Shadowrun is perhaps one of the most underrated fictional universes of all time. Take all the fantastic cyberpunk elements of chrome implants, brain jacks, and virtual hacking, then combine it with the high fantasy elements of magic, orcs, and dragons, and you have a world unlike any other.
And the Shadowrun Trilogy is a series of games unlike any other. Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director’s Cut, and Shadowrun: Hong Kong - Extended Edition are not only great ways to break into the Shadowrun universe, but they’re also all free on GOG as part of the final days of the GOG Summer Sale.
Shadowrun Returns started the trilogy back in 2013. A turn-based tactical RPG, Shadowrun Returns drops you into the role of a shadowrunner–an off-the-grid mercenary fore hire. An old colleague dies under mysterious circumstances and triggers a dead man’s switch that sends you a pre-recorded message of their last job. Investigating the murders gets the player entangled in corporate plots, a government conspiracy, and a cult trying to end the world with bugs.
Dragonfall initially started as an expansion to Shadowrun Returns, but eventually got it’s own standalone game in the Director’s Cut. This brought five all-new missions to the original 2014 release, alternate endings to the main campaign,a redesigned user interface, and a revamped combat system. There are also new items, weapons, cyberware, and spells to further enhance your character build options.
Shadowrun: Hong Kong - Extended Edition brings the trilogy home with audio commentary from the developers, Harebrained Schemes, and a whopping six additional hours to the main campaign (which already clocked in at 30 hours for most). There’s also an all-new cyberware skill tree and brand-new cyber weapons to install in your fancy metal arms and legs.
Even if you’re not a fan of turn-based tactics games, you’ll love Shadorwun for the story. And if you insist on getting the games on Steam, you’ll be happy to note that the Shadowrun Trilogy is 74% off as part of the Steam Summer Sale.
