History VideoGame / ShadowrunReturns

* GenreBlind: The vice-president [[spoiler:will still choose to attack you even after you have cleared out the floor of Tsang security. He has two bodyguards against your four-man team. Do the math.]]

** A recurring poster on Shadowlands looking for a decker adds more and more requirements each time, leading other posters to wonder what happened each time. Of note is the "knowing how to operate a moped" one. [[note]]The Johnson planned an escape route using mopeds; the decker didn't know how to use one and ended up face first into a wall[[/note]]

* SchrodingersQuestion: While reminiscing about a fight he had with Raymond in the past, Duncan will recall that you asked an ArmorPiercingQuestion that caused them both to stop and make peace with each other. No matter which dialogue option you pick, those will be the words you used. [[spoiler:It becomes a ChekhovsGun later where repeating those exact words will be a vital step to getting the GoldenEnding.]]

* SetAMookToKillAMook: In the TakeAThirdOption example below, you can easily beat the two groups of attackers by running your entire party south and letting the two parties kill each other.

** A note from a Shadowlands system admin mentions a "Laughing Man Debacle of '55." As mentioned above, this is the online handle of a certain Harlequin and one wonders if he took the name from [[Anime/GhostInTheShell a an anime series]] that involved a character of the same name.

* TooDumbToLive: In the Ares run, you're confronted at the end by another shadowrunner crew (not to be confused with the one in the building) who demand you hand over your prize. If you've read through the logs, you'll know this idiot crew twice botched the same run, and for some reason they think it's a good idea to threaten you when you may potentially have a second crew as backup. They are laughably easy to kill.

* SuperStrength: Aside from a variety of feats you can get up to with an incredibly high strength stat, including being able to throw a shuriken or swing a sword for significantly more damage than the best guns or explosives in the game, Frederick Ka Fai, an NPC troll with no known strength-augmenting cyberware, boasts of being able to bench at least 700 kg, a figure he claims is more than ''twice'' the record for an unaugmented human (and if one assumes strength scales linearly and the record is held by someone who has the maximum possible human strength of 9, Frederick would have to have between 15 and 18 strength, which is the upper limit for an unaugmented and an augmented troll PC respectively, though it also bears noting that the current bench press record, which was established before the release of the game, is 487 kg, which is closer to 2/3 of Frederick's best than half).

* [[SurprisinglyGoodEnglish Surprisingly Good German]]: The German in this game is so good, in fact, that the worst complaint even a native speaker might have would be "Eh, slightly awkwardly phrased, but still entirely correct and sayable".

* WhipItGood: One of the available cyberweapons is the monofilament whip, which is a moderately powerful ranged weapon (and the only ranged cyberweapon) with a variety of special techniques and ability to pierce armor, inflict bleed damage, and cause additional AP damage. Unlike tabletop, you can't critically fail with it and injure yourself.

* BrickJoke: Prior to entering Kowloon for the finale, Ambrose can give you a gun to pass over to Law to protect himself, advising him not to shoot himself in the foot. If the PlayerCharacter doesn't have points in ranged weapons, [[WhatAnIdiot guess what Law managed to do in the meantime]].

* AlternateHistory: This was already a given for Shadowrun, but it seems especially noticeable in Hong Kong, since the Kowloon Walled City that most of the game takes place in was demolished in real life back in 1994. It turns out to be {{Subverted|Trope}} if you find the optional dialogue that establishes that it is, in fact, [[HistoryRepeats a second Walled City built in the image of the original.]]

* TheTeam:
** TheLeader: You
** TheLancer: Eiger (overlaps with TheBigGuy)
** TheSmartGuy: Blitz, Dietrich, You (if playing a decker, rigger or mage)
** TheChick: Glory
** TeamPet / [[spoiler:SixthRanger]]: Dante

* AluminumChristmasTrees: When asked about her name, Gobbet claims that in Hong Kong, people love giving their children "unique" English names to make them stand out even though (as in her own mother's case) they might not fully understand what said names mean. This is an [[https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/10/hong-kong-loves-weird-english-names/263103/ actual phenomenon]] in real-life Hong Kong.

''Shadowrun Returns'' is a {{CRPG}} based on the ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' franchise. It is the [[VideoGame/{{Shadowrun}} fifth video game in that setting]]. It came bundled the ''Dead Man's Switch'' campaign. The second DLC campaign, ''Dragonfall'', was later released as a standalone game with additional content and features. ''Shadowrun: Hong Kong'' was then released as the seventh game in the series, followed by a short sequel DLC called ''Shadows of Hong Kong''.

''Returns'' was developed by Harebrained Schemes, designed by Jordan Weisman[[note]]founder of Creator/{{FASA}} and co-creator of the original ''Shadowrun'' (and, on a side note, also the co-creator of ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'')[[/note]] and Mitch Gitelman[[note]](producer for most of the Microsoft FASA-licensed games including the Xbox 360/Windows Vista ''Shadowrun'' game [[OldShame about which he apologizes]])[[/note]], it was crowd-funded through Website/{{Kickstarter}} in March of 2012. The Kickstarter was a huge success, hitting several stretch goals, with lots of {{Feelies}} for backers and the first DownloadableContent pack (set in UsefulNotes/{{Berlin}}) included for free. The game was released on July 25, 2013 for PC and Mac, September 26, 2013 for iOS and Android and October 30, 2013 for Linux.

An UpdatedRerelease of ''Dragonfall'' entitled ''[[http://www.pcgamer.com/2014/08/17/shadowrun-dragonfall-directors-cut-coming-next-month/ Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut]]'' was released on September 18, 2014 for PC, Mac, and Linux. The update includes, among other things, new art assets as well as entire new missions, which really ended up taking ''Dragonfall'' outside the scope of "DLC" and made it more a full-blown sequel running on the same engine. Citing developers like [[VideoGame/TheWitcher CD Projekt RED]] as inspiration, the team behind ''Shadowrun Returns'' decided to release this update free for original backers and owners of the original ''Dragonfall''. The update is also sold as a standalone product on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} and [[Website/GOGDotcom GOG]]. A version for iOS and Android was set to be released in October 2014, but was delayed until December 4th.

* CastFromHitPoints: Spells which are currently on cool down can still be cast, but doing so drains HitPoints.

''Shadowrun Returns'' is a {{CRPG}} based on the ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' franchise. It is the [[VideoGame/{{Shadowrun}} fifth video game in that setting]]. It came bundled the ''Dead Man's Switch'' campaign. The second DLC campaign, ''Dragonfall'', was later released as a standalone game with additional content and features. ''Hong Kong'' was released exclusively as separate game, with a short sequel campaign entitled ''Shadows of Hong Kong'' released later. This makes them the sixth and seventh games in the series.

''Dead Man's Switch'', the first campaign, is included with the first game in the series (but not the first game based on the ''Shadowrun'' table RPG). It takes place in UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}} in 2054. In it, [[PlayerCharacter you play]] a down-on-their-luck Shadowrunner investigating the death of their old buddy Sam Watts in exchange for a substantial payday and/or personal vengeance. It also has a number of plot links to the [[VideoGame/{{Shadowrun}} SNES Shadowrun game]], although it is not a "sequel" as such.

* AntiMagic: Downplayed; there's no total magic immunity, but Adepts can learn Magic Resistance, which gives increasing levels of Cover against spells.
* ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: You can usually only bring three other runners with you at a time, sometimes less. While it makes sense for the teams to stay small, it's especially noticeable in ''Dragonfall'', where the total crew size (counting the PlayerCharacter) is five, meaning one person always has to sit out in every run. This gets even worse in ''Hong Kong'', as you can have up to five teammates, meaning two members would sit out each mission. Asking those that didn't go on the last run about their opinions on it has them pointing out that they didn't go along, and possibly mentioning what they did in the meantime.

* TheArtifact: Mercenaries. In ''Dead Man's Switch'', hiring other runners was the only way to have any sort of backup on a run. They're still around in ''Dragonfall'' and ''Hong Kong'', but the presence of a crew in those campaigns who can be brought on for free diminishes their usefulness.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Additions made in the later campaigns induced this trope on ''Dead Man's Switch''. It's a much more on-rails game with very few sidequests, and with the exception of Coyote, the only teammates you have available are mercenaries with [[FlatCharacter no personalities]] or significance to the plot.

* MageMarksman: Both mages and shamans are just as likely to be packing an AK-97 as they are to be slinging fireballs or summoning spirits. It helps that both get spells that buff and compliment gunplay.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: When asked about her "unique" name, Gobbet chalks it up to her mother not fully understanding what the word meant and adds that such names are common in Hong Kong due to people's desire to stand out. This is an [[https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/10/hong-kong-loves-weird-english-names/263103/ actual phenomenon]] in real-life Hong Kong.

* DifficultySpike: The raid on Telestrian's headquarters is a lot harder than previous stages. Among the problems is that the enemies can and will flank you by spawning from different entrances, there are a lot more of them than you're used to dealing with, and there are mandatory decking sequences which spawn heavy guards that can hit five times in one attack just to capitalize on your lack of manpower. Justified in that you ''are'' hitting an office of a major MegaCorp, something that would not be done unless you are [[GodzillaThreshold just that desperate]].

* DifficultySpike: The ''Shadows of Hong Kong'' bonus campaign is notably harder than the original campaign. You're regularly pitted against an overwhelming number of heavily-armed enemies from multiple angles, they use new equipment that does a lot of damage, and they use cyberware that only you could access in the previous campaign, making it the most dangerous ''Shadowrun Returns'' story yet.

* MultipleChoicePast: After the first mission, you can talk to Dietrich and set up your past with Monika through dialog choices.

** Getting the best possible ending in ''Hong Kong'' requires you to do a lot of seemingly unrelated stuff throughout the game. While most of it can be reasonably assumed that the player will do if they're thorough, there are two very specific actions you have to take: ask Crafty Xu to [[spoiler:send a copy of her mother's notes to you]] and say the ArmorPiercingQuestion to [[spoiler:Raymond and Duncan]] during an optional conversation before the FinalDungeon. For the former, if you don't ask her the ''moment'' the dialogue option appears for the first time, it's [[PermanentlyMissableContent lost]] and you'll never learn [[spoiler:the exact laws you can use to RulesLawyer the BigBad]]. For the latter, failing to do so means [[spoiler:Raymond won't mention how you can release the choke on the Fortune Engine, giving you no leverage over the BigBad]]. You also have to complete [=Is0bel's=] dialog aobut [[spoiler: Yama Kings]] and remember to rest in your bed after each run until you get all of the dream events.

* OneDialogueTwoConversations: During [=Is0bel=]'s personal mission, you are PlayingCyrano (non-romantically) for [=Is0bel=], who after her social awkwardness has led to her almost blowing her cover when trying to improvise after communications got spotty, has decided to simply repeat everything you say verbatim. Shortly after this decision, a con-goer confronts you on the convention floor, wanting to use the booth you're using as a signal booster, at the same time as [=Is0bel=] is confronted by an executive while undercover, and you must simultaneously defuse both situations at once with the same dialog to avoid going loud.

* PlayingCyrano: Done non-romantically during [=Is0bel=]'s personal mission. Since [=Is0bel=] is socially awkward, she depends on the PlayerCharacter providing her with dialog to help her talk her way out of trouble. {{Lampshaded|Trope}} by one of the early dialog responses.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: When asked about her "unique" name, Gobbet chalks it up to her mother not fully understanding what the wordt meant and adds that such names are common in Hong Kong due to people's desire to stand out. This is an [[https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/10/hong-kong-loves-weird-english-names/263103/ actual phenomenon]] in real-life Hong Kong.

* ExactWords: One of the questions you can ask Harlequin is if Hans Brackhaus ''really'' works for Lofwyr. Harlequin winks and replies "No". [[spoiler:As mentioned above, this is because Hans ''is'' Lofwyr]].

* {{Cap}}: The base stats have a cap of 9 with variations based on race, though it can be somewhat impractical to get that high. This cap extends to the skills they govern. Dodge can only goes as high as your Quickness stat, for example. Skills in turn may have specializations, which also cannot have a higher value than the stat that governs them. For example, your Rifle specialization cannot exceed your Ranged Combat skill, which cannot exceed your Quickness stat. ''Hong Kong'' adds a Cyberware Affinity skill which allows you to raise your maximum essence and thus use more cyberware, or up to two essence worth of cyberware without incurring any magical penalties, as well as enhance stats past racial maximums. Unlike other skills which share a cap with their governing stat, Cyberware Affinity has a cap of 7 for all races with the same stipulation that the it cannot exceed the current Body stat as with other skills.

* {{Cap}}: The base stats have a cap of 9 with variations based on race, though it can be somewhat impractical to get that high. This cap extends to the skills they govern. Dodge can only goes as high as your Quickness stat, for example. Skills in turn may have specializations, which also cannot have a higher value than the stat that governs them. For example, your Rifle specialization cannot exceed your Ranged Combat skill, which cannot exceed your Quickness stat. ''Hong Kong'' adds a Cyberware Affinity skill which allows you to raise your maximum essence and thus use more cyberware, or up to two essence worth of cyberware without incurring any magical penalties. Unlike other skills which share a cap with their governing stat, Cyberware Affinity has a cap of 7 for all races with the same stipulation that the it cannot exceed the current Body stat as with other skills.

* {{Cap}}: The base stats have a cap of 9 with variations based on race, though it can be somewhat impractical to get that high. This cap extends to the skills they govern. Dodge can only goes as high as your Quickness stat, for example. Skills in turn my have specializations, which also cannot have a higher value than the stat that governs them. For example, your Rifle specialization cannot exceed your Ranged Combat skill, which cannot excees your Quickness stat. ''Hong Kong'' adds a Cyberware Affinity skill which allows you to raise your maximum essence and thus use more cyberware, or up to two essence worth of cyberware without incurring any magical penalties. Unlike other skills which share a cap with their governing stat, Cyberware Affinity has a cap of 7 for all races with the same stipulation that the it cannot exceed the current Body stat as with other skills.

** Overwatch is a preemptive version of this. By selecting a weapon skill then using Overwatch to define a cone of vision, the user will automatically retaliate against any enemy which crosses their line of sight within the effective range of the weapon it is used with. The player must have enough AP to use the skill in question before triggering Overwatch. The idea is to position the character in such a way that they cannot be attacked without triggering Overwatch and damaging the assailant. It's an excellent ambush skill, though not so good in open areas. Using it automatically ends the user's turn, even if the skill uses less AP than the player has available.

* {{Cyberspace}}: Deckers are able to enter the Matrix in certain areas. This plays out similar to combat in the rest of the game, but everything is abstract and made out of TronLines, and the Decker can use various programs as though they were attack abilities or SummonMagic in meatspace. ''Hong Kong'' revamps the system, allowing the player to move about in real time so long as nothing is actively attacking them, while adding camera drones on rails that increase the alert meter if they see the player.

* BladeBelowTheShoulder: This campaign adds a range of implantable cyberweapons as a unique hand slot distinct from cyberarms. Comes in [[WolverineClaws claw]], spur (a medium-length blade extending forwards from just behind the wrist), and whip varieties. The claws and spurs run off the melee weapons skill, while the whip runs off the ranged weapons skill

* {{Cap}}: The base stats have a cap of 9 with variations based on race, though it can be somewhat impractical to get that high. This cap extends to the skills they govern. Dodge can only goes as high as your Quickness stat, for example. ''Hong Kong'' adds a cyberware specialization stat which allows you to override the maximums.

* HackingMinigame: Among its numerous alterations to Matrix behavior, ''Hong Kong'' adds Blocker IC to any important system nodes. To deactivate them, the player has to play a timed minigame with two steps. The first is a SimonSaysMiniGame using a numberpad. Each successful repeat (up to nine) adds time to the clock, with the sequence increasing in length from four to seven for the final attempt. Messing it up subtracts a bit of time and the sequence is changed. The player can skip to the second step at any point during this, going back to complete it if they need more time. The second step has the player pick the right sequence of symbols out of a list. A display at the top will periodically flash pieces of the sequence. More time means the player can wait longer for the whole sequence to show up. Failing scrambles the sequence and has a bigger time penalty. The deck and programs the player is using can provide a bonus to the time available. If the player triggers the alarm, the Blocker IC turns into a regular enemy the player can kill to bypass.

* BladeBelowTheShoulder: This campaign adds a range of implantable cyberweapons as a unique hand slot distinct from cyberarms. Comes in [[WolverineClaws claw]], spur (a medium-length blade extending forwards from just behind the wrist), and whip varieties.

** Getting the best possible ending in ''Hong Kong'' requires you to do a lot of seemingly unrelated stuff throughout the game. While most of it can be reasonably assumed that the player will do if they're thorough, there are two very specific actions you have to take: ask Crafty Xu to [[spoiler:send a copy of her mother's notes to you]] and say the ArmorPiercingQuestion to [[spoiler:Raymond and Duncan]] during an optional conversation before the FinalDungeon. For the former, if you don't ask her the ''moment'' the dialogue option appears for the first time, it's [[PermanentlyMissableContent lost]] and you'll never learn [[spoiler:the exact laws you can use to RulesLawyer the BigBad]]. For the latter, failing to do so means [[spoiler:Raymond won't mention how you can release the choke on the Fortune Engine, giving you no leverage over the BigBad]].

* SquareRaceRoundClass: Nothing prevents you from making a troll decker or an ork shaman. They won't be able to get as good in it lategame as a human or elf will be due to lower stat caps, but in the beginning they'll be just as good. All races also make for (almost) equally good mages, since all of them cap willpower at 9 (except dwarves, who can go to 11 and unlock a very situational Adept spell from it).
* SquishyWizard: ZigZagged. Unlike many Western [=RPGs=], there is nothing stopping a Mage or Shaman from strapping on a full suit of riot armor. They'll favor the armor type that boosts their casting stat, but it offers just as much protection as any of the stat-boosting armors. Since the game uses archetypes instead of classes, there's nothing preventing a Mage or Shaman from having as many hit points as a Samurai character. The only real disadvantage that casters have is that installing cyberware will force them to cast spells less frequently, making defensive upgrades like Dermal Plating of dubious value. That said, there's nothing specifically stopping a player from playing a caster with basic armor and 10 HitPoints, but the game gives players a wealth of options to avoid it.

** [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orks]]: +1 to Body, higher caps on Body and Strength, lower caps on Charisma and Intelligence.
** [[AllTrollsAreDifferent Trolls]]: +1 to Body and +1 to Strength, higher caps on Body and Strength, lower caps on Charisma, Intelligence and Quickness.

The entire series was released as ''The Shadowrun Trilogy'' for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on June [=21st=], 2022.

* EldritchLocation: The Kowloon Walled City, one of the '''worst''' {{Wretched Hive}}s in the ''Shadowrun'' universe, is a negative ''qi'' cesspool. A sidequest from the first time you enter the place reveals that the ''qi'' of the place is so completely ass-fucking-backwards, that any attempts to use feng shui to create a flow of positive ''qi'' only brings more negative ''qi''. Worse, in true Lovecraft fashion, everyone who lives in and around it suffer nightmares. [[spoiler:As revealed late in the game, this is due to a machine in the center of the city which is screwing up the ''qi'' in the area and siphoning off all the positive ''qi'' for the BiggerBad. The nightmares are from the EldritchAbomination trying to claw her way into the world.]]

* IAteWhat: Your character has the option of tasting some of [[OurGhoulsAreCreepier Gaichu's]] sashimi. And later, for an encore, drinking from a bottle of "red wine" in what later turns out to be a vampire's apartment. You get an achievement for doing both. ''Shadows of Hong Kong'' continues the gag with several questionable dishes and drinks.

** You can use some (albeit low-level) BloodMagic in ''Hong Kong''. This is impossible in tabletop, with the rules stating that any PlayerCharacter who dabbles in the stuff will automatically be converted to an NPC.