A Forgotten Classic
The interface of the game is what may take you a little while to get used to. You can talk to many different people you come across, and you memorize certain key words, that you can bring up with other characters you meet. This is what pushes the game's storyline along. And it can be interesting to find out what certain characters have to say about certain key words, such as "Guns" and "Shadowrunners." Speaking of Shadowrunners, they are basically the mercenaries of this game. Much like Jake himself turns out to be. You can hire a variety of them if you choose to. But for most of the game, you can proceed alone. Keep in mind that these guys are mercs. They can even turn on you, if you just dilly-dally around...so be careful. They can be a huge help though, depending on their own attributes. The game's atmosphere is excellent. Very detailed and futuristic in its own way, but there are elements that make this big city unique. There are all sorts of interesting creatures running around...elves, orcs, shamen....they will either help or hinder you, depending on their allegences. It definitely feels like you are actually in a large city. You'll make your way through delapidated ships, warehouses, alleyways, dark night clubs...it's like the video game version of "Blade Runner." Right from the get-go, it seems like everyone is out to get you. In a lot of screens, random snipers will take their pot-shots at you. Luckily, you can acquire weapon, life and magick upgrades through karma, that you get from defeating enemies. Basically the "experience points" of this game. And like in all RPG's, these random bad guys will eventually become very easy to deal with. You can also put your karma into your Leadership skill, that will increase the amount of time a hired Shadowrunner will stay with you, and how loyal they are. Adding to the Cyberpunk vibe of the game are the weapons you acquire. They're all guns. And you can enter computer systems via a head computer that Jake has. It feels a lot like a Pre-Matrix thing. And this game came out well before the Matrix movies. Or if you want, you can hire a Shadowrunner that specializes in computers to do the computer stuff for you. These guys are called "Deckers." The storyline of the game is very strong, and proceeds quickly enough to keep you entertained. Some of the bosses of this game are genuinely tough. The only gripe I have, is that the magic spells that you acquire really aren't necessary at all, except for the Heal spell. I never used a single spell other than that, for my playthrough. There isn't a whole lot more I can say, except that if you can, play this game. If you loved Blade Runner and RPG's in general...you'll be very, very pleased.