Harebrained Schemes
Where shadowruns meet code and chrome — tactical tales from the tabletop's original architect.
Harebrained Schemes is an American video game development studio that developed and published Shadowrun: Hong Kong, a turn-based tactical role-playing game set in the Shadowrun universe. The studio previously developed Shadowrun Returns and its standalone expansion, Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut. Shadowrun: Hong Kong includes a new single-player campaign and shipped with a level editor that lets players create their own Shadowrun campaigns and share them with other players.
In January 2015, Harebrained Schemes launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund additional features and content, with an initial goal of US$100,000 met in only a few hours; the campaign ended the following month, receiving over $1.2 million. The game was developed with an improved version of the engine used with Shadowrun Returns and Dragonfall, and was released worldwide in August 2015 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux. An extended edition featuring a new campaign, developer commentary, and bug fixes was released in February 2016 for free to all owners of the original game.
Quick Facts
- Notable franchise
- Shadowrun (video game series)
- Key games
- Shadowrun Returns
- Shadowrun: Dragonfall
- Shadowrun: Hong Kong
Lore & Background
Harebrained Schemes developed Shadowrun: Hong Kong using an improved version of the engine from Shadowrun Returns and Dragonfall. The studio decided to develop the game only for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux, so they did not have to factor in the hardware limitations of tablets, as they did with their previous Shadowrun games. The game is set in 2056, within the Hong Kong Free Enterprise Zone, a city effectively controlled directly by the corporations.
Unlike previous games, the player has a backstory tied to other characters: the player was once an orphan on the streets of Seattle with their foster brother Duncan, adopted by a man known as Raymond Black, but became estranged after getting arrested and sent to a corporate prison eight years before the game's events. After release, the player gets a message from Raymond requesting they and Duncan meet him in Hong Kong. The story involves the demonic Yama King Qian Ya: The Queen of a Thousand Teeth, and the player may choose from three endings: allowing Raymond to sacrifice himself, betraying Raymond to Qian Ya, or forcing Qian Ya to return to her realm.
The extended edition, Shadows of Hong Kong, is set some time after the main story and involves a botched mission, the HKPF's Special Duties unit, and a conspiracy involving Ares Macrotechnology.
Reader's Guide
Harebrained Schemes developed Shadowrun: Hong Kong with an improved version of the engine used with Shadowrun Returns and Dragonfall. The game features isometric graphics with 3D models for characters. Combat is turn-based, with characters acting based on action points (AP), starting with a base of 2 AP per turn. AP is used for moving, attacking, reloading, or using spells or items; unused AP is forfeited.
The game's plot is set in 2056 in the Hong Kong Free Enterprise Zone. The player, once an orphan in Seattle with foster brother Duncan, was adopted by Raymond Black but became estranged after eight years in a corporate prison. After release, Raymond summons them to Hong Kong. The story involves the demonic Yama King Qian Ya, and the player can choose from three endings.
The extended edition, Shadows of Hong Kong, involves a botched mission, the HKPF's Special Duties unit, and a conspiracy with Ares Macrotechnology. The Shadowrun Trilogy, a remastered compilation including Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun Dragonfall: Director's Cut, and Shadowrun: Hong Kong, launched on Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on June 21, 2022.
More in development
Elsewhere in Shadowrun
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