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.
Steam User 72
I could not complete Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, so this review is purely based on the first half of the game.
I had an overall good time with this game, surprisingly. I've never touched or even been remotely interested in playing Real-Time Strategy games in the past, however something about this game in particular peaked my interest, and so I decided to give it a shot.
The game starts off very strong. It's challenging, but not impossible nor frustrating. The atmosphere and music are on point, and the voice-acting is just as strong. The controls are intuitive, and although few, work in conjunction expertly, making for a surprisingly deep game, mechanics-wise.
Where my problems lie with this game, causing me to ultimately drop it and Desperados III (also made by the same developers, Mimimi), was it's stark difficulty spike. The first mission was a very brief and easy tutorial mission. The second was a bit more challenging, however I already knew I was well over-my-head playing a tactics game when it took me about 45 minutes to complete, and the speed-run challenge time was only 15 minutes. But I continued regardless. The third mission, however was a significant amount harder. It took me almost 2 hours to beat, and the suggested speed-run time was under 45 minutes. And the game continues this difficult level for the next several missions.
It wasn't until I hit level 7 (I think, the rice fields one), where the difficulty became too much for me, and I stopped having fun altogether. By this point, almost all enemies have about 3 others constantly looking at them, making it very difficult to whittle down a group one by one. I spent almost 2 hours trying to pass the first area, struggling to even pass the first guard. By the end of that time, I realized I was simply no longer having fun with the game, and was growing way too frustrated, and so I decided to leave it.
It truly is a great game. If you like RTS games, this game is a no-brainer. If you do not, I am still sure you will enjoy it for the first few hours, and if you are more patient, and/or smarter than I, you would enjoy it for much more than I did.
I give Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
7.1 Trained Raccoons out of 10
I might return to this game in time, and perhaps I may change my opinion on it. I just have many other games on my to-do list I have to cross off before I do so.
Steam User 59
Don’t Let It Pass Unseen
As someone who spends a lot of time thinking about games in a critical sense, I’ve lost count of how many ‘if’s have held something back from its full potential. If this had a better same system, it would’ve been more playable. If the story had made a few changes, it would’ve been engaging. If the difficulty curve had been smoothed out… The list goes on and on. Games tripped up by ifs are common, but titles that honestly and thoroughly address all their ifs are exceedingly rare.
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is one of the rare ones. Every problem that might have been an issue has been predicted and prevented (or caught and fixed) by the developers, resulting in a finely-polished, finely-tuned standout experience. In a year full of good games, this is a great one.
Shadow Tactics is a real-time strategy seen from an overhead isometric perspective. The player will be ultimately in charge of a team of five warriors, each with a predefined personality and skill set. Each level in the game is a massive, sprawling affair set in feudal Japan and filled with houses, towers, castles, and, of course, plenty of enemies. Some hostile troops are stationed at specific places to keep watch, while others have predetermined patrol routes. It’s up to the player to study their surroundings and figure out a way to accomplish varied objectives based on the current situation and what’s in their skill set.
While this description might make Shadow Tactics sound like any of a dozen other titles, there’s so much love and attention poured into every aspect of the experience that it’s impossible not to recognize it as a superior product. For example, the introductory level (doubling as the tutorial) moves at a slow pace while teaching all the necessary elements of the characters, their abilities, appropriate strategies and other basics, but at the same time wastes no opportunity to firmly establish the story and characters.
In my experience, most strategy games don’t do much with plot beyond giving the player a basic premise, but Shadow Tactics goes beyond the typical ‘warring political states’ and tells a tale that’s not only sensible and easy to follow, but creates memorable characters that connect immediately. Thanks to the elegant writing, a great deal is conveyed with relatively little, and I had genuine feelings for the whole crew. From standoffish ninja Hayato, elderly sniper Takuma, thief girl Yuki, fatherly samurai Mugen and sly infiltrator Aiko, I loved their dialogue, and how they breathed life into the adventure. Whether commiserating about the tasks ahead or simply commenting on life, spending time with this team was an absolute treat.
The gameplay get as much love and attention as the story and characters. Each area is incredibly detailed, offering multiple paths towards victory. Cautious players can sneak along rooftops and hide in shadows with minimal confrontation, while bold players can kill every soldier in an encampment. There’s no one correct answer, which is fantastic.
In addition to the freedom in approaching each scenario, I also loved that the developers had story events affect team composition – some characters aren’t available at certain times, and it keeps things fresh. Instead of constantly relying on Mugen’s brutal forward assaults or Yuki’s birdcalls to lure guards into quiet corners, the player is asked to make do with who’s around. Something easily solved with one teammate becomes a new challenge with another, and vice versa. It’s wonderful.
Getting back to the ifs, the devs avoided a big one by letting the player save at any time with no limits. Thanks to this, the willingness to experiment comes without any penalty or fear of losing progress. Because some of the challenges can be quite difficult (especially towards the end of the campaign!) Shadow Tactics becomes infinitely more enjoyable thanks to this ability. While some hardcores might decry the generous saves, it was absolutely the right call.
Other aspects are just as smart. Enemy types on large maps are easily distinguishable from each other, as are the members of the team. It’s easy to see the sightlines of enemies when trying to stay out of view, and one of the best features is “shadow mode” – with it, the player can pre-program actions to be executed by multiple characters at the same time for situations when one ninja is simply not enough. It is truly a thing of beauty to plan an intricate set of attacks, push a single button, and have the entire team spring from the shadows and down a whole squad without any alarms going up. Fantastic stuff.
Some may see me as a critic who’s hard to please, and if that’s true then take it as a sign of this game’s quality when I say that the only issues I have with it are so minor as to be almost unworthy of mention — things like the character portraits being surprisingly ugly, or certain minor environmental objects being a barrier when they shouldn’t be. After all, a nimble kunoichi should have no problem stepping over a small rock jutting out from a corner. There’s also an argument to be made that the AI should be more responsive when a sloppy ninja leaves bodies lying about and nobody seems too bothered after the initial surprise. Ultimately, these things are of no consequence when taken in the context of how much Shadow Tactics gets right — and it gets so much right.
It’s not hyperbole when I say that by recognizing all of its ifs and thoroughly ironing them out, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is one of the best tactics title I’ve ever played, and it’s certainly one of the finest games I’ve played this year. As a masterpiece in nearly every respect, I salute Mimimi Productions and eagerly look forward to their next work.
Steam User 47
Do any of you remember Commandos? It's like that but NINJA.
Steam User 35
I'm not great at these types of games but for the price decided to give it a try. I found it very difficult on normal and almost gave up. I switched to easy mode and found the game much more enjoyable but there was still frustration in some missions. I completed it though and overall had a good time.
Steam User 34
Buy it. Play it. Love it.
I was fortunate to get the opportunity to play and review Mimimi Games' Desperados III shortly after it was released in 2020. It brought back fun memories of a wee Slav playing Commandos and Robin Hood on his PC with MBs of RAM. And after idly sitting in my library, collecting e-dust, I finally played Shadow Tactics, Mimimi Games' first Real-Time Tactics (RTT) game. So, I went backwards. Thus, I expected some missteps.
Still, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and decided, after 100%-ing it, to author this review.
Enjoy.
Wow, Japan!
The story is predictable and bland. But I liked the Shogun's blades sent to quell this "mysterious" baddie's rebellion. They had chemistry, and the seldom banter was entertaining. Most importantly, they had compelling motivation to seek the carotid arteries of the main baddie. So, I was a little invested.
But let's move on to the presentation. Spoiler — it's excellent.
I'm just a sucker for Edo period Japanese aesthetic. Level environments are rich in detail despite the birds-eye perspective and a low polygon-ish look. The same love and attention to detail were bestowed upon the enemy units and our sneaky blades. So, zoom in when you can and treat your eyes. The soundtrack acts as a stunning minstrel of the visuals, following it everywhere, composing fitting tunes that amplify the atmosphere and take the presentation to greater heights. And the main theme... all the right spots were hit. It starts very manly and powerful, making you feel like a big boy wearing his big boy pants, only to abruptly nosedive into the emotional abyss, bending you over its knee and slapping you silly. Shame it wasn't to Shadow Tactics what Warthog Run was to Halo 3 — a banger curtain closer.
Anyway... What's the deal with those sound effects?
Since dealing death is a large part of what you'll do, the many pertaining to those actions needed to be glorious. And by Joe, they are. I especially adored how Yuki's trap sings when someone (un)fortunate steps on it. Reminds me of a melon being penetrated. As for them voices, I will share with you the sage advice bestowed unto me — please, do not the dub. It's not South Park Engrish, but it's close. Yuki sometimes even sounds British?!
Lastly, the UI. Besides some pesky context actions like jumping off a ledge being consistently inconsistent, it's flawless. You get all the vital information about your enemies, the environment and the mission objective with a few clicks.
But guess what? The previous giant wall of text doesn't matter. Well, it does, but it doesn't. You feel me? This following wall of text matters. It's about the most crucial element for me, my aboki — the gameplay.
I can finally be NINJA!!!
The gameplay loop in RTT games has something special that makes me giddy when I play them. It feels eerily similar to the Hitman franchise, at least on the surface. While you don't get a bald man to play with, there's a meaty level (in size), which feels like a maze, with many paths, twists and turns, offering plenty of choices on how to reach the finish line. And being sneaky is what the RTT gameplay is all about. So, don't raise alarms, and stay out of sight by navigating past the enemy's viewcone. You can do that by causing a distraction or affecting the range of the enemy viewcone with hero abilities, giving you a couple of seconds to act and slip past unnoticed. But maps are also littered with objects. They can be used as cover, with you crouching past the enemy's gaze, staying within the stripped viewcone lines these covers produce.
Sadly, compared to Desperados III, there is less environmental interactivity and more linearity. And with knocked-out guards waking up, potentially causing (un)happy little accidents, a blind hardcore non-lethal playthrough was impossible.
Thus, I just killed everyone.
So, let's meet the reapers — Yuki, Mugen, Hayato, Aiko, Takuma, and their kawaii tanuki, Kuma. Together they form the cadaverous blades of the Shogun.
Each possesses a particular set of skills you must master to wiggle your way around the maze-like levels Mimimi Games prepared for you.
At the very top of the food chain sits Yuki. Don't let her fragile, slender frame fool you — she a certified beast, capable of sending anyone to meet the white-bearded dude up on the clouds. Slightly below is Mugen, the thicc samurai daddy. His hobbies include carrying heavy stuff, slicing enemy samurai and using his overpowered area-of-effect skill against regular enemy units for crowd control. While his thiccness means there is more of him to love, it also makes him slower, unable to swim and jump off ledges. The knees can only endure so much before they tap out.
Then there is Hayato, the grumpy shinobi, who can do a bit of everything — distracting the enemy's attention + decent close/ranged combat ability. As for Aiko, Mugen's kunoichi sweetheart, she's well-versed in the cosplay arts, allowing her to move freely across the map. But enemy samurai will see through her guise, so be mindful of their gaze. And whilst cosplaying, she can take advantage of the horny guard's gaze, focusing it solely on her by engaging in small talk. Sadly, like Hayato, Aiko can only distract guards from looking at a particular spot.
And then we have Takuma. A skilled marksman with an affinity for gunpowder and bombs that go BOOOM! But having attacks with limited ammo due to his love affair with gunpowder, noisy running courtesy of his wooden leg, and inability to swim/move bodies make his limitations detrimental for a solo act. Kuma, his fluffy tanuki, does accompany him and can distract/lure enemies wherever you desire. So, that's nice.
Overall, the blades felt less balanced than Cooper's gang in Desperados III — there's a clear line between a Top G and NPC. But besides this balance shenanigans, the Shadow Mode here pales when compared to the one in Desperados III. You can still plan and execute one action per character simultaneously. However, it doesn't freeze the game while you plan your attack. Thus, expect mistakes and reloading, as you'll mainly use it against moving targets in groups of two or more units.
And before we part ways, I want to voice my only real issue with the game — no proper level where all five blades jointly act. I was teased, toyed with, and led to believe daddy was feasting tonight! But my climax must have gotten lost in the mail because this vapid finale was definitely not it. Compared to Desperados III, Shadow Tactics royally disappoints here.
But hey, you don't learn to walk without bruising your kneecaps a bit. So, some mistakes were to be expected from Mimimi Games as they dipped their toes in the RTT genre with Shadow Tactics. Surprisingly, the poor climax of a drab and predictable plot, hero (un)balance, and no level that unleashes all of them together did little to ruin my overall enjoyment. My love for the genre's entertaining gameplay loop didn't allow it. Splash excellent group chemistry, stunning visuals and a banger soundtrack on top, and my enjoyment was only stroked further.
You can also relish in my review of the standalone expansion, Aiko's Choice
If you enjoy this review, come and read more wisdom from the Gospel of Sv. Prolivije.
Steam User 24
Did you play Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines in the past? Did you love it? Do you miss it? If so, this game is a must for you.
I had no Idea this game existed until a few days ago, and I'm so glad I bought it! The difficulty (so far) has been really on point, it rewards critical thinking, it's fun to come up with strategies with the different characters, the art is very pleasant and of course, Samurai and Ninjas.
Commandos but it's Samurai and Ninjas, it doesn't get much better than this, folks.
Steam User 16
F5 - F8 - Repeat