The game offers three different difficulty levels, with the latter two awarding medals for completing specific tasks. This simple detail adds an extra layer of depth and difficulty to the game that makes it all the more enjoyable.Ĭoupled with Shadow Tactics’s intriguing story and fantastic gameplay is a detailed and addictive scoring system. They will then begin a thorough investigation of the surrounding area that involves rifling through bushes and checking shacks for the culprit. During one instance, when players are tasked with sneaking through a snowed-in country town, guards will notice footprints left in the snow. To keep things a little less stressful, one can dispose of the bodies in a number of ways, such as hiding them in a well or inside an empty shack.Īnother memorable element of gameplay is how the enemies track the player characters. When a guard goes on alert, he’ll call other guards to his position and have them patrol new areas.
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While enemy guards can spot the player easily enough, they’ll also search for friendly corpses lying in the open, and go into an alerted state if they find them. In fact, disposing of enemy corpses is a key gameplay element throughout Shadow Tactics. If timed correctly, she can kill two birds with one stone, and hide the bodies in an efficient manner. For instance, Hayato’s pupil Yuki has the ability to lay a deadly trap, and call over enemies with a flute. Couple this with a limited supply of health, and cover that can be easily circumvented, and Shadow Tactics offers up a challenging experience with the perfect balance of risk and reward.Įvery character has the ability to lure or distract the enemy AI in some way, which leads to interesting combinations for the player to fool around with. Right from the beginning the game pits the player against highly perceptive and ruthless enemies. Now, I’m no expert on tactical games, and devote most of my time to RPGs and RTSs, so to say that Shadow Tactics was tough for me is an understatement. The most appealing aspect of Shadow Tactics, especially for hardcore fans of the genre, is how god-forsakenly difficult it is. Banter between characters while they’re on missions is genuinely entertaining and doesn’t feel forced. Each character is fleshed out during the story, giving them a strong sense of humanity and personality. The ninja Hayato is cool and collected, which juxtaposes well with the samurai Mugen’s brash yet thoughtful personality. The amount of diversity in all five playable characters is one of the most memorable aspects of Shadow Tactics. The samurai is slow, but his attacks are powerful, while the ninja is agile but must act with precision lest he be caught and easily killed. Missions vary from assassinations to rescues and theft, with each character having their own set of highly effective abilities.
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The player is tasked with leading a motley crew of samurai, ninjas, marksmen, and courtesans as they carry out the shogun’s dirty work, all in the name of peace. Taking a page straight from previous landmark tactics games such as Desperados, Shadow Tactics is primarily focused on stealth. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun aims to revive real-time tactics games, but can it infuse new life into the genre? Gamers have forgotten the fun of a more strategic, meticulous gameplay experience, and the joy of watching a well executed plan succeed. The real-time tactics genre has long been overlooked as faster, more aggressive action and real time strategy games have oversaturated the market.