Having completed the mod, I felt that I'd put down what I liked and what I didn't like about the mod. I encourage everyone who played the mod to leave some form of feedback so that Cirion knows what's working and what isn't. Even a number score or a few sentences would work.

Pros:
+ The setting. Cirion brings Calfree to life with a lot of beautiful setpieces and levels, all with their own feel and vibe. The People's University feels vibrant and lived-in, the streets are tagged and neon-lit, and the world remembers the actions of the previous two games. Nothing felt out of place and every new level was something to salivate over. There were a few cases of reused levels, but those were few and far between. Also, so much of the Shadowrun mythos was used here that HBS could stand to learn something from these mods. CalFree felt lived in, the politics and events of the world felt like they had an impact on the people you interact with, and the entire work drips cyberpunk Shadowrun from start to finish with a tight wrapping that I don't see in professional games or published novels. This mod immerses you and doesn't let you up until the credits roll.

+ Reactivity. Your actions matter and connect with people you wouldn't expect them to from start to finish (especially in the end). People remember what you do and they'll follow your actions afterward, and seeing those cracks spread outward in ways I didn't expect was hugely gripping.

+ The cast. You get more characters this time around and all of them feel distinct, whether that's Isao's language problems or Aleria's moral conundrums or Masato's humour (which wasn't ridiculous or overdone). Nothing felt as oversaturated as HK did at times; everything that was mentioned felt natural to the characters and the setting, and I didn't mind learning more about this motley crew of misfits.

+ The music. Reaching beyond the confines of the mod tools and finding a way to work cyberpunk music into the game was hugely impressive, and the tunes fit the theme perfectly. Furthermore, the music is tied into the game itself by building up a club scene in the PU, so everything felt like it fit with what was going on in the story. A very clever way to weave designer choice with the gameplay.

+ The story. Cirion doesn't disappoint, and that cuts both ways. There's a lot of Caldecott Caper in here, from the characters to the story and setting, but this isn't CC v2.0. CalFree is very much its own tale, and the different angles and the growing story reflect that. You'll see recurring figures, and they might make you smile or they might make you want to break your keyboard. You will expect things to turn out one way because that's how it happened in CC, and they end up somewhere completely different. The writing is different, the themes are different, the conflict is bigger in scope and grander in scale than the previous two installments. There's a lot that is familiar here, but the writing is distinct from before, and it feels like Cirion took what was learned from the other games and built on it without any concern of getting it wrong. All in all, I was impressed.

Cons:
- The combat can be a bit much. I don't mind me some heavy combat, especially after some of the fights that HK threw together. That said, CalFree sometimes takes the combat to an extreme, especially in the later levels. There are some levels where the enemies come forward and die. Then they keep coming, and coming, and COMING. I liked the battles that had difficult objectives or interesting mechanics (Novascorpions. You'll know what I mean when you get there) or unexpected twists, and CalFree definitely offers those. But for every challenging boss fight, there were three stages that felt like a spam rush, where the difficulty was amplified by just throwing more people into the mix, and it got old after a while. I was left wondering "Did Humanis really have THIS many people waiting around the corner?!" a few times, and killing howling bigots actually got old because of it.

Extra Stuff:

Neither good nor bad, just some things that stood out to me. First, mind your nuyen. This isn't Caldecott Caper, so you won't have money breaking your back. The side quests were certainly fitting and the paydata paid well, but your finances don't encourage experimentation.

Second, the mid-game twist. No, I'm not telling you what it is. Play the mod and see for yourself. It was certainly a twist and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. On one hand, I didn't see it coming and that made it hit harder. On the other, the amount of game to go through afterward made the impact of the twist diminish by the end of the story. I'm not sure if there was enough time to really get the full, lasting impact across before the twist hit, but that might just be me. Also, had it happened later, then there might have been reactivity issues as well. Something to consider.

All in all/TL;DR:

A great use of two days. This mod starts off strong and doesn't stop. The writing is mature and top-notch, the setting and the world make you feel like you are influencing everything that happens, and the music is worth cranking the volume for. The spam/rush combat in some places got old (Hard boss fights = very much welcome. Endless waves of mooks = less so), but if that's the worst of it, then this is still an amazing offering for the price and the investment. I can't wait to see where Cirion goes from here. If this is the last mod for this series, then it's a great note to end it on, but if not, then I can't imagine where it will go next.

Final score:

9/10

CalFree or Die Hard!