Shadowrun Trilogy: Console Edition is not going to change many people's minds about the excellent tactical RPG series from Harebrained Schemes and Paradox Interactive. There's very little here beyond the port itself, with the same quality of gameplay and captivating narrative that was present in 2015 - in particular, in Shadowrun Hong Kong, with even more relevance today. For those who could never play the series on PC, however, this is a must-own collection of greatness - albeit with some hiccups along the way.
For those unfamiliar, the Shadowrun Trilogy follows 3 unique storylines that aren't intrinsic to each other, meaning players can select which one they want to pursue based on the synopsis provided for each. Shadowrun Returns is a celebration of the franchise's most appealing qualities, while Shadowrun Dragonfall digs a little deeper into some specific lore concerns to great effect. Of the three, Shadowrun Hong Kong is the best - a gritty story about class, power, and fraying family bonds told across the always interesting variant of Seattle that has been home to so many great Shadowrun stories.
Shadowrun Trilogy: Console Edition collects the three games in their best forms in terms of content, with the Director's Cut of both Dragonfall and Hong Kong available at no extra cost. We played the collection on Nintendo Switch, which seemed like the most natural home for the port given the mobility the device offers alongside the now somewhat older graphics that color the game's world. For the most part, the game's top-down, isometric tactical displays have aged well - Shadowrun was never really about incredibly detailed representations of characters, but rather about atmosphere and aesthetic, which have no trouble being expressed on modern devices.
The Shadowrun combat system is largely tactical, with positioning being of the utmost importance for victory. The diverse number of character builds in each game mean running them multiple times can feel like playing different titles, especially because there are narrative decisions to be made that impact what players see and achieve. Combat is just as deep as ever, with multiple solutions to difficult fights and plenty of flexibility in character skills to help determine the optimal approach for a given player. It's not flashy, and it can feel a little ancient when compared to more recent entries in the space like Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. Still, it gets the job done in satisfying fashion.
If there is one major flaw of the Shadowrun Trilogy: Console Edition, it's that its about as unstable as an ambitious PC RPG from the mid-2010s - which is to say, there are plenty of minor glitches, and the occasional major one, too. We experienced early crashes or nonfunctional behaviors as early as the first chapter of Hong Kong, while some hang-ups in loading made for some long waits in between story beats. These are all familiar from the original versions of Shadowrun, which runs well but can be a little finicky, and that carries over here. Nothing was truly game-breaking, but it does mean that there's frustration to be had with the game's performance on console, which is a little disappointing given the years in between that could have been used to help fix this problem.
Does that mean Shadowrun Trilogy: Console Edition isn't excellent, however? Not in the slightest. The collection's biggest strength, and the games' best selling points individually, all boil down to their wonderful cyberpunk storytelling. There isn't a weak link among the three, with each story feeling relevant today. The exploration of hopelessness in the face of technological power or the inequality among people born into different circumstances can, at times, be brutal, but Shadowrun is largely about those without agency reclaiming it for themselves and others - an inspirational story, especially now. For that reason alone, the games are well-worth engaging in - but the tactical combat is still a draw too, scratching the itch for challenging content with plenty of rewarding eureka moments for those willing to spend time within them. Shadowrun Trilogy: Console Edition is a worthy port and a thought-provoking collection, making it a high recommendation even in 2022.
Shadowrun Trilogy: Console Edition is available today, June 21, on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4/5, and Nintendo Switch. Screen Rant was provided with Switch codes for the purpose of this review.