Shadow Tactics Blades of the Shogun Ps4 Review

Our Verdict

Shadow Tactics' impressive missions, laden toy box and likeable bandage make it 1 of the greatest stealth games of the last decade.

PC Gamer Verdict

Shadow Tactics' impressive missions, laden toy box and likeable bandage make it 1 of the greatest stealth games of the terminal decade.

NEED TO KNOW

What is it: A tricky stealth game set during Nihon's Edo period.
Reviewed on: Intel i5-3570K @iii.40 GHz, viii GB of RAM, GeForce GTX 970, Windows 10.
Price: £35 / $40
Release date: Out now
Developer: Mimimi Productions
Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
Multiplayer: None
Link: Official site
Buy: Humble Shop

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Ii soldiers, on the lookout for a sneaky band of heroes, patrol a stretch of road. They come across nobody. And then, a sound that can only be described as "ambrosial" inspires 1 of them to wander off. It's an improbably cute tanuki. Entranced, the soldier doesn't detect the rock hurtling toward him from above. As it turns him into a shine paste there'southward a wink and a bang, the sound of a matchlock pistol, and soldier number ii goes downward. I exhale. Some other pair of foes fallen to Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun's heroes. Another notch on my belt.

If you've ever had the pleasure of playing the Commandos series then you know what you're in for with Shadow Tactics. Contained within this tale of an unlikely cadre attempting to finish a civil war are thirteen elaborate and complex stealth missions where the odds are seemingly stacked confronting yous.

Thankfully your quintet—made upward of a sake-loving samurai, three ninjas, and an one-time man with a gun-leg and pet raccoon dog—have all the tools they demand to overcome fifty-fifty the most insurmountable of challenges. Mugen, the gang's gregarious patriarch, can blitz in and cut down a trio of enemies in a 2d, while the group's about precocious member, Yuki, tin beckon guards towards her traps with her bird calls. Each of them has skills to distract and kill along with more specialised tricks in their bountiful toy boxes, ranging from geisha disguises to not-then-subtle explosives.

Every enemy encounter is a piece of a huge clockwork puzzle, all orderly and repetitive. To succeed, y'all demand to disrupt the pattern. The fun part is creating chaos with the toy box of abilities and experimenting with them. There's a lot of joy to be found in playing around with different strategies, fierce out the best parts of failed attempts and stitching them together until you take i that finally works. The power to save anywhere makes experimentation easier, and a timer lets you know when it'due south been a while since you concluding saved.

Sometimes a problem requires lateral thinking. In snowy areas guards accept discover of suspicious footprints, which can ruin a plan if you're not careful. However, you can can also exploit guards' inquisitiveness and lay ambushes for those that blindly follow trails into empty corners.

Some problems demand teamwork, and that's where Shadow Mode comes in. This lets you assign each character a job and activate them all at once. Used correctly, Shadow Manner lets y'all sweep abroad large groups of enemies in swift, decisive moves. It's a thrill to hitting a push and encounter your minions move in tandem.

Each mission contains unique objectives, and the number of characters you command changes. This rather effectively stops yous from getting too comfy with a tactic, because you never know when you lot might find yourself unable to rely on it. In a whirlwind tour of Japan, you plan prison breaks, assassinations, burglaries and fifty-fifty regular army sabotage. Missions are designed to be replayed, every bit they're substantially sandboxes rich with possible solutions. Unlockable challenges such as speed runs, offering added incentives to experiment.

Shifting art and themes back up Shadow Tactic's various mission blueprint. During the infiltration of Lord Yabu's ostentatious palace, the area is painted in dark red and orange, matching the heroes' thirst for revenge and their hope that the dominicus is about to set on the rebellion. That's in stark contrast to the rescue attempt in Suganuma Village, where the pelting never lets up and the once lively fields are now accompanied by rows of corpses. Information technology's a grey and dismal location for a desperate mission.

The story has too been given a a lot of attention. It's a simple, merely well-spun, yarn that manages to explore its heroes and give them meaningful arcs without overbearing exposition or lengthy cutscenes. Through mid-mission barrack yous larn the nearly about the band and encounter them grow.

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun evokes the stealth escapades of decades past, only it's an exceptional addition to the genre in its own right. It's tricky, circuitous without existence also complicated. Information technology's characterful and convenient enough that fifty-fifty the stealth-averse might find something to tempt them into the shadows. Also, did I mention you go a tanuki?

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

Shadow Tactics' impressive missions, laden toy box and likeable cast go far one of the greatest stealth games of the last decade.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games accept been a xxx-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave nearly Total State of war or Crusader Kings. He's besides been known to gear up store in the latest MMO and likes to current of air downward with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he'southward not editing, he tin can usually be found writing features that are one,000 words too long or talking about his dog.

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Source: https://www.pcgamer.com/shadow-tactics-review/

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