Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut
Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut
Game
Game2013
Shadowrun Returns
Developer Harebrained Schemes
Shadowrun Returns is a 2013 tactical role-playing game developed and published by Harebrained Schemes. It takes place in the science fantasy setting of the Shadowrun tabletop role-playing game. The game was crowd funded through Kickstarter and released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, iOS, and Android in 2013. An expansion pack titled Shadowrun: Dragonfall was released in 2014. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
371 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
58
Mixed
129 positive · 95 negative
95% range 51–64%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 129 | 95 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 37 | 3 | 81 |
| Lemmy * | 6 | 0 | 14 |
| Mastodon * | 3 | 1 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
8,233 of 9,281 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
51% recommend · 117 yes, 111 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 228 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (12,107 of 13,716 positive).
Players praise the cyberpunk-fantasy setting and atmosphere. [1][2][3] Some reviewers find the game too linear and short. [4][5][6] A few players criticize the combat as repetitive or unpolished. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
This game has been siting in my library since 2018. Finally decided to give it a try since it's a short game based on how long to beat. Trying this game was a huge mistake. After waiting for 6 hours for the combat and story to get good I decided this is a good point to stop since it will never get good. The combat is garbage. I would miss point blank with a shotgun and no debuffs is insane. The weapons are your …
- [5]
I think I was involved in the kickstarter for this way back, and I'm still bitter. TLDR: you're entirely on the rails, your decisions don't matter. The interactivity in this game makes snake look like red dead redemption 2. Here's a preview of the game: Go to forgettable NPC 1. Hear edgy dialog. Pick one of two dialog choices that have no impact on the game. Get quest 1 of 20. Go to area 1, find the two interactable …
- [1]
I am a person of simple words. 1. Cyberpunk - check 2. Turn Based RPG- check 3. Finally beat this game in 2026 - check APPROVED
- [13]
Many people complain that the game is too short, but not everything must be a 40+ hour open world crafting system survivor adventure to be "good". The story in the game's campaign is tight and paced well. Best of all, you get access to a workshop and user-made campaigns, many of which are excellent!
- [2]
Its pretty cool, the setting is definitly the highlight, the mix of tech and fantasy reminded me a bit of Arcanum in the future. The game itself is quite straightforward and linear, feels like an introduction do RPGs. Its great on the Deck!
Summarised from 34 of the 359 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Shadowrun Returns sits at 58% positive across 224 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Shadowrun Returns received generally favorable reviews upon release, garnering a 76/100 on review aggregation website Metacritic. IGN reviewer Dan Stapleton stated that the game's best days were ahead of it, and they will be more interested in it "a year from now, after the community has used the included mod tools to build on it, than in what it is today." Several reviewers, including Len Hafer for PC Gamer, criticized the game's save system, which saves the game only at area transitions. Functionality to allow the player to save the game at any time was omitted because of development resource constraints, but was later added in the Shadowrun Dragonfall expansion.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 371 · most liked firstPlaying Shadowrun Returns right now. It’s a game where everything is exactly as bad as it is in the real world but cooler because there are dragons who own businesses
positive · AI labelView post →[Game] So I finally played the Shadowrun Returns Trilogy (a decade late, I know). cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/59611938 > First, let me say that I don't play turn-based strategy games. I'm not a fan of them and also I'm terrible at them. But I *am* a sucker for cyberpunk and this is Shadowrun so I felt like I should at least *try*. So I had bought the first two games (Returns and Dragonfall) around the time they released and then... never actually played them. To be fair, I…
positive · AI labelView post →[Game] So I finally played the Shadowrun Returns Trilogy (a decade late, I know). First, let me say that I don't play turn-based strategy games. I'm not a fan of them and also I'm terrible at them. But I *am* a sucker for cyberpunk and this is Shadowrun so I felt like I should at least *try*. So I had bought the first two games (Returns and Dragonfall) around the time they released and then... never actually played them. To be fair, I tried playing Dragonfall once, died on the first…
positive · AI labelView post →Have played some more Shadowrun Returns. It's great. It makes me want to read and play Shadowrun. Yes, I realise this is almost certainly a mistake. For starters, the video game has far fewer D6s than I remember and definitely not so many munchkins...
positive · AI labelView post →Launch date announcement trailer for our squad tactics heist RPG, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint. Fully launching on Steam May 15th!. Hey all. [Cyber Knights: Flashpoint](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/) has only 2 months left in Early Access, a 94% 👍 rating with over 700 reviews, and lots of favorable comparisons to games like XCOM 2, Shadowrun (including a shout-out from the Shadowrun Returns developers themselves), Invisible, Inc, and more. My brother and I…
neutral · AI labelView post →Shadowrun Returns Trilogy 77% Off. For those that for whatever reason love the world of Shadowrun and never picked up the PC games, currently a huge discount as part of the Steam summer sale.
neutral · AI labelView post →If you've never played it, I highly recommend Shadowrun: Dragonfall and Shadowrun: Hong Kong you can also play Shadowrun Returns but its very much more of a proof of concept then a good game. But I'd still play it.
neutral · AI labelView post →Inspiration: Shadowrun (snes) ost - Tenth Street www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGa6... Been playing this game alot, lately. Always loved Jake Armitage as a character, so I was glad to see him in Shadowrun Returns. My cosplay of the character. #secondlife #sl #furry #shadowrun #cyberpunk
neutral · AI labelView post →GRAFT - Announcement trailer (post-cyberpunk game from the makers of the Shadowrun Returns games). > Transform yourself through grafting as you escape a vast, dying space station in this thrilling post-cyberpunk survival horror RPG from the makers of BATTLETECH and the Shadowrun Trilogy. When I saw this game was being made by Harebrained, I knew I recognized the name and the gameplay made me think this was the group that made [RUINER](https://store.steampowered.com/app/464060/RUINER/). But…
neutral · AI labelView post →I think posting can wait when set against real life (still, nice to have the thread), hope things went well. ::: spoiler Shadowrun: Dragonfall I finished the game. As a whole it's a better experience than the previous title, with slightly more interesting writing (both are great), better balance and an expanded format of acting as a shadowrunner. There's only one issue that really affected my enjoyment throughout and that's the amount of large combat scenarios (waves or rooms with 10+ enemies…
positive · AI labelView post →GRAFT - 'Inosculation' Trailer (upcoming cyberpunk body-horror game from makers of the Shadowrun Returns trilogy). I'm not sure if I'm cheating by calling this cyberpunk. It has the 'cyberpunk' tag on steam, and it's made by Harebrained (the developers of the [Shadowrun Returns trilogy](https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/26635/Shadowrun_Trilogy/)) but this feels more like body-horror to me. Of course, it might just be leaning more towards the…
neutral · AI labelView post →Fresh teaser from the makers of Shadowrun Returns (, Dragonfall, Hong Kong) and Battletech for their next game!
neutral · AI labelView post →Was in a thread recently where people talk about heavy story games being popular because of Watcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Disco Esylium and Baldurs Gate 3. I'm going to recommend some fantastic story-rich/story-heavy games that people might have missed during the 2010-2020 era. **Shadowrun Returns and Shadowrun Hong Kong**: RPG tactics. if you're not familiar with Shadowrun, it's Cyberpunk but with Elves/Trolls, and Dragons as president. Story is dark and fantastic. **West of Loathing and…
neutral · AI labelView post →I am a person of simple words. 1. Cyberpunk - check 2. Turn Based RPG- check 3. Finally beat this game in 2026 - check APPROVED
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I too have played the Shadowrun Returns series
neutral · AI labelView post →#26: Shadowrun Returns Dark, synthy, eerie percussive tension is the style here. It was a great fit for a very good Shadowrun game. See: - Return of the Sixth World - Null Sheen - Memory - Shady Deal - Eyes in the Dark www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ9g...
neutral · AI labelView post →Fun fact: Kluwe was one of the top backers for the Shadowrun Returns kickstarter, and was put into the game as a troll bouncer named Mr Kluwe. Notice the distinctive Vikings style horns. We need more of this shadowrunner energy in our modern dystopia.
neutral · AI labelView post →This game has been siting in my library since 2018. Finally decided to give it a try since it's a short game based on how long to beat. Trying this game was a huge mistake. After waiting for 6 hours for the combat and story to get good I decided this is a good point to stop since it will never get good. The combat is garbage. I would miss point blank with a shotgun and no debuffs is insane. The weapons are your normal militaristic weapons for a game that prides itself with having cyberpunk…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I tend to think of the Shadowrun Returns trilogy as one game tbh, so when I am asked which one I like the most it takes me a second to process. But I guess it'd be Dragonfall > Hong Kong > Returns. I know, ground breaking. But Returns was finding it's feet, and Dragonfall was a narrative masterpiece
positive · AI labelView post →Banning players for having Atatürk as a profile picture and calling him "controversial" is disgraceful. He's the founder of a nation, not up for your Discord mods to relitigate. Fix this and apologize, or I'm done with Paradox games.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short, entirely on rails with a mediocre plot, almost no backstory and basic gameplay. Not at all worth the price, probably not even on sale. I got it because it was recommended to me as being like Underail, but it's not even close to Underail's quality and length. Get any other Crpg instead, unless you're already a fan of the Shadow Run tabletop game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Your setup is close to my 2015 very-much-non-gaming laptop, so... I'd recommend retro gaming and/or modern 2D games. A few suggestions would be: Baldur's Gate 1-2, Icewind Dale 1, Xenonauts, Battle Brothers, Wildermyth, Shadowrun Returns (and sequels), Into the Breach, Fallout 1-2. If you're into programming games, that hardware should run everything by Zachtronics as well as Human Resource Machine and 7 Billion Humans.
neutral · AI labelView post →A Paradox game without loads of DLCs and no historical figures. Review bombing this game does not elicit sympathy, it antagonises. <3
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think I was involved in the kickstarter for this way back, and I'm still bitter. TLDR: you're entirely on the rails, your decisions don't matter. The interactivity in this game makes snake look like red dead redemption 2. Here's a preview of the game: Go to forgettable NPC 1. Hear edgy dialog. Pick one of two dialog choices that have no impact on the game. Get quest 1 of 20. Go to area 1, find the two interactable elements you can click on. Click them both. Enemies approach. Battle.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yeah they're fairly decent games, and as you notes there is quite a bit of workshop content. As well as the original SNES game being reproduced someone has also remade Shadowrun Returns in either the Dragonfall or Hong Kong workshops, so playing Returns that way will help with a lot of that Janko you mentioned.
neutral · AI labelView post →Yesterday I played Shadowrun Returns, which was pretty fun, today I'm playing Nobody Wants To Die, which is true. I don't, I wanna live FOREVER! Join me from 5:30pm (UTC+0) as I check out this sci-fi noir game. twitch.tv/deusblackheart
positive · AI labelView post →Tomorrow We'll be playing Shadowrun Returns, a tactical role-playing game which takes place in the science fantasy setting of the Shadowrun tabletop role-playing game. www.twitch.tv/shourailive Hope to see you there tomorrow! #ItsShouTime #俺は将来だ #Vtuber #VSona #VSky
neutral · AI labelView post →The Shadowrun Returns trilogy is the best implementation of the Shadowrun IP in videogame form. The first game is mid, and can be seen like an extended tutorial. Dragonfall and Hong Kong though, are peak. Excellent NPCs and ethical problems magnified by technology, www.gog.com/en/game/shad...
neutral · AI labelView post →::: spoiler Daggerfall Unity Still playing and following through with my plan to finally do some "adventurous" missions. It's pretty much a full-on role-play of a weak person tasked with various "hero" jobs. Need sneaking? I can do that. Fighting weak enemies? Sure! Get something from a dungeon filled with powerful hostiles? I... can try sprinting through? Things can be a bit difficult at times when playing a non-combat character (until now) so I ended up bailing on few of the quests but I'm…
neutral · AI labelView post →The core mechanics lack polish, and frequent technical glitches ruin the experience. Combined with poor support, I cannot recommend this title.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its pretty cool, the setting is definitly the highlight, the mix of tech and fantasy reminded me a bit of Arcanum in the future. The game itself is quite straightforward and linear, feels like an introduction do RPGs. Its great on the Deck!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I grudgingly recommend this game, but with a caveat. This is more of an Xcom experience than a full fledged RPG. Basically a tactical shooter with a story.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After watching a video in @tenebristenshi.bsky.social's server, I've made a decision. Tomorrow, I will be playing Shadowrun Returns! twitch.tv/ShouraiLive Hope to see y'all there! #ItsShouTime #俺は将来だ #Vtuber #ENVtuber #VSky #DisabledGamer
neutral · AI labelView post →In case anyone was wondering about specifics, I'm thinking of the Sega Genesis game, the Super Nintendo game, and then the Harebrained trilogy of Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun: Dragonfall and Shadowrun: Hong Kong.
neutral · AI labelView post →>is indie now They weren't indie when they made Shadowrun Returns? TIL. I thought Paradox merely published it. Like Devolver Digital publishes a lot of indie games. Sounds cool. SR:R was great and got even better with the expansions. This kinda looks like the same style RPG so I hope they take the lessons learned and crank out another banger.
positive · AI labelView post →Oh yeah, same here. Shadowrun Returns was the first game I ever helped Kickstart, I was so excited for a new game. Lovely trilogy overall with Dragonfall being my fave of the three.
positive · AI labelView post →I'm finally finishing the game of Harebrained Schemes' Shadowrun Returns that I started in 2017. It's actually making me want to re-read my old SR1-3 books. I've never actually run The Sprawl in the SR universe before, but maybe that will finally happen...
positive · AI labelView post →The setting is interesting, but the actual game feels much more limited than it initially appears. The cyberpunk and fantasy combination is a great concept, yet the gameplay doesn't really do enough with it. The biggest problem is how linear everything feels. There is very little freedom to approach situations in different ways, and the RPG elements often feel more like small dialogue options than meaningful choices. Character progression is also fairly basic, so building a character doesn't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I remember who I backed on Kickstarter in 2012. Harebrained Schemes took almost two million dollars from tabletop faithful and promised us the sprawl. They promised a cyber-renaissance where street samurai and shamans operated in Seattle’s neon-soaked gutters. Then July 2013 rolled around, and what landed on my hard drive was not a roleplaying game. It was a glorified digital choose-your-own-adventure book welded onto a deadened combat engine. Let's call the Dead Man's Switch campaign what it…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →hypocritical racists
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Many people complain that the game is too short, but not everything must be a 40+ hour open world crafting system survivor adventure to be "good". The story in the game's campaign is tight and paced well. Best of all, you get access to a workshop and user-made campaigns, many of which are excellent!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You can still pick up the game (Shadowrun Returns) on Steam. Well worth a play.
positive · AI labelView post →You're really paying 15$ for a Mod tool kit, a short proof of concept, and access to the workshop where most of the content lies. I suppose the actual game is in the dlc but I'm just not interested. Wish I could give a 'Meh' review cause its ok if a bit basic as far as crpg's go.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shadowrun Returns is part of that trilogy, and pretty decent too. They can be played in any order - they're all standalone stories.
positive · AI labelView post →I stopped playing this and played Shadowrun Returns instead. Janky but really fun! Feels like they actually for real adapted a tabletop game. Looking forward to playing Dragonfall and Hong Kong!
positive · AI labelView post →Shadowrun Returns is bareboned, but the Nephilim Network is the coolest thing ever. The game has several clear & strict archetypes, and the Network consists exclusively over people who break the norms. Non-hexary characters, it is brilliant! Personally, I want to play a covert operative/G-man.
positive · AI labelView post →Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall was a surprisingly good game.
positive · AI labelView post →I absolutely love these games and wish they'd make more of them. The combat is like Xcom, but with less "You miss on a 99% chance to hit" bs. And more focus on the individual rather than the overall goal. You make your own character, you experience a story and an adventure, with a ton of awesome custom content. I've had countless runs of this game or custom made content, it's in a world I love to extreme amounts. Dragonfall gets the best mix of dialogue and gameplay. Shadowrun Returns gets a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You have been claiming to have made the most advanced strategy games for years, but unfortunately I can't put strategy and you side by side. I don't recommend, don't buy it, don't make anyone buy it. Wish I can refund it. It's just a waste of time.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Stand Against False Armenian Claims!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Extremely short for this type of game. I thought i was done with chapter one, and then the credits rolled. It's decent, but not worth the price, considering length and age.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not the most complex or deepest of the RPG genre, but I was totally engaged in my journey through the game. Loved the cyberpunk/fantasy mix, great atmosphere, good characters, and it has an awesome soundtrack. Definitely well worth a playthrough at the very least!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The first 5 episodes of my one-handed playthrough of Shadowrun Returns are now live! Check out the playlist here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis... #ItsShouTime #俺は将来だ #Vtuber #ENVtuber #VSky #DisabledGamer
neutral · AI labelView post →So a not inconsequential number of people got shot BUT we did finish the game with a pretty good ending! I'm still proud of that nightclub. Next week: Shadowrun Returns!
positive · AI labelView post →Me, laying in bed: "I wonder if there's a game based on the Cyberpunk Red trpg" Me to myself: "u r a dumbass hoe. Play Shadowrun Returns again"
positive · AI labelView post →Nice to play game with great gameplay and story. Nice setting also. Works great on the steam deck.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →related: I really enjoyed the computer game Shadowrun Returns, and while it did get a couple sequels, that franchise more or less ended.
positive · AI labelView post →That’s hilarious. I found out who you are originally from playing Shadowrun Returns back in the day. As cool in real life as you are in the game.
positive · AI labelView post →Shadowrun Returns is a fine enough game I suppose, but it’s narrative is really barebones by comparison.
neutral · AI labelView post →RPG of the Day Shadowrun Returns Released: 2013 Platform(s): Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series S/X, Switch, macOS A triumphant return of the Shadowrun franchise in the video game space. Lots to do and tons of extra content on PC.
neutral · AI labelView post →
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