Harebrained Schemes has released a new piece of concept art for its Kickstarter funded Shadowrun reboot entitled, Shadowrun Returns. The developer has shared some information about the art piece and the game's overall development on their website; you can read the crux of the article below.

While this is concept art – not a screenshot – it’s representative of the fidelity and art style we’re shooting for. For the uninitiated (or those seeking a quick refresher!) the concept above depicts the infamous Redmond Barrens* of the mid 2050s.

The game environment will be composed of painted 2D elements, so we should be able to deliver the level of detail, depth and expressiveness that you see here. Characters in Shadowrun Returns, on the other hand, are being constructed in 3D – which allows them the fluid movement and wide range of character design and equipment options you’d expect from an RPG. We’ve done a number of tests and the 2D/3D mix feels very natural.

The game is definitely developing nicely if this artwork is representative of the final game. The colour palette used captures the cyberpunk vibe that Shadowrun is remembered for and will likely please veteran fans of the series. The idea of designing 3D characters that animate smoothly upon a back-drop of highly detailed 2D environments sounds like a great combination too.