Shadowrun Online Preview

MMORPG.com has published a new, rather positive preview for Cliffhanger Productions’ Shadowrun Online, based on some hands-on time with the title. Here’s a snippet:

The basic gameplay in SRO is very familiar if you’ve played XCOM (or any grid-based RPG), but its tactical focus offers a lot of depth. Each map in the game is based on an invisible grid, and you’ll left-click to move your runners, choose skills, and reload or switch weapons. The Q and E buttons will rotate the camera, while WASD will move it around to give you a better of view of the battlefield. Each runner has her/his own turn, for which you’ll have to manage skills and movement. A grey overlay on the map will indicate how far your runner can move using half of her/his turn, while an orange overlay shows where the runner can go if s/he uses the whole turn for movement. Most skills will end a runner’s turn, and as any experienced Shadowrunner will tell you, finding the appropriate cover is paramount for survival, so you’ll want to manage your characters’ movement accordingly.

An overview of the two Alpha runners’ skills may give some insight into what you can do in Shadowrun Online. PayDay can switch between a Skua DMR assault rifle and a Machete, with three skills apiece. With the size 4 clip Skua, he can do a Single Shot (does damage; takes 1 ammo), Double Tap (always crits; takes 2 ammo), or Controlled Burst (ignores Evasion and cover; takes 2 ammo; 3-turn cooldown). Each skill will end his turn, and he’ll have to use a turn (or half-turn, if he moves as well) to reload. Using the Machete, he can Slash (does damage), do a Pommel Strike (does damage and applies Daze, which reduces the opponent’s chance to hit and gives them no chance to crit), or use Stimulants (applies Fast, which increases his movement and sprint range; 3-turn cooldown but counts as a Free Action).

Tashak, on the other hand, wields a Skull of Shakti focus and a Remington Sportsman shotgun. He can use the Skull of Shakti to cast Mana Bolt (does damage), Spark (does damage in an Area of Effect), and Shield (grants 3 magical resistance and 3 physical resistance). When wielding the size 2 clip Remington, he can do a Single Shot (does damage; takes 1 ammo), Double Barrel (does more damage; takes 2 ammo), or an Area Blast (does damage to all targets in a cone; takes 1 ammo; 3-turn cooldown).