
The enemy threat however is very similar with areas overcompensated in patrolling guards, and key areas harbouring unique enemies such as those that cannot be distracted by usual means. But the gameplay is very open to playstyle, making for plenty of replayability should you wish to approach a mission differently next time.Įach mission within Shadow Tactics is very different from the last, with each objective usually involving a new gargantuan task for players to overcome, such as a prison breakout or burglary. If you want to go in using one character to the end, that’s up to you. How you achieve it is pretty much entirely up to you, as although the missions are very linear in their outcome, how you get to the end is down to how you play. Even starting on the Normal difficulty is a brutal challenge, but if you hope to achieve any of the games badges which are in-game challenges, then this is where you’ll need to start.Īt the start of each mission players are joined by the protagonists for the mission, discussing what the plan is. As I mentioned earlier I enjoy a good challenge, but if you’re anything like me and like to dive straight into a new game on the hardest setting, you’d better fully expect to be kicked back out fai rly swiftly. There are three difficulties that you can choose from – Beginner, Normal and Hardcore. If the idea of a stubbornly difficult tactical stealth adventure has you feeling excited however, then you may just be looking at the best stealth console option we have seen in many years. Onto the gameplay then and I think it’s worth mentioning that if hardcore games, or lots of patience and multiple mistakes, are something you don’t cope well with, then Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a game you need to avoid like the plague.

#SHADOW TACTICS BADGES LIST PC#
Whilst the controls are certainly not the reason to be buying the game, they play a big part in how comfortable the game feels to play, and with so many ports from PC feeling uncomfortable to get to grips with, Shadow Tactics is one game that gets it right.

Everything you do in game feels very natural, and utilising the camera whilst moving your characters plays out very fluidly. I’m talking a camera that requires you to turn it manually to see different areas of the map and to be able to find all of the patrolling enemies, manually switching characters which would normally be tied to a shortcut button, and large areas that all feel like they would be better suited on PC.įortunately for us, the guys over at Mimimi Productions have done a fantastic job of translating the controls to the Xbox controller and they work exceptionally well. Shadow Tactics appears as one such game as it is complete with everything that would normally be a nightmare on console. There are some titles that you simply don’t expect to work on console and tactical games are usually up there on the list. Anyone who frequents tactical games will know exactly what I mean when I say that this is a game that was clearly designed for PC. Finally we have Aiko, the master of camouflage who can distr act enemies with her disguises.Īll five characters play an important part in the game, but it isn’t until later levels in which you use all of them together, with the early stages playing out with just a few of the characters together until the others are found and unlocked.īefore we talk about the gameplay though, one thing that is very striking early on is the design.

He can often be used to take out enemies from a long distance while the youngest of the group, Yuki, is a street child who is able to place traps and lure enemies via the use of a soothing bird call. Next is Takuma, with his pet racoon, a mysterious marksman with a gun at tached to one of his legs.

Mugen is a sake-loving samurai and holds the ability to cut down several enemies at once, whilst Hayato is an agile ninja complete with shurikens which allow him to strike without being seen. There are five characters for you to control.
