We have rounded up another batch of Shadowrun: Dragonfall reviews, which has so far garnered a mostly positive reception, and seems to be uniformly considered an improvement over the original release.
Eurogamer, 8/10.
Unfortunately, as DLC, if you didn’t buy Shadowrun Returns originally you have to do so now to play Dragonfall – effectively doubling the price. It would be much easier to recommend as a standalone expansion – both as a marked improvement on the original campaign and a refreshing break from the genre’s usual fantasy worlds. It still stands as those things if you’re willing to take the plunge, though, as well as being an excellent reason to give Shadowrun Returns and its community a second look.
Gamespot, 8/10.
Thankfully, that knock doesn’t do much to dull Shadowrun: Dragonfall’s sharp edge. Harebrained Schemes has shown that it is committed to improvement. It has fixed a lot of the critical problems from the first entry (most notably that abhorrent save system), and the writing is leaps and bounds better here, making Dragonfall the first game that truly capitalizes on this incredible universe’s great potential.
GameInformer, 8.75/10.
Dragonfall’s fundamentals haven’t changed enough to justify a play if you actively disliked Shadowrun Returns, which is a required purchase before enjoying this new expansion. However, if you were simply hungry for deeper role-playing options, Dragonfall makes major strides, and deserves your attention as a standalone adventure.
Destructoid, 8.5/10.
Shadowrun: Dragonfall doesn’t drastically change the mechanics or systems that were introduced in the main game, which is slightly disappointing as there could have been improvements made but the addition of the new save system is a big relief. The writing and story remains the same high quality from the main game and feels a bit more cohesive from Dead Man’s Switch; that story took a lot of twists and turns but Dragonfall feels more focused by giving you a personal connection right from the start. If you enjoyed your first taste of Shadowrun, then Dragonfall should be an immediate purchase.
RPGCodex, scoreless.
Dragonfall was precisely what I wanted it to be. A vastly improved Dead Man’s Switch with more content, but the same gameplay. I’d say that you should definitely go ahead and buy it if you liked the original campaign, but you might also want to give it a shot if you disliked DMS for one reason or another.
There is one thing, however, that really needs to be said here. Whoever was in charge of the marketing for Dragonfall needs to be flogged. What I mean is how it was constantly referred to as (DLC) before its release. This really couldn’t be more inaccurate. The original campaign took me 13 hours to finish on my first playthrough, but Dragonfall took me 23. This is not “DLC”, but a fully fledged old-school expansion pack, just like Brood War was to Starcraft.
Finally, I’d also like to say that I really wouldn’t mind if Harebrained stuck with this formula. That is, keep the engine and just release new campaigns with improvements and new features every now and again. They’ve showed with Dragonfall that they know how to learn from their mistakes, and they could potentially produce something truly great if they kept improving on the current state of the game. And you know, I would be pretty happy if Shadowrun Returns could take me on a tour of the Renraku Arcology…
Metro, 8/10.
An expansion that improves on almost every aspect of the original, fixing obvious flaws and adding a much greater sense of variety to what is now one of the best retro role-players around.
Calm Down Tom, 2.5/5.
I want to love Dragonfall, I really do. The story is great, the gameplay is still engaging and there’s not a lot of games like it. The problem is that this effort by Harebrained Schemes simply isn’t good enough. The lack of a character import is completely baffling and damages the game greatly. Additionally, to ask fans to pay for this expansion pack (which also requires the original game to play) and offering such little actual content or value is unacceptable.
The Yorker, scoreless.
Whether you’re a die-hard Shadowrun fan or have only just heard of it, there’s a lot to love in Dragonfall. This is the DLC that makes Shadowrun Returns worth buying.
Diehard GameFAN, scoreless.
While I really enjoyed what they did with Shadowrun Returns and trying to give us a campaign with that release that harkened back to the old SNES and Genesis games, Dragonfall takes that base architecture and then applies that to a more modern RPG story-telling setup and knocks their first expansion for Shadowrun Returns out of the park. Dragonfall puts you in charge of your own team, a group that’s decidedly different in their views on just about everything including life experiences and then puts that team in the crosshairs of a very powerful entity that wants them all dead and out of the way. Combining some of the best squad story-telling elements from the Mass Effect Trilogy with a rather large home base and territory that you can really grow to care a lot about, Dragonfall brings the Shadowrun Returns into the more modern RPGs without losing that spark that it had in capturing the old school Shadowrun RPGs. If you liked the first campaign, you’re going to love the expansion. If you’re into modding this also opens up a whole new set of areas and tiles to play with as well. Easily one of my favorite expansions for just about any game and well worth going on another series of runs.
NewGameNetwork, scoreless.
Despite being an expansion, Dragonfall feels like a more complete and coherent package than the game it is attached to. The expansion is equal to the original content in terms of size, but tells its story and builds its characters with more skill and confidence. Dragonfall’s combat will come up with new ways to challenge you, give you varied objectives, and make you play creatively to survive. The choices are more difficult, the paths of a mission create more variety. It is hard to justify the purchase of Shadowrun Returns so you can enjoy Dragonfall, but even if the original game left you underwhelmed, Dragonfall is the game you really wanted.
HeyPoorPlayer, 4/5.
Overall, if you enjoyed Shadowrun: Returns then this should be an instant purchase. It improves on Returns in almost every conceivable way, tells a far more interesting narrative, and portrays an incredibly well-realized vision of future Germany. I enjoyed it far more than the original campaign, especially since it’s $5 less.
Hardcore Gamer, 4.5/5.
In the end, Dragonfall is a more complete and sophisticated version of last year’s Shadowrun Returns. The new campaign setting is utterly compelling, the writing is some of the industry’s finest with astounding prose and character development and the added content simply equates to an experience that is only rivaled by the genre’s best. The fundamental gameplay is still the same, though that should be viewed as a glowing endorsement of the already refined mechanics presented in the game’s predecessor. Having said that, this isn’t a flawless experience; the various bugs and glitches, in addition to limited graphics engine, means there are some hiccups along the way. In truth, though, these hitches are somewhat marginal when juxtaposed with everything else that the game does right. Harebrained Schemes have proven here that they are far more than a one-hit wonder, clearly demonstrating that the success of Returns was anything but mere happenstance. This is a developer that understands and loves their source material, which very evidently comes out in their work. Consequently, Shadowrun: Dragonfall is another home run for the up-and-coming studio.
MMORPG.com, 7.3/10.
If you liked the original Shadowrun Returns campaign you are going to enjoy Dragonfall. It takes everything you liked the first time around and refines it. While your character may be the protagonist of the campaign you are certainly not a hero. This is made abundantly clear in side missions like Loose Ends. You are hired to break into a corporation and kill the last surviving member of a Shadowrun team hired by your employer before he can be tortured and sell your employer down the river. Dragonfall doesn’t waste your time with a brand new tutorial either. Your PDA has all the info you need. While this game is far from perfect, the thing it does the best is capture the feel of what Shadowrun should be and that is a world I want to play in.
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