Shadowrun: Hong Kong Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Shadowrun: Hong Kong
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
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Shadowrun: Hong Kong review on PC

The Shadowrun franchise has been around for decades, but unfortunately for fans, it’s mostly spent that period out of the spotlight. However, thanks to the hard work of Harebrained Schemes, the series has once again started entering the mainstream, thanks to the solid Shadowrun Returns and the equally impressive Shadowrun: Dragonfall.

After going back to Kickstarter for a successful crowdfunding campaign in order to build the third Shadowrun game in as many years, the team has brought forth Shadowrun: Hong Kong.

Boasting a new environment, refined mechanics, bonus options, and an overhauled Matrix area, the new title is looking to offer the definitive Shadowrun experience to veteran fans as well as newcomers.

Does Shadowrun: Hong Kong manage to deliver the goods or should it go back to the shadows?  Let’s find out.

Story

Arguably the most important part of any Shadowrun experience is the story. While the universe is rich with opportunities for fantastic adventures, if the writing doesn’t manage to keep fans interested, then it will be lost in the crowd.

Fortunately, Shadowrun: Hong Kong is more than worthy of a place in the solid series. Harebrained Schemes has managed to craft a compelling plot using cliché elements like Triads and mobsters, while throwing in corporate interests and conspiracies, as befitting of almost any cyberpunk experience.

The addition of animated cut scenes makes Hong Kong feel a bit more attractive than previous titles, as it’s great to see some moving elements, instead of just reading endless amounts of text.

The dialog is well written and manages to offer many means of expression to players. Depending on your etiquettes and your Charisma stats, you can also access different, specialized options that can lead to surprising results.

The main plot revolves on the player controlling an orphan who grew up on the streets of Hong Kong but soon left the region in pursuit of something else. A note from your old foster father brings you back, but as you can imagine, things are much more complicated. Thanks to the help of your old foster brother, and your friendly neighborhood Triads, you enter the role of a Shadowrunner, a mercenary that can pull off all sorts of jobs, while searching for the truth.

Besides the main story, which packs some interesting twists and turns, there are also a wide variety of well-written side missions and Shadowrun jobs that you can undergo, not to mention a variety of conversations you can have with your crew and the inhabitants of Hong Kong’s different locations.

Engage in shootouts in Shadowrun: Hong Kong
Engage in shootouts in Shadowrun: Hong Kong

Gameplay

Shadowrun: Hong Kong doesn’t try to reinvent the gameplay recipe seen in Returns or Dragonfall. This isn’t a bad thing, as the turn-based combat feels as great as ever while conversations flow quite well. Exploration doesn’t always work as intended, as you often have to click objects several times in order to interact with them.

The game does try to bring a few more interesting tweaks to the aforementioned mechanics, however. One important one is the option to unholster your weapon as soon as you spot an enemy in the distance. The exploration then moves into turn-based combat style and allows you to catch opponents by surprise, dealing bonus damage. This, however, isn’t always advised, as there are areas where you can find stealth routes to sneak around and avoid unnecessary fighting.

Speaking of sneaking around, Hong Kong’s missions are designed with a bit more freedom in mind. You can avoid fighting in plenty of situations, or at least limit it to smaller skirmishes, and there are also missions with objectives that encourage riskier behavior by providing extra rewards.

Those who like to roll with Decker class characters can enjoy the long-awaited overhaul of the Matrix area. No longer are you served a reskinned version of the regular environments. Instead, you get to explore brand-new stages with enemies that interact in more interesting ways. However, some mechanics are poorly or not even explained at all, like cracking access. As such, while the revamp is welcomed, the Matrix might not please all players.

Hong Kong retains the open leveling system for players, as while you can pick a class at the beginning of the campaign, you’re free to invest your points in any category you want, thereby unlocking different skills, abilities, and other such things.

Your companions, however, are neatly aligned to their own classes and you can choose between two different upgrades while leveling them up. There are way more guns this time around, not to mention some more varied abilities for classes like Shamans or the aforementioned Deckers.

While missions flow quite well and it’s pretty easy to follow the events, provided you don’t skip through all the text, there are some situations where it’s unclear what exactly you have to do. As such, you’re stuck with trying out different things and, often times, dealing with consequences, whether they’re tougher conversations or hectic firefights.

Use cover in Shadowrun: Hong Kong
Use cover in Shadowrun: Hong Kong

Visuals and Sound

While Shadowrun Returns and Dragonfall looked quite good throughout their isometric environments, Hong Kong is on a whole new level, boasting much more detailed environments, more interactions, not to mention the animated cut scenes I talked about above. The animations are also quite well done, even if you’ll spend most of the time zoomed out to see most of the battlefield.

The soundtrack is a bit more fleshed out this time around, not only when it comes to atmospheric music but also to the combat tunes, which change depending on the situation. Of course, the Asian influence is clear, although sometimes you might get a bit tired of it.


The Good

  • Refined mechanics work well
  • Compelling story with well-written dialog
  • More freedom in terms of combat and play styles

The Bad

  • Revamped Matrix is confusing at first
  • Soundtrack gets a bit repetitive and annoying
  • Some environments are too large for their own good

Conclusion

Shadowrun: Hong Kong is a solid experience both for veteran “chummers” but also for newcomers. Harebrained Schemes has managed to once again impress by adding a few, but only a few, good improvements to the recipe, while delivering a very interesting setting and some imaginative missions. However, it might not feel like a whole new experience, just "more of the same."
story 9
gameplay 9
concept 8
graphics 9
audio 8
multiplayer 0
final rating 8.5
Editor's review
very good
 
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Shadowrun: Hong Kong screenshots (16 Images)

Shadowrun: Hong Kong review on PCMake your character in Shadowrun: Hong KongReconnect with old friends in Shadowrun: Hong KongEngage in shootouts in Shadowrun: Hong KongMake your escape in Shadowrun: Hong Kong
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