SNES Shadowrun (SNES) - When Cyberpunk invaded our cartridges

[soulsas]

Imagine a metropolis suffocated by neon fog, inhabited by street samurai, cranial implant hackers and magical creatures coexisting in a high-tech dystopia. Now imagine all this running on a Super Nintendo. Sound impossible? Not for Shadowrun, the audacious adaptation of the FASA tabletop RPG, released by Data East with production by Krome Studios Melbourne.

Released in 1993, Shadowrun for SNES puts us in the shoes of Jake Armitage, a courier who wakes up in a morgue with no memories after an assassination attempt. The game is immediately immersed in a noir atmosphere, with dialogues full of cynicism and mystery around every corner of gloomy futuristic Seattle. The narrative is clearly the strong point of the experience - rich, engaging and full of layers, like a good William Gibson novel or an unreleased chapter of Blade Runner with trolls and shamans.
Unlike the flood of linear JRPGs that flooded the SNES library at the time, Shadowrun takes a bold approach: a mix of real-time action with exploration and extensive dialog in point-and-click style. The controls may seem strange at first glance - stiff movement, overly sensitive aiming, cascading menus that require the patience of an elf shaman - but after a few hours, they become part of the charm.

The game not only translates the complex universe of the tabletop RPG to 16-bit, but does so with its own personality. Progression is semi-open: Jake can carry out side missions, hire shadowrunners, explore ghoul-infested buildings and even hack into corporate systems in the Matrix - a separate mini-game that simulates cyberspace in a surprisingly convincing way for the time.
Marshall Parker delivers a synthetic, hypnotic soundtrack that fits like a data glove. The melancholy urban themes and metallic sound effects set the tone for a decadent future where magic and technology collide at every turn.
Shadowrun is not a game for everyone. But for those looking for something beyond sugary medieval fantasy, it offers a unique experience: a decadent Seattle, where dragons run megacorporations and the alleys hide as many secrets as bullets. The game requires dedication, patience and a good dose of affinity with the cyberpunk universe - but it rewards with one of the most memorable adventures of the 16-bit era in my memory

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I LOVED that game.

I think it's actually my favorite thing on the SNES, and a beautiful "spiritual successor" to Nightshade.

The puzzles weren't impossible, the action was decent and the story was incredible.

 

[soulsas]

It absolutely feels like a spiritual successor to Nightshade — that same gritty, neo-noir vibe, with a loner anti-herói trope and a world that doesn’t hold your hand. But Shadowrun goes even deeper. The layers of corporate intrigue, magical conspiracy, and the raw atmosphere of Seattle’s rain-soaked streets give it this mature edge that was almost unheard of on consoles at the time. Did you have a favorite moment or side mission? I still remember the first time I had to hire a shadowrunner and realized just how alive that world felt.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Did you have a favorite moment or side mission? I still remember the first time I had to hire a shadowrunner and realized just how alive that world felt.

Exactly that! I especially loved the moment when they felt like they had earned their pay and left. I was not expecting the game to do that, but it was incredible.

I also really loved getting the police badge. It required a lot of messing about with dialogue, but felt SO EARNED.

 

[tigg]

I remember playing this when it first came out, though I think I played on the Genesis. I loved it, couldn't get enough of it, but sadly it was a rental so I never did beat it, years later I played it on emulator and just couldn't get into it at all.. felt sad.

 

[RageBurner]

It's quite good (thanks for the detailed writeup) but I feel the Mega Drive version edges it slightly thanks to gameplay. Still, the SNES one is more graphically pleasant and has better music.

 

[UnDubious]

I remember playing this when it first came out, though I think I played on the Genesis. I loved it, couldn't get enough of it, but sadly it was a rental so I never did beat it, years later I played it on emulator and just couldn't get into it at all.. felt sad.

The Genesis Shadowrun is a completely different game, by a different developer. They're both pretty good.

The SNES game has a stronger adventure component, and is more linear and story-driven. It's been a long time since I played it but combat was kind of half-action or something?

The Genesis game is real-time and very open-ended. There are more things to do in Seattle and more emphasis placed on being a Shadowrunner (ie cyberpunk mercenary) in the city and hacking into the Matrix. It does have a story in the background (investigating your brother's murder).

 

[NotReallyHere]

I think my first post on this site was, more or less, me gushing about all things Shadowrun ^_^

I adore both the SNES and Genesis games. And I also like that they are both so different, because we got two full games out of that license at more or less the same time! It was a good time to be a fan.

Regarding the SNES game, I just wished it had mouse support. And on top of that, a turbo controller is practically a must for combat. Even though I liked the game just fine beforehand, my opinion of it greatly improved once I started using a gamepad with auto-fire

 

[RageBurner]

Where I think the SNES game falters is the cyberspace portion. It's pretty bland compared to the Mega Drive version's interpretation of it.

 

[LiberoVulpesLiberoVulpes's icon]

The game that justified the SNES mouse.

I got introduced to the Shadowrun setting in Returns, but i did have enough curiosity to try this one out, its very good, and i quite like the pixel art.

 

[Strategist's iconStrategist]

I'm also a big fan of Shadowrun. I rented it a few times from Blockbuster because I loved the cyberpunk theme and logo. Unfortunately, it is rather easy to get stuck in this game if you don't know where to go. I appreciated the game a lot more when playing it later in life with a walkthrough, lol.

I enjoyed the Genesis version a bit more because it felt closer to the tabletop roots. Although that game has its own issues.

I bought the new Shadowrun trilogy on sale recently. Still need to try it.

 

[RageBurner]

I enjoyed the Genesis version a bit more because it felt closer to the tabletop roots. Although that game has its own issues.

Yeah. Most of all in my experience, actually getting off the ground is unbearably slow (there are hacks that rectify this), and if you want to be a decker, you'll be in for an even worse time, at first (it's fun later, and you make more money than you'd know what to do with).

 

[Strategist's iconStrategist]

Yeah. Most of all in my experience, actually getting off the ground is unbearably slow (there are hacks that rectify this), and if you want to be a decker, you'll be in for an even worse time, at first (it's fun later, and you make more money than you'd know what to do with).

Yeah, the grind is real in that game. And one bad run and you are back to zero.

 

[RageBurner]

Yeah, the grind is real in that game. And one bad run and you are back to zero.

Exactly. I also found that, while it is nice that there's variety in runs, the earnings are very uneven (for instance, clearing abandoned houses is rather risky if you are alone, and the pay hardly compensates said risk, same for corp break ins).

 

[Strategist's iconStrategist]

The game that justified the SNES mouse.

Hey that Mario Paint game was really important for those who didn't have access to any run of the mill IBM PC. /jk

 

[RageBurner]

I bought the new Shadowrun trilogy on sale recently. Still need to try it.

I meant to reply to this too, before. These modern SR games are quite good, in my experience.

 

[Rising80X]

that dog gave me nightmares when i was a kid

 

[RageBurner]

that dog gave me nightmares when i was a kid

Yeah it's quite unsettling.

 

[Strategist's iconStrategist]

The kitsune chick was really cool. I liked her as a party member.

 

[daicahuyoi]

Beautiful game!

 

[_oBSOLEte_]

I think it is kinda the Planescape Torment of the SNES.

Genesis run last year was also fun, as a decker using fast forward with the emulator it was easier to grind those juicy cyberspace missions.

I highly recommend the Harebrained Schemes games.

 

[RageBurner]

I think it is kinda the Planescape Torment of the SNES.

Genesis run last year was also fun, as a decker using fast forward with the emulator it was easier to grind those juicy cyberspace missions.

I highly recommend the Harebrained Schemes games.

The only thing that mars the decking experience on the Mega Drive is that certain kinds of virus could literally eat away one of the programs installed on the deck, and these don't come cheap.

 

[_oBSOLEte_]

The only thing that mars the decking experience on the Mega Drive is that certain kinds of virus could literally eat away one of the programs installed on the deck, and these don't come cheap.

Yeah the "tar pit". There was a few cheap programs like "smoke" IIRC, I kept on the deck for those nodes. But yeah, that pretty much meant you could load you save back. My main issue was the awesome animations where the avatar travels. When grinding it was too much unskippable idle time.

I always bind fast forward on R2 for console RPGs anyway.

 

[RageBurner]

Yeah the "tar pit". There was a few cheap programs like "smoke" IIRC, I kept on the deck for those nodes. But yeah, that pretty much meant you could load you save back. My main issue was the awesome animations where the avatar travels. When grinding it was too much unskippable idle time.

I always bind fast forward on R2 for console RPGs anyway.

Definitely. Also I immediately give up on RPGs that don't have an "instant" text draw option.
So tar pits could be dodged with other programs? I completely forgot about that!

 

[_oBSOLEte_]

Definitely. Also I immediately give up on RPGs that don't have an "instant" text draw option.
So tar pits could be dodged with other programs? I completely forgot about that!

No it was not dodgeable IIRC. Regardless of you skill points, you had to waste a program on it. But it could be a cheap lvl1 Slow or lvl1 Smoke you could use to to test the ground, to avoid loosing your precious lvl8 Attack.