Key Takeaways
1. Team Dynamics: Players control a team of five specialists, each with unique abilities, to complete diverse mission objectives through strategic teamwork and experimentation.
2. Positive Reception: The game received high praise for its immersive atmosphere, intricate level design, and blend of old-school stealth with modern gameplay, scoring 86/100 from GameStar.
3. Gameplay Duration: Players can expect around 25 hours of gameplay across 13 missions, with additional replay value from optional challenges and varying difficulty levels.
4. Minor Flaws: Some issues include rigid cutscenes and limited character customization, as missions use a fixed set of characters without unlockable skills.
5. Current Discount: The game is currently on sale for $4, a 90% discount from its typical price of $40, with past sales indicating future discounts may be available.
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a tactics game that mixes real-time strategy with stealth elements, set in Japan during the Edo period (1603–1868), when samurai were at the apex of society. As a new Shōgun establishes peace, a mysterious warlord named Kage-sama rises to threaten that peace. To confront this looming danger, the samurai Mugen embarks on a quest to find and eliminate Kage-sama. Mugen is a powerful fighter capable of taking down several foes with his katana, but he doesn’t tackle this mission solo. He gathers a team of four expert specialists to help him on his perilous path:
Team Dynamics
Players must guide this exceptional group of five through beautifully designed missions that vary from snowy mountain strongholds to well-guarded cities and hidden temples. Each mission comes with its own objectives: stealthily taking out enemies, collecting information, sabotaging crucial targets, or eliminating high-ranking officials. Achieving success hinges on effective teamwork. For instance, while Yuki distracts a guard, Hayato can eliminate another with a shuriken, and Takuma keeps watch from a distance, allowing Mugen to make his move against multiple enemies. Experimenting with strategies is part of the fun—frequent saving and reloading are encouraged to achieve the perfect plan.
Positive Reception
The German magazine GameStar lauded Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun for its immersive atmosphere and challenging gameplay. The intricately designed levels set in Edo-period Japan, along with fitting music, created a lasting impact. GameStar referred to it as an “old-school stealth tactics game with a modern twist.” The game is notable for its clever level design and significant strategic options. Players can expect about 25 hours of gameplay over 13 missions, with added replay value through optional challenges and various difficulty levels.
Minor Flaws
However, the review also highlighted some minor issues. The cutscenes can appear somewhat rigid, and gameplay offers limited customization—missions come with a fixed set of characters and no unlockable skills. Nonetheless, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun received a commendable score of 86/100 from GameStar. Its reception has been similarly favorable elsewhere. On Metacritic, it boasts a User Score of 8.4, while critics have given it a Metascore of 85. Steam users showed even more excitement, with 96% of about 30,000 reviews being positive.
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun was created by Mimimi Games and launched by Daedalic Entertainment in December 2016. Typically priced at around $40, this real-time tactics title is now on sale for only $4 due to a 90% discount, which lasts until April 28. SteamDB shows that such discounts are common—the game was last available at this price during the Spring Sale in early March. So, if you happen to miss this offer, there’s a good chance another one will come soon.
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