Based on the FASA "pen and paper" role-playing game, Shadowrun builds on the RPG's background of a cyberpunk world of magic, genetic augmentation and virtual space known as the Matrix - all clearly inspired by William Gibson's Neuromancer novels. Represented in an isometric orientation, you play Jake Armitage, a courier that awakes in a morgue with no recollection of how he got there. To escape the morgue and progress through the game you must solve puzzles and combat enemies with your gun or weilding magic. As expected with any game based on a pen and paper RPG, throughout the game you acquire experience points, in this case derived from Karma earned from despatching enemies.