with the narrative and the setting to whatever degree they choose. One can shape the protagonist’s personality through choices in numerous conversations. Is he ruthless or helpful? Does money or honour matter more? These are not actual attributes in the game however.
The choices made in the character editor affect statistical performance in missions and are central to strategic planning. A foundational orientation is selected at the start, but new abilities can be added later during the game.
Successful missions award karma points and money. Karma improves the character’s skills; money is needed to purchase weapons — including many types of magic — and equipment. There are several merchants in the world.
Party members also grow as missions are completed, and the player can to some degree influence their development.
Difficulty
The difficulty can be set to Easy, Normal, or Hard. In the early game enemies were unexpectedly aggressive, and performance-enhancing “drugs” were scarce. As characters grow stronger, enemies and missions scale accordingly. Aside from the initial spike, this reciprocity felt appropriate.
There is a wide variety of opponents, and different strategies work depending on location, numbers and enemy types. Retreating to cover is always useful. Personally, I preferred eliminating mages and shamans first, then physical fighters. The Matrix has its own rules entirely.
Shadowrun Hong Kong could be discussed endlessly — it is genuinely a world to be experienced. Beginners can start without prior knowledge, and mistakes become lessons. Becoming a master tactician requires thought. I am not particularly good at this world; some missions went terribly and I simply forced my way through. It did not stop me from enjoying the game.
A fertile Shadowrun
The Shadowrun Returns universe is based on the popular Shadowrun tabletop games, produced since 1989. The cyberpunk setting and core idea originate from Jordan Weisman, a veteran of the game industry. He also led the creation of the digital versions. While the series is the result of teamwork, another key figure has been Mitch Gitelman, who co-founded the studio Harebrained Schemes together with Weisman.
Shadowrun Hong Kong exceeded its Kickstarter funding goal more than tenfold. Expectations among fans were extremely high, and in my view there is no reason for disappointment. Of course it could have been even larger; there could have been more missions. I was slightly frustrated that I could not keep playing with my well-developed characters for longer — just when everything was optimised, the game ended.
If the setting still inspires after the credits, the game includes an editor for creating custom missions. Players share these on the Steam community forums, so there is additional content to explore if hunger remains.
Verdict
The visuals and ambient soundtrack shine, and every component of the game works in unison. The story and world are strong. How deeply one wants to descend into them is up to each player. Personally, I did not always read the background files on every mission or exhaust every dialogue option.
Shadowrun Hong Kong earns a score of 84 out of 100 from me. I would not call it an indie game at heart — it feels designed for the mass market. I also do not see anything especially original or groundbreaking in it. However, it is a very good game in the true sense of the word.
Availability
Shadowrun Hong Kong is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux from GOG.com and Steam. The Humble version includes both a DRM-free build and a Steam key. The earlier games in the series, Shadowrun Returns and Shadowrun Dragonfall, are also available for Android and iOS.