Shadowrun: Dragonfall

Lore & Background

The game takes place in 2054, with the player assuming the role of a shadowrunner who joins a team led by Monika Schäfer in Berlin. The team includes Dietrich, a former punk rocker turned shaman; Glory, a heavily augmented cyborg; and Eiger, a troll weapons expert. Their first mission, a routine data theft at Harfeld Mansion, goes wrong when they discover a hidden military compound, leading to Monika's death and the revelation of a conspiracy involving a dragon called Feuerschwinge (German for Firewing). The player becomes the team's new leader and uncovers that the dragon Firewing, once thought dead, is being held captive by Adrian Vauclair, who plans to use her to spread a lethal virus against all dragons. The story offers multiple endings, including the option to assist Vauclair, which results in societal collapse as magical horrors dominate the surface.

Reader's Guide

Shadowrun: Dragonfall is recognized for its narrative depth and character-driven storytelling, with PC Gamer calling it 'one of the most memorable and complex RPG stories of the decade.' The Director's Cut added five new missions, a redesigned interface, combat improvements, new endings, and music by Jon Everist, as well as a save-anywhere system absent from its predecessor. Reviewers noted that while the game shared mechanical similarities with Shadowrun Returns, its improved story, freedom, and party building made it feel more like a sequel. The game's reception was generally favorable, with praise for its writing, atmosphere, and faithful adaptation of the Shadowrun setting, though some critics found the experience somewhat shallow. The game was later included in the Shadowrun Trilogy compilation released in 2022.

Did You Know?

• The Director's Cut added a save-anywhere feature that was omitted from Shadowrun Returns due to development constraints.
• The dragon Feuerschwinge was originally supposed to guide metahumanity but went on a rampage due to grief over industrialization.
• The player can give APEX control of Firewing's body if the AI was not destroyed.
• The dragon Lofwyr, disguised as a human, offers the player a job at the end of the game.