Shadowrun (Sega)
Encyclopedia
Shadowrun is an action
RPG for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, adapted from the pen and paper RPG Shadowrun
by FASA. The game was developed by US
company BlueSky Software
and released in 1994
. Shadowrun takes place in 2058 Seattle. The game's story centers around Joshua and his quest to find the truth behind the death of his brother, Michael, killed during a mission in the Salish-sidhe wilderness.
The game is the second in a Shadowrun series of videogame adaptations, although the games themselves have no direct story relation other than being set in the Shadowrun universe. The Genesis Shadowrun has a more open ended
(or sandbox) style of gameplay than its SNES
precursor (Shadowrun
by Beam Software).
, and although of varying difficulty, tend to be relatively short. Initially, the player is restricted to a single area of the game, but shortly gains access to almost all other areas. Access to other areas is accomplished primarily by taxi
, although various restrictions and other modes of travel also exist, such as requiring a visa
or bypassing the visa check with the use of a helicopter
.
As in most RPG videogames, the characters' skills and attributes can be improved. However, Shadowrun uses a unique "Karma" system, which allows full character customization. Karma, roughly equivalent to experience
, is earned for successfully completing a run, killing enough enemies, or advancing the game's plot. Karma is then spent on specific stats as determined by the player.
To earn money and Karma, the player must participate in shadowruns, illegal jobs provided by pseudo-anonymous contractors who are, within the legal boundaries of their work, referred to simply as Mr. Johnsons. Mr. Johnsons usually are corporate liaisons who want their bosses' dirty work done without compromising them. All Mr. Johnsons work in backroom booths in different clubs and bars through the city. Depending on the Johnson, they will randomly offer different types of jobs such as: Raiding gang hangouts, Search & Retrieval, Extractions, Courier missions, Ghoul hunting, or Matrix runs. Each mission will vary on the specifics to meet the requirements and location such as Megacorp headquarters or even the LoneStar's main building. Different Mr. Johnsons have varying levels of difficulty and pay for their jobs, which can be influenced by the player's negotiation statistic.
At the start of the game, the player can choose for Joshua to be either a samurai, a decker, or a gator shaman. These only determine Joshua's beginning statistics and equipment; samurai begin focused on combat, deckers on use of the Matrix and electronics, and shamans on the use of magic. Over the course of the game, the player may choose to continue to focus on one particular skill or set of skills or branch out into other areas; however, only characters who choose to start as a shaman (and allied mages) can use magic and getting too many "cyberware
" implants can reduce its effectiveness.
To help the player make things easier during hard shadowruns, Joshua can also recruit other characters to help him in his shadowruns. These are called shadowrunners, and can also be customized as Joshua can. The price of hiring a shadowrunner depends on the duration of the contract, as well as the runner's attitude toward the player. Shadowrunners can be hired for a single run or for a lifetime for ten times the price. The player can only directly control one character at a time; other characters (including Joshua) are controlled by the computer's AI. If the player completes the mission successfully and the shadowrunner was signed on for one job, they return to their location and can be hired back cheaper then before. If the squad is wiped out, however, the runner will be upset and charge more for their services.
The primary method of combat in Shadowrun is the use of firearms, although magic plays a significant role in combat in both an offensive and defensive capacity. Shadowrun keeps track of ammunition; if a character runs out they may have to resort to melee. The use of magic, on the other hand, is kept in check by damaging the player for casting high-level spells: the player can mitigate or even eliminate this through the use of items, or by reducing the success chance and/or power of the spell.
A variety of shops exist throughout the game, providing guns and modifications, cyberware, spells and spell upgrades, cyberdecks and utilities, and other miscellaneous items. In addition to the numerous shops in the game, the player can collect a variety of contacts who provide the player with information, services, or (frequently illegal) goods. Through these contacts Joshua late in the game can join either The Mafia
or Yakuza
.
pen-and-paper universe, certain characters can also explore the Matrix, a global computer network that can be accessed through cyberterminals. It is there that the player, in a third person perspective, can hack networked systems for various purposes. However, in order to do so, a series of intrusion countermeasures must be dealt with, the difficulty of which is proportionate to the system being attacked: the high-end systems of law enforcement and influential corporations will be significantly more difficult to break than that of a nameless hotel.
The cyberdeck carried by Joshua can be used by any shadowrunner and, like real computers, has a variety of statistics, such as memory, storage, and loading speed. These can be improved individually through upgrades or all at once by purchasing a more advanced model. Primarily, the cyberdeck's use, aside from entering the Matrix, is to hold various utilities to hack the networks properly (such as Masking, Attack, and Analyzing programs) and to save data downloaded from the Matrix itself.
While inside the Matrix, the interface changes. The shadowrunner who entered it is replaced by a chromed
character — referred to as the persona
, the character's reflection in the cyberworld — which navigates through the network. Networks are made up of a series of nodes: geometric shapes representing different facets of the system, such as the CPU or data stores. Each node has a different function: the CPU, for example, can cancel system alerts and crash the entire system. The difficultly of defeating a particular node is determined by its color: blue (unprotected node), green (weak and occasionally unprotected), orange (average), and red (strong).
Each node is (usually) protected by intrusion countermeasures called ICs . These are designed to forcibly dump the persona from the system by various means. ICs appear as different figures covering the nodes, and have different effects depending on their type. Trace IC, for example, will force the player out of the system after a certain period of time. Other forms will attempt to trigger alerts, thereby increasing the strength of other IC, or attack the player until they are forced to log out. Tar IC, which hide behind other forms of IC, can even permanently delete the player's utilities, effectively making further progress impossible.
Matrix runs consist of stealing or erasing data, or crashing a system via the CPU. During corporate infiltrations, the player can use internal cyberterminals to shut off the building's security, making the run easier. In addition to its role in shadowruns, the Matrix can be used as a direct source of income by pilfering data from systems and selling it. Files sell for a semi-random price based on the system of origin and difficulty rating of the node the data was stolen from; a single file can sell for as much as 10,000 nuyen, or turn out to be completely worthless.
The player can visit each of these gangs, and pay to speak with their leaders (or be asked to do so, depending on his reputation). There, he can ask for protection from the gangs' random attacks, as well as for the phone number of their allegiance bosses. After Joshua's reputation has been highly upgraded, and after he obtains the numbers of these bosses, he can contact the Yakuza
and Mafia
, and pledge loyalty to either one of them himself, obtaining specific benefits and exclusive items and discounts. Of course, after he sides with any of these criminal organizations, the rival gangs will attack him indiscriminately. On the other hand Lone Star, the government's police force, can't be contacted directly.
universe, in the 2050s. A time where the blending of technology
and human flesh is common; it is around the time the Matrix, a huge computer network, came online, with the ability to jack into its cyberspace directly. It was also a time of magic
renewal: a phenomenon known as The Awakening occurred, where magic returned into the world. Sorcery was once again possible, and slowly and seemingly at random humans began to mutate into orc
s, dwarves, elves or trolls. This time of upheaval was not without political conflicts: mega corporations began to control the world. But with their magic, native shamans threatened them and the world geography came to a complete change. The Amerindians and Elves reclaimed an area called Salish-Shidhe, close to the free city
of Seattle, a major city in the newly formed United Canadian and American States.
Shadowruns story takes place in these areas, both the wilderness
of the Salish-Shidhe and the pollution
of Seattle, controlled by mega corporations. Seattle itself is divided in many areas:
; the video is recovered and made national news. The last man to die in the video was a shadowrunner known as Michael, Joshua's brother.
Joshua spends his last nuyen and flies to Seattle, vowing to avenge his brother's death. He arrives at Sea-Tac Airport and traces back Michael's last credstick
transaction to "Stoker's Coffin Motel", in the Redmond Barrens. Joshua travels there to inquire about his brother, only to be told by the owner that Michael never paid his bill and in fact has some belongings being held. He strikes a deal with Joshua, and by beginning to do small shadowruns for a small-time Mr. Johnson, called Gunderson, he gains enough money to pay his brother's bills.
In Michael's belongings, he finds three "holopix
": one of a young woman, Tabatha Shale; of an Amerindian, David Owlfeather, and of Seattle General Hospital Dr. Heaversheen. From there, the story divides into three branches that the player can go through in any order, either separately or at once. Each branch gives the answer to three main questions:
Because of the sandbox style of gameplay and the non-linear story, the entire mystery isn't revealed until the three main branches are totally completed. Once they are, the plot slowly arises:
Joshua's mission and investigation eventually leads him to Harlequin himself; but it is not after he completes all stories that the ends meet and he can finally reach Ellisia's tomb, the final stage of the game.
Action genre
The word action has more than one meaning in fiction. Action is one of the fiction-writing modes authors use to present fiction. The term is also used to describe an exiting event or circumstance.-Action as a fiction-writing mode:...
RPG for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, adapted from the pen and paper RPG Shadowrun
Shadowrun
Shadowrun is a role-playing game set in a near-future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy fiction, horror, and detective fiction.The original game has spawned...
by FASA. The game was developed by US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
company BlueSky Software
BlueSky Software
BlueSky Software was an American software company situated in California formed in 1988 and had a successful run for 12 years before closing down in March 2001, when parent company Interplay was in financial trouble.- Atari 7800 :* Basketbrawl...
and released in 1994
1994 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 1994. For video and console games, see 1994 in video gaming.-Significant games-related events in 1994:...
. Shadowrun takes place in 2058 Seattle. The game's story centers around Joshua and his quest to find the truth behind the death of his brother, Michael, killed during a mission in the Salish-sidhe wilderness.
The game is the second in a Shadowrun series of videogame adaptations, although the games themselves have no direct story relation other than being set in the Shadowrun universe. The Genesis Shadowrun has a more open ended
Open world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
(or sandbox) style of gameplay than its SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
precursor (Shadowrun
Shadowrun (SNES)
Shadowrun is a cyberpunk action role-playing video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System . It was adapted from the tabletop role-playing game Shadowrun by FASA...
by Beam Software).
Gameplay
Shadowrun offers the player an open style of gameplay, where one controls the main character, Joshua, in third person perspective during both exploration and combat. Battles are real timeReal-time tactics
Real-time tactics or RTT is a subgenre of tactical wargames played in real-time simulating the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics...
, and although of varying difficulty, tend to be relatively short. Initially, the player is restricted to a single area of the game, but shortly gains access to almost all other areas. Access to other areas is accomplished primarily by taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
, although various restrictions and other modes of travel also exist, such as requiring a visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
or bypassing the visa check with the use of a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
.
As in most RPG videogames, the characters' skills and attributes can be improved. However, Shadowrun uses a unique "Karma" system, which allows full character customization. Karma, roughly equivalent to experience
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
, is earned for successfully completing a run, killing enough enemies, or advancing the game's plot. Karma is then spent on specific stats as determined by the player.
To earn money and Karma, the player must participate in shadowruns, illegal jobs provided by pseudo-anonymous contractors who are, within the legal boundaries of their work, referred to simply as Mr. Johnsons. Mr. Johnsons usually are corporate liaisons who want their bosses' dirty work done without compromising them. All Mr. Johnsons work in backroom booths in different clubs and bars through the city. Depending on the Johnson, they will randomly offer different types of jobs such as: Raiding gang hangouts, Search & Retrieval, Extractions, Courier missions, Ghoul hunting, or Matrix runs. Each mission will vary on the specifics to meet the requirements and location such as Megacorp headquarters or even the LoneStar's main building. Different Mr. Johnsons have varying levels of difficulty and pay for their jobs, which can be influenced by the player's negotiation statistic.
At the start of the game, the player can choose for Joshua to be either a samurai, a decker, or a gator shaman. These only determine Joshua's beginning statistics and equipment; samurai begin focused on combat, deckers on use of the Matrix and electronics, and shamans on the use of magic. Over the course of the game, the player may choose to continue to focus on one particular skill or set of skills or branch out into other areas; however, only characters who choose to start as a shaman (and allied mages) can use magic and getting too many "cyberware
Cyberware
For other uses; see Cyberware Cyberware is a relatively new and unknown field...
" implants can reduce its effectiveness.
To help the player make things easier during hard shadowruns, Joshua can also recruit other characters to help him in his shadowruns. These are called shadowrunners, and can also be customized as Joshua can. The price of hiring a shadowrunner depends on the duration of the contract, as well as the runner's attitude toward the player. Shadowrunners can be hired for a single run or for a lifetime for ten times the price. The player can only directly control one character at a time; other characters (including Joshua) are controlled by the computer's AI. If the player completes the mission successfully and the shadowrunner was signed on for one job, they return to their location and can be hired back cheaper then before. If the squad is wiped out, however, the runner will be upset and charge more for their services.
The primary method of combat in Shadowrun is the use of firearms, although magic plays a significant role in combat in both an offensive and defensive capacity. Shadowrun keeps track of ammunition; if a character runs out they may have to resort to melee. The use of magic, on the other hand, is kept in check by damaging the player for casting high-level spells: the player can mitigate or even eliminate this through the use of items, or by reducing the success chance and/or power of the spell.
A variety of shops exist throughout the game, providing guns and modifications, cyberware, spells and spell upgrades, cyberdecks and utilities, and other miscellaneous items. In addition to the numerous shops in the game, the player can collect a variety of contacts who provide the player with information, services, or (frequently illegal) goods. Through these contacts Joshua late in the game can join either The Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
or Yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
.
The Matrix
In tone with the ShadowrunShadowrun
Shadowrun is a role-playing game set in a near-future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy fiction, horror, and detective fiction.The original game has spawned...
pen-and-paper universe, certain characters can also explore the Matrix, a global computer network that can be accessed through cyberterminals. It is there that the player, in a third person perspective, can hack networked systems for various purposes. However, in order to do so, a series of intrusion countermeasures must be dealt with, the difficulty of which is proportionate to the system being attacked: the high-end systems of law enforcement and influential corporations will be significantly more difficult to break than that of a nameless hotel.
The cyberdeck carried by Joshua can be used by any shadowrunner and, like real computers, has a variety of statistics, such as memory, storage, and loading speed. These can be improved individually through upgrades or all at once by purchasing a more advanced model. Primarily, the cyberdeck's use, aside from entering the Matrix, is to hold various utilities to hack the networks properly (such as Masking, Attack, and Analyzing programs) and to save data downloaded from the Matrix itself.
While inside the Matrix, the interface changes. The shadowrunner who entered it is replaced by a chromed
Chrome plating
Chrome plating, often referred to simply as chrome, is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal object. The chromed layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, ease cleaning procedures, or increase surface hardness.-Process:A component to be chrome plated will...
character — referred to as the persona
Persona
A persona, in the word's everyday usage, is a social role or a character played by an actor. The word is derived from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatrical mask. The Latin word probably derived from the Etruscan word "phersu", with the same meaning, and that from the Greek πρόσωπον...
, the character's reflection in the cyberworld — which navigates through the network. Networks are made up of a series of nodes: geometric shapes representing different facets of the system, such as the CPU or data stores. Each node has a different function: the CPU, for example, can cancel system alerts and crash the entire system. The difficultly of defeating a particular node is determined by its color: blue (unprotected node), green (weak and occasionally unprotected), orange (average), and red (strong).
Each node is (usually) protected by intrusion countermeasures called ICs . These are designed to forcibly dump the persona from the system by various means. ICs appear as different figures covering the nodes, and have different effects depending on their type. Trace IC, for example, will force the player out of the system after a certain period of time. Other forms will attempt to trigger alerts, thereby increasing the strength of other IC, or attack the player until they are forced to log out. Tar IC, which hide behind other forms of IC, can even permanently delete the player's utilities, effectively making further progress impossible.
Matrix runs consist of stealing or erasing data, or crashing a system via the CPU. During corporate infiltrations, the player can use internal cyberterminals to shut off the building's security, making the run easier. In addition to its role in shadowruns, the Matrix can be used as a direct source of income by pilfering data from systems and selling it. Files sell for a semi-random price based on the system of origin and difficulty rating of the node the data was stolen from; a single file can sell for as much as 10,000 nuyen, or turn out to be completely worthless.
Gangs
In Seattle, there are three local racial gangs that have well-defined territories and many influences on corporation affairs. These gangs are:| Gang | Race | Location | Allegiance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halloweeners | Humans | Redmond Barrens | Yakuza Yakuza , also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously... |
| Eye-Fivers | Elves | Penumbra District | Mafia Mafia The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering... |
| Orks | Orc Orc An orc is one of a race of mythical human-like creatures, generally described as fierce and combative, with grotesque features and often black, grey or greenish skin. This mythology has its origins in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien.... s |
Puyallup Barrens | Lone Star Police The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force... |
The player can visit each of these gangs, and pay to speak with their leaders (or be asked to do so, depending on his reputation). There, he can ask for protection from the gangs' random attacks, as well as for the phone number of their allegiance bosses. After Joshua's reputation has been highly upgraded, and after he obtains the numbers of these bosses, he can contact the Yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
and Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
, and pledge loyalty to either one of them himself, obtaining specific benefits and exclusive items and discounts. Of course, after he sides with any of these criminal organizations, the rival gangs will attack him indiscriminately. On the other hand Lone Star, the government's police force, can't be contacted directly.
Setting
The game is set in the ShadowrunShadowrun
Shadowrun is a role-playing game set in a near-future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy fiction, horror, and detective fiction.The original game has spawned...
universe, in the 2050s. A time where the blending of technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
and human flesh is common; it is around the time the Matrix, a huge computer network, came online, with the ability to jack into its cyberspace directly. It was also a time of magic
Magic (gaming)
Some role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
renewal: a phenomenon known as The Awakening occurred, where magic returned into the world. Sorcery was once again possible, and slowly and seemingly at random humans began to mutate into orc
Orc
An orc is one of a race of mythical human-like creatures, generally described as fierce and combative, with grotesque features and often black, grey or greenish skin. This mythology has its origins in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien....
s, dwarves, elves or trolls. This time of upheaval was not without political conflicts: mega corporations began to control the world. But with their magic, native shamans threatened them and the world geography came to a complete change. The Amerindians and Elves reclaimed an area called Salish-Shidhe, close to the free city
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
of Seattle, a major city in the newly formed United Canadian and American States.
Shadowruns story takes place in these areas, both the wilderness
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
of the Salish-Shidhe and the pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
of Seattle, controlled by mega corporations. Seattle itself is divided in many areas:
- Redmond Barrens: Dark slums only active because of the Shiawase Atomics Nuclear Plant and the Hollywood Correctional Facility, as well as a few other generic shops. The Halloweeners gang resides there.
- Downtown Seattle: The city center, with many bars and corporation buildings. Lone Star, Seattle's police, patrols every hour to ensure order. The Space NeedleSpace NeedleThe Space Needle is a tower in Seattle, Washington and is a major landmark of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and a symbol of Seattle. Located at the Seattle Center, it was built for the 1962 World's Fair, during which time nearly 20,000 people a day used the elevators, with over...
lies here. - Penumbra District: A high-class area; only top clubs and corporate buildings can be found in this district. It also houses Lone Star's offices, as well as the Eye-Fivers gang.
- Renraku Arcology: An enclosed city on the power of Renraku Corporation, built inside a pyramidPyramidA pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
. Many top-class shops can be found here, as well as the massive Renraku offices. Renraku uses their own security team to keep order in their Arcology. - Puyallup Barrens: Home to the Ork's gang, as well as factories, black market stores, a number of shady bars and hotels.
- Council Island: Neutral lands between the city and the wilderness, and usually peaceful. Orks and humans have an embassy where they live without hatred or discrimination. A bar, stores and a clinic can also be found in the Island. It also has a post where citizens can ask for a visaVisa (document)A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
to enter the Salish-Shidhe. - Salish-Shidhe Indian Lands / Elven Lands of Sinsearach: Amerindians and elves live in peace with nature in these savage and dangerous lands. Many dangerous creatures can be found here, as well as the occasional hunting party. The Salish-Shidhe and Sinsearach are connected through a complex network of caves that house many paths and secrets. A visa is needed to (legally) travel to the Salish-Shidhe.
- Ellisia's Tomb: The last resting place of the founder of the Sinsearach and the "greatest elven hero", it lies deep within the Salish Shide and the Sinsearach, its exact location lost with time. It can't be accessed until the end of the game.
Corporations
The corporations that exist within this Shadowruns world are:- Lone Star Security Services; law enforcement agency in the city of Seattle.
- Fuchi Industrial Electronics, dealing with cyberterminals and Matrix technology.
- Mitsuhama Computer Technologies, dealing with computers and roboticsRoboticsRobotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
. - Ares Macrotechnology, dealing with weapons and defense industriesDefense industryThe defense industry, also called the military industry, comprises government and commercial industry involved in research, development, production, and service of military materiel, equipment and facilities...
. - Aztechnology, dealing with magicMagic (gaming)Some role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
equipment. - Renraku Computer Systems, dealing with computer technology.
Story
Shadowruns story begins on January 31, 2058 in Seattle, UCAS. In the wilderness of the newly reclaimed Amerindian lands of the Salish-Shidhe, a small team of shadowrunners is brutally ambushed by unknown forces. The massacre is over quickly, but is captured in video by one of the slain member's cybereyesRetinal implant
A retinal implant is a biomedical implant technology currently being developed by a number of private companies and research institutions worldwide. The implant is meant to partially restore useful vision to people who have lost theirs due to degenerative eye conditions such as retinitis...
; the video is recovered and made national news. The last man to die in the video was a shadowrunner known as Michael, Joshua's brother.
Joshua spends his last nuyen and flies to Seattle, vowing to avenge his brother's death. He arrives at Sea-Tac Airport and traces back Michael's last credstick
Credit (finance)
Credit is the trust which allows one party to provide resources to another party where that second party does not reimburse the first party immediately , but instead arranges either to repay or return those resources at a later date. The resources provided may be financial Credit is the trust...
transaction to "Stoker's Coffin Motel", in the Redmond Barrens. Joshua travels there to inquire about his brother, only to be told by the owner that Michael never paid his bill and in fact has some belongings being held. He strikes a deal with Joshua, and by beginning to do small shadowruns for a small-time Mr. Johnson, called Gunderson, he gains enough money to pay his brother's bills.
In Michael's belongings, he finds three "holopix
Holography
Holography is a technique that allows the light scattered from an object to be recorded and later reconstructed so that when an imaging system is placed in the reconstructed beam, an image of the object will be seen even when the object is no longer present...
": one of a young woman, Tabatha Shale; of an Amerindian, David Owlfeather, and of Seattle General Hospital Dr. Heaversheen. From there, the story divides into three branches that the player can go through in any order, either separately or at once. Each branch gives the answer to three main questions:
- Who killed Michael, and under whose orders,
- What was Michael's last shadowrun,
- Why was Michael killed.
Because of the sandbox style of gameplay and the non-linear story, the entire mystery isn't revealed until the three main branches are totally completed. Once they are, the plot slowly arises:
- Decades before Michael's death, the Salish-Shidhe lands were reclaimed by a number of Amerindians and Elven heroes; amongst them was a man known as Ellisia, who founded an elven Council, the Sinsearach, to protect the wilderness from the city's corruption.
- After Ellisia's death, his body was sealed in a mausoleumMausoleumA mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
with a number of magical artifacts to prevent the misuse of Ellisia's magic power. - It is then that an ancient free spiritFree SpiritFree Spirit may refer to:*Free Spirit , 1995*Free Spirit , 2009*Free Spirit , an American television series*Free Spirit , a South African television series...
entity called Thon, begins a plot to fully penetrate this world using Ellisia. Free spirits are cursed, as Thon needed to replenish his life force or his form in this world would cease to exist. In order to stay alive, Thon seeks out magical artifacts and in destructive rituals, absorbs their energies. With the power of Ellisia's body and artifacts, Thon could become a physical entity. - Thon begins to use two Mr. Johnsons, Vigore & Jarl, to carry out his plans for him,
- A mega corporation, Renraku, becomes involved with Thon through Vigore, a corporate support at the time. Renraku begins to work with the free spirit in a top-priority project, "Project THON". The project's leader is Mako Sochou, but he soon is blinded by Thon's promises and betrays Renraku, being replaced by Ito Ogami. Renraku itself plans on manipulating Thon, being the only ones with a map to Ellisia's Tomb.
- By this point, Sinsearach Council member Harlequin sets on a mission to stop Thon from desecrating Ellisia's Tomb and being freed again. To do this, Harlequin asks his apprentice Frosty to hire a Mr. Johnson, Caleb Brightmore, to organize a small team of shadowrunners to go into Ellisia's Tomb and destroy Thon's magic source. Michael is employed in this team.
- Ito Ogami sends a Renraku Strike Team to kill Michael's team; Harlequin is left powerless without his team.
Joshua's mission and investigation eventually leads him to Harlequin himself; but it is not after he completes all stories that the ends meet and he can finally reach Ellisia's tomb, the final stage of the game.
Shadowrunners
- Joshua is the game's protagonist, and the player defines much of his personality. However, most of the times he's a casual and somewhat aggressive typical male; his perspective, often with bits of sarcasm and irony, drives the game. In the game, Joshua's goal is to avenge and solve the mystery of his brother's death, a goal he can only achieve by making a name for himself as a shadowrunner.
- Michael is Joshua's older brother. Not much is revealed about his personality, but Michael was close and protective over Josh. Michael was an elite shadowrunner, and he and his friends were brutally massacred during a fatal shadowrun by an unknown ambush force. Joshua vows to avenge him.
- Ricky is a modest and somewhat weak dwarf ratRatRats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
shaman. He lived in the city for most of his life, but he had no purpose, mostly because "everybody was larger than him". At some point, the Rat totem reached out to him, showing him that violence wasn't the only way to success. Ricky's skills are few and only useful for sneaking around. He starts shadowrunning to save enough to get out of Redmond Barrens, where he resides. - Winston Marrs is an ex-policeman trollTrollA troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
samuraiSamuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
, named after the Roman god of war, who appears to be obsessed with violenceViolenceViolence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
and loves to shoot guns. So, in order to "get paid for shooting at people", he joined Lone Star, the Seattle police. However, he didn't pass his studies and was kicked out of Lone Star. Because of that, Winston holds an understandable grudge against the police. Winston is playful and lighthearted, and should the player employ him frequently, he develops an affection towards Joshua ("you're the boss, Josh!") - Trent Delisario is an universityUniversityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
dropout humanHumanHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
mageWizard (character class)The Wizard is a type of magical character class in certain role-playing games and computer role-playing games. Wizards are considered to be spellcasters who wield powerful spells, but are often physically weak as a trade-off. Wizards are commonly confused with similar offensive spellcasting...
. At university, Trent studied magic, but only learnt what he calls "parlor tricks". Aspiring for a greater control over the astral planeAstral planeThe astral plane, also called the astral world, is a plane of existence postulated by classical , medieval, oriental and esoteric philosophies and mystery religions...
, he moves to Penumbra District hoping to learn new skills as he shadowruns. Trent appears to know some JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, and is helpful and polite, being the only character in the whole game that gives a vidphone number for free. - Petr Uver is a dwarf deckerHacker (computer security)In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
. Previously employed at an electronics store, he learned his way around cyberdecks and The Matrix, and soon became displeased with the meager pay of his job. Stealing a cyberdeck, he moved to Puyallup Barrens in order to become a shadowrunner and win easy money. - Walking Bear is an orcOrcAn orc is one of a race of mythical human-like creatures, generally described as fierce and combative, with grotesque features and often black, grey or greenish skin. This mythology has its origins in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien....
bearBearBears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
shaman, born human in Seattle. She had a happy childhood, until the phenomenon of the Awakening turned her into an ork. Humans began to discriminate against her, so she escaped into the wilderness, where a group of Amerindians taught her the way of the shamans. She soon discovered her potential with the Bear, which she identifies with because of their protective desires. Walking Bear's goal is to protect her tribe, and in order to do so, she works as a shadowrunner to make money for them. - Phantom is an ex-corporateCorporationA corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
elfElfAn elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
deckerHacker (computer security)In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
. He once worked for an unnamed company that trained him to hack the Matrix. However, he was fired without any pension when an anti-metahuman group demanded the removal of jobs for other races, claiming that they were stealing them from "the pure". As an act of revenge, he used his Matrix training to steal money from his employers' accounts, and began a career as a shadowrunner. He knows JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and claims to have made quite a name for himself in cyberspace. - Ilene Two Fists is a convictConvictA convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
humanHumanHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
samuraiSamuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
, who was a friend of the Sinsearach Council. She traveled to the Redmond Barrens looking for adventure after leading a safe life. She quickly finds herself with two other shadowrunners against the Ares Corporation with promises of money, but is betrayed when her partners leave her behind after tripping an alarm while trying to infiltrate an Ares facility. Ilene ends up in the Hollywood Correctional Penitentiary, and is eventually rescued by Joshua during the story. She is quick, both talking and fighting. - Freya Goldenhair is an elfElfAn elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
mageWizard (character class)The Wizard is a type of magical character class in certain role-playing games and computer role-playing games. Wizards are considered to be spellcasters who wield powerful spells, but are often physically weak as a trade-off. Wizards are commonly confused with similar offensive spellcasting...
. A member of the Cascade Crow tribe, she discovered she had latent magic powers as a child, but her tribe viewed hermetic mages as heretics (as opposed to shamans, that work within the limits of natureNatureNature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
). Freya ran away, ending up in the city and working with a radical political group, which hired her to assassinate corporate officials. Her job proved easy and worth the effort, but she soon grew tired of the group's control and broke away from them, becoming a shadowrunner. Freya is flamboyant and seems somewhat attracted to Joshua. - Rianna Heartbane is an elfElfAn elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
deckerHacker (computer security)In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
, whose last name is a pseudonym she took from an ancient elven leader that prophesiedProphecyProphecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
the Matrix as "a place where everything and nothing exists; a place where war is fought and blood is shed without weapons". Rianna has been shadowrunning against the Corporations since a very young age, and she feels that it is her personal mission to stop them from gaining any more power than they already have. - Stark is a humanHumanHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
samuraiSamuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
, and the only surviving member of Michael's massacred party. He was raised in the Amerindian lands, and is proud of his heritage, swearing to protect it no matter what. When he heard that strangers were entering the Salish Shidhe, he traveled to the city to investigate the reasons behind this invasion. There, he met Michael, and the two became fast friends, until they both engaged in the fatal shadowrun to stop the invaders. Although not very bright, he is caring and affectionate. At the time of the story's beginning, Stark is agonizing in the depths of the Salish Shidhe, and it's up to Joshua to revive him.
Other characters
- HarlequinHarlequinHarlequin or Arlecchino in Italian, Arlequin in French, and Arlequín in Spanish is the most popularly known of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'arte and its descendant, the Harlequinade.-Origins:...
is a member of the Sinsearach Council, whose name comes from the tattoos on his face. He knows of Thon's existence and intentions to desecrate elven lore to become fully alive, and carries out a plan to stop him, which results in Michael's death. Joshua eventually meets him, and they team up to stop Thon. He originally appeared in the Shadowrun RPG, in a campaign book of the same name. - Frosty, or Jane Frost, is another member of Sinsearach, and an apprentice (of sorts) of Harlequin. It is she that organizes Michael's shadowrun, and guides him to her master. As with Harlequin, she originally appeared in the RPG (in the Harlequin campaign as well.)
- David Owlfeather is an Amerindian Salish-Shidhe rangerRanger (character class)A Ranger is a type of warrior appearing in fantasy fiction and role-playing games....
, who is very knowledgeable about the wilderness' geography and lore. He was also one of Michael's friends, and one of the last people to see him alive. - Spirit Eyes, also known as "The Most Wise One", is an Amerindian elder with blank eyes. He possesses immense magical powers, and through a complex ritual, he can determine the identity of Michael's killer, and make an image of him appear in front of Joshua.
- Licourtrix is a feathered serpentQuetzalcoatlQuetzalcoatl is a Mesoamerican deity whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and has the meaning of "feathered serpent". The worship of a feathered serpent deity is first documented in Teotihuacan in the first century BCE or first century CE...
dragonDragonA dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
, that lives deep in the Salish Shidhe caves, away from civilization. At one point in the game, Joshua must rescue Licourtrix from a Renraku Strike Team that seeks to kill him. Licourtrix, in an omniscient fashion, pledges loyalty to Joshua, promising to aid him one time, and only the one time he truly needs it. - Ellisia was an ancient elvenElfAn elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
heroHeroA hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
, that helped reclaim the Salish Shidhe lands for the elves and Amerindians. Ellisia founded the Sinsearach Council to protect and defend the Salish Shidhe, and according to the game's mythology, is considered by elves as one of the greatest heroes of all history. After Ellisia's death, his body, still possessing magical powers, and a number of magical artifacts were sealed in a large mausoleumMausoleumA mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
made of orichalcumOrichalcumOrichalcum is a metal mentioned in several ancient writings, most notably the story of Atlantis as recounted in the Critias dialogue, recorded by Plato. According to Critias, orichalcum was considered second only to gold in value, and was found and mined in many parts of Atlantis in ancient times....
to prevent their misuse.
Mr. Johnsons
- Gunderson, a small-time Johnson who works out of the Jump House in Redmond Barrens.
- Julius Strouther, a mid-level Johnson who operates out of the Matchstick Nightclub in Downtown Seattle.
- Mortimer Reed, a mid-level Johnson who operates out of the Big Rhino in the Penumbra District.
- Vigore & Jarl offer mid-level runs and specialize in acquisitions. They operate from the Wanderer in the Puyallup Barrens.
- Caleb Brightmore, an upper-level Johnson who specializes in Matrix runs. He can be contacted at Icarus Descending in Downtown Seattle.
Antagonists
- Thon is a free spiritFree SpiritFree Spirit may refer to:*Free Spirit , 1995*Free Spirit , 2009*Free Spirit , an American television series*Free Spirit , a South African television series...
– an elementalElementalAn elemental is a mythological being first appearing in the alchemical works of Paracelsus in the 16th century. Traditionally, there are four types:*gnomes, earth elementals*undines , water elementals*sylphs, air elementals...
whose summonerSummonerSummoner Early 2000s English Rock/Metal Band.Summoner usually refers to one who performs supernatural conjuration.Summoner or The Summoner may also refer to:...
was killed – from ancient times, who can only retain his form in reality by seeking magical artifacts and absorbing their energies in destructive rituals, the only way he can replenish his life force. Thon is alive, but barely so, as he is running out of artifacts. With his followers, Thon plans to desecrate the elven hero Ellisia's tomb to use Ellisia's body and artifacts to become a physical entity. - Mako Sochou is a Renraku executive, and the first leader of "Project THON", a plot to manipulate the information Thon needs to locate Ellisia's tomb, in order to use Thon for Renraku's interests. However, Mako betrays Renraku, and is swiftly replaced.
- Ito Ogami is the second leader of "Project THON". He is known for being cold blooded, and is the one who sent the Strike Team to kill Michael's team.
External links
- Shadowrun at GameFAQsGameFAQsGameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...