Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
Shadow Tactics is a hardcore tactical stealth game set in Japan around the Edo period. Take control of a team of deadly specialists and sneak in the shadows between dozens of enemies. Choose your approach when infiltrating mighty castles, snowy mountain monasteries or hidden forest camps. Set traps, poison your opponents or completely avoid enemy contact. The group is composed of very different personalities. Working together as a team seems impossible at first. Yet over the course of many missions, trust is won and friendships are made. The characters develop their own dynamic and each member will have to face their own personal demons. One of the leaders of this team is Hayato, an agile ninja, who clears the way through his enemies silently, with his sword and shuriken. Samurai Mugen prefers a more powerful approach and can defeat more fiends at one time, but thus also forfeiting flexibility.
Game Discussion
Steam User 56
Got the "Kill 1000 guards" and "Hide 750 bodies" achievements.
Working on "Kill all developers". What could possibly go wrong?
This is not my first stealth game but this is definitely the hardest so far, in a fun way. A good game with a compelling story.
I know it's a bit late. I made this with bodies. Happy 2025 to everyone!
Steam User 22
Update: I finished Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun in 2025 and all I can say is I’m overwhelmed by how incredible the whole experience was! Everything about this game blew me away, from the character design to the game mechanics to the brilliantly crafted missions. I genuinely loved every part of it.
I also played Aiko’s Choice (the DLC) and it was fantastic! It's just heartbreaking to know that Mimimi Games has shut down and we won’t be seeing any more gems from them.
I also mistakenly deleted my previous review, so here I am, writing it again because this game deserves every word of praise.
Shadow Tactics will always hold a special place in my heart, just like Battle Realms. I can easily see myself coming back to it even a decade from now. I’m planning to replay it just to unlock all the achievements because this game is that special and I’ll never forget how wonderful it truly is. I highly recommend every gamer to play this masterpiece - 10/10!
Steam User 18
This is a fun and difficult strategy game where you have to think a lot and watch the guards' paths and pay attention to their field of vision, because if the guards find a body, they will keep coming over to patrol.
There isn't a lot of gameplay in this game. Each mission does the same thing, just with different locations, paths, and number of guards.
For casual players, I would only recommend buying this game when it's on sale.
Steam User 14
Good game tactics wise. The first half of the game is great. The last third is a bit of a slog, however the last mission, despite its difficulty is worth it to demonstrate what you have learnt thus far.
The story is low key and characters pretty ordinary, however the gameplay is the game's strength.
If you like tactics, defs worth your time
Steam User 13
Great strategy game by the also great former studio Mimimi.
Follows the same formula (actually this one came first) and delivers a touching and interesting story, yet another setting.
Can be a lot of work if you decide to persue all badges - specially time related ones.
Steam User 10
It’s rare to find a game that excels in the pillars of mechanics, storytelling, and art as consistently as Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. It has its share of blemishes, most prominent of which being camera controls that made me want to flip an entire hibachi table. But its needle-sharp stealth systems, cast of memorable characters with diverse abilities and personalities, and an uncommonly grounded saga set in a stylized feudal Japan left me with a sense of true accomplishment and a role in a well-told story.
Each of Shadow Tactics’ five characters has a particular set of skills that make them suited to different sneaky deeds, like hunkering down in bushes, isolating and executing enemies, and hiding the evidence before anyone notices. There were clearly times that called for Mugen, a samurai who can take out a cluster of enemies in a katana flurry, and times when it was a job for Yuki, a young thief who can lure solo enemies into traps. Other times, using them both in tandem allowed me to achieve what neither could alone, which created some great “Eureka!” moments.
Steam User 9
"A stealth game that can be both satisfying and exhausting."
I’m torn on whether I would recommend Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. On the one hand, the stealth mechanics can be very rewarding when they work, and the story and characters—while not extremely deep—are solid and engaging enough to carry the experience. On the other hand, I found the game incredibly punishing, even on normal difficulty.
Eventually, I had to switch to easy mode, and I’m honestly glad I did. That’s where the game finally started to feel more enjoyable and less like an endless string of trial-and-error. The mechanics are tight, but often demand near-perfect execution, and mistakes are harshly punished.
The stages themselves are long—some took me 2–3 hours—and the in-game badge system adds pressure for replaying them. The fact that you can only see the badge requirements after finishing a level makes it feel more like busywork than meaningful replay value, especially since there’s an achievement tied to getting all badges across all missions, including things like beating levels on hardcore or under tight time limits. That might appeal to perfectionists, but not so much to players who just want to experience the game and move on.
All in all, it's a well-crafted stealth strategy game. But unless you have a high tolerance for frustration and repetition, I’d strongly recommend playing it on easy. That’s when it shines most.