Shadowrun: Hong Kong
Shadowrun: Hong Kong – Extended Edition is the definitive version of Shadowrun: Hong Kong, the third standalone game in Harebrained Schemes’ critically-acclaimed Shadowrun cRPG series. This Extended Edition adds the all-new, 6+ hr Shadows of Hong Kong Bonus Campaign to the game as a free upgrade – delivering on a funding goal achieved by fans in Harebrained Schemes’ wildly successful Shadowrun: Hong Kong Kickstarter. The Extended Edition also adds audio commentary to the game, and a long list of improvements since the game’s initial launch – including new visual effects, updated dialogue, and new editor features (for User-Generated Content). HONG KONG. A stable and prosperous port of call in a sea of chaos, warfare, and political turmoil. The Hong Kong Free Enterprise Zone is a land of contradictions – it is one of the most successful centers of business in the Sixth World, and home to one of the world’s most dangerous sprawl sites.
Game Discussion
Steam User 5
A fun CRPG, if rough around the edges.
(+) _Gritty_ cyberpunk setting, strong Deus Ex vibes. A definite plus in a sea of "overdone" and neon-saturated cyberpunk games.
(+) Decent story and writing.
(+) Combat is fun. I played as a bog standard street samurai with a rifle. A few times I had flashbacks of X-COM after missing shots right in front of enemies even with a neural-implant aiming system lol
(-) The hacking/decker stuff is atrocious. The matrix world you enter for hacking missions is tedious, and I hated every second of it.
(-) Controls are janky at times. Like not being able to interact with doors and other objects despite clicking on them multiple times.
(-) Companions in RPG games are usually hit or miss, The crew I have in my current run is definitely the latter. Whenever a companion levels up, you select from 1 of 2 upgrades, otherwise the game manages and upgrades their gear automatically. I prefer this system as it cuts down on gear and stat management -- some players might hate it for those same reasons -- but I nevertheless found my team's abilities boring and underwhelming.
I've played better and I've played worse CRPGs. But if you like cyberpunk settings and get this on sale, it's probably worth a playthrough if you like the genre.
Steam User 8
Solid Story, Better Gameplay
The story is good—comparable to the previous Shadowrun game—but where this title really shines is in the gameplay improvements. I still consider Shadowrun: Dragonfall to have the stronger narrative overall. While the writing here is solid, the game sometimes overdoes it with long blocks of text, which can bog down the pacing.
However, the gameplay has clearly evolved for the better. The mechanics feel more refined, offering a smoother and more engaging experience than the last installment. It’s a well-rounded game that benefits from meaningful engine enhancements.
Steam User 4
I have a lot of mixed feelings regarded this title. On one hand, there is a lot of interesting narrative and character backstories to follow in it, but on the other the pacing felt. so. sluggish. at times... The neverending dialogues between missions made me feel like nearly every team member and Heoi dweller wanted to tell me their life story. So, if you are planning to play SR:HK, be prepared for a lot of reading.
The actual shadowrun scenarios were fairly varied and interesting, a few of the goofier situations even got a laugh or two out of me. The combat was engaging and I appreciated how you got Karma/XP for completing your goals and not for killing enemies - lack of any combat rewards really made it feel like talking or hacking your way out of various situations was the superior choice.
But, speaking of hacking... I don't know whose idea it was to put a bunch of action minigames inside of a turn based games, but to me they were neither fun nor interesting. I remember hacking from Shadowrun:Dragonfall and it felt a lot better without the action elements.
So, it's a mixed bag, but considering all three parts of the Shadowrun Trilogy, it definitely felt more interesting than the barebones Returns. However, I felt that it was a downgrade compared to Dragonfall. Fans of the setting probably will want to play all three, but if you're new to the series, I'd recommend starting with Dragonfall and making your decision whether to play the rest based on that.
Ah, and the bonus/free DLC campaign was a good addition - I felt as it was better paced than the original, plus it gave a few nice challenging battles to give the player more opportunities to play around with the endgame gear. So if you do end up playing SR:HK, don't pass on that one.
Steam User 6
Not as long (or maybe even as fun/engaging) as Dragonfall, but still very worth playing. The characters especially REALLY hold the game up high, all the party members were really good fun and had interesting little stories. Decking was fucking trash, but whatever. The bonus campaign was pretty cool too.
Overall, yeah, if you like the other ones, def give this a shot too. I really enjoyed my time.
Steam User 5
Great characters and an alright main story, the gameplay is more decent than in Shadowrun: Dragonfall.
Steam User 3
Great game and fantastic writing. I usually am the type that skips big paragraphs of text when they come, but I didn't in this game. in fact I explored the vast majority of dialogue options to their conclusion even with NPCs.
The bonus campaign really wrapped up the story well. Made it feel like much more of a complete ending.
Great game
Steam User 4
Really like the game it just seems like there is an unnecessary amount of dialogue that doesn't really mean much.
There have been a few conversations where it seems like they keep repeating the same thing in different ways and I just find myself skipping through. Other than that love the game.