Shadowrun is one of the most storied franchises in tabletop gaming, with a devoted fanbase and numerous follow-up novels and video game adaptations of varying quality. The latest game to bring this unique RPG series to consoles is Shadowrun Trilogy, a comprehensive bundle of the three games developed and released by Harebrained Schemes.
The trilogy offers fans and newcomers alike the chance to dive into some of the best-written RPGs released in recent years, with all the built-in updates and expansions. But despite the compelling storytelling and fun gameplay, you might still walk away thinking that some things just don’t quite make sense.
7 Why was the walled city rebuilt?
Shadowrun: Hong Kong features the walled city of Kowloon, an autonomous and densely populated urban structure full of suffering and crime. The walled city also exists in the real world – or at least it was.
The actual walled city was also known as a haven for crime, and while most of the residents lived peaceful lives, the building’s reputation – and relatively squalid living conditions – eventually led to its demolition in 1994. So why the Shadowrun? universe version of Hong Kong decide to rebuild the walled city given all the baggage it entails?
6 How smart are orcs really?
Shadowrun’s big hook is the combination of cyberpunk aesthetics and fantasy themes – it presents a dystopian future with orcs that can hack into cyberspace. Shadowrun Trilogy allows you to choose your character’s race for his campaigns, allowing you to build your own fantasy fantasy avatar.
The in-game description of trolls insists that orcs are just as smart as the other races, and that the stereotype of their stupidity is just a myth… and then, if you look at the stats, you’ll notice that they have a generally low intelligence stat. So…what gives?
5 Does a doctor exist in the universe?
In the first game of the trilogy, Shadowrun Returns, you can find a bank positively filled with Easter eggs. It’s full of references to sci-fi franchises like Doctor Who, Portal, Half-Life, and BioShock. And sure, it’s a nice wink to the audience.
But it also raises a whole host of unanswerable questions. Does Doctor Who exist in the world of Shadowrun? Do video games as we know them exist? And does that mean there’s a version of Shadowrun Trilogy being played by a cyberpunk aficionado somewhere in the universe? It hurts you just thinking about it.
4 What’s the point of the first game?
Shadowrun Returns also stands out for the way it ties into the overarching lore of the series. In the Shadowrun universe, part of Chicago is eventually overrun by insect ghosts, forcing the detonation of an atomic bomb to reclaim the city. But Shadowrun Returns takes place before that.
You play as a Decker who encounters the bug ghosts long before they reach Chicago; you’ll even find an anti-insect weapon that can help keep Seattle from suffering the same fate. That’s great, but why was this gun never brought to Chicago? What’s the point of bringing this up if the canon is already set?
3 How does Monika know about Flamewing?
Dragonfall, the second game of the trilogy, begins with a tutorial mission set by a character named Monika Schafer. She is one of the leading figures in the anarchist state of Berlin and does everything she can to maintain the balance of power and keep the citizens safe.
So if she dies during the mission, it will register as a huge shock and kick off the game’s plot. Her last word, in particular, heralds the entire campaign: ‘Feuerschwinge’. This is the German word for Flaming, the revived Great Dragon that features in the story. But this dragon is said to be dead, and only a select few know she’s still alive. How did Monika find out? Who told her?
2 How does the Slapdash gun even work?
Like any RPG worth its salt, Shadowrun Trilogy features a wealth of equipment and you can customize your gear to your liking. Most of the weapons you’ll find are pretty basic – if it boosts your attack, you’ll want to equip it.
But the Slapdash pistol, which appears in Dragonfall, is a strange exception. True to its name, it is a pistol that appears to be hand made, held together with superglue and a prayer. It doesn’t sell for a lot of money and its attack stats are extremely low. But it also has the highest critical hit values in the game, making it a shockingly powerful weapon – despite the fact that it looks like it’s about to fall apart completely. How?
1 Why don’t the snipers kill you?
Shadowrun Hong Kong begins when your team is ambushed by the corrupt Hong Kong Police Force, forcing you to fight your way to safety in the Walled City. During part of this mission you will be threatened by snipers who are invisible and therefore unkillable.
The way to survive here is to take cover in the level… but literally any cover will do. It doesn’t matter which way you look, and it doesn’t matter how good or bad the coverage is. If you stand behind something, you are safe. But how? If there are multiple snipers attacking you from multiple directions, how does this work physically?
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