Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
| Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun | |||
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| Studio |
 Mimimi Productions
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| Publisher |
Daedalic Entertainment Kalypso Media
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
Windows, macOS, Linux: December 6, 2016 PlayStation 4, Xbox One: July 28, 2017 August 1, 2017  |
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| platform | Microsoft Windows , macOS , Linux , PlayStation 4 , Xbox One | ||
| Game engine | Unity | ||
| genre | Real-time tactics , stealth | ||
| Subject | Edo period , Shogun | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Mouse , keyboard , gamepad | ||
| medium | DVD-ROM , Blu-ray , download | ||
| language | German | ||
| Current version | 2.2.10.F ( GOG.com / Steam ) | ||
| copy protection | Without ( GOG.com ) Steam |
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| Age rating |
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Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a real-time tactics - computer game of the Munich-based developer Mimimi Productions , which on December 6, 2016 PC was released. A release for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One followed in summer 2017.
Gameplay
The game principle is based strongly on that of the Commandos and Desperados series. The player takes control of up to five characters controlled from an isometric perspective . Each character has a number of talents that must be used and combined with one another in order to achieve the goal of a mission - for example assassination, theft or sabotage. The focus is on secret procedures and cooperation between the characters; if a character is discovered, an alarm is set off, which complicates the mission with the appearance of additional guards. In a direct dispute, the player is quickly outnumbered and therefore at a disadvantage.
The central element is the cone of vision (actually a sector of a circle ) of opponents, in which an opponent can notice group members. The cone of vision has two areas. In the unrestricted field of vision, an opponent can see everything, in the restricted area, however, objects close to the ground such as crouching characters or corpses are not perceived. Various mechanics such as darkness or obstructions affect the field of vision. However, noises can also arouse suspicion and lead to the group being discovered.
Opponents begin at predetermined positions on the map and follow a periodic routine in their movement and direction of view. As soon as an opponent notices something unusual, the routine is suspended. Depending on the type, the opponent may investigate what he has noticed, for example following a footprint or looking for a missing comrade in the area. If he does not discover anything suspicious, he will resume his prescribed movement routine after a while.
action
The action begins in the early Edo period . After helping the Shogun to pacify the country, a warlord named Kage-sama appears who threatens the peace. The samurai Mugen is tasked with finding and eliminating Kage-sama, for which he secures the help of the ninja Hayato and other companions.
The group kills two of Kage-sama's allies, Lord Yabu and General Okkoto. When the Companions track down Kage-sama themselves, however, they are lured into a trap and it turns out that Kage-sama is Noboru, the brother of the shogun. Noboru forces Mugen to lead him to the hiding place of the shogun's son, who is then killed by Noboru's son. Mugen's companions escape, but the samurai himself commits seppuku because he has betrayed his master. His friends, who are blamed for the murder by Noboru, kidnap Noboru's son and hand him over to the Shogun , where he confesses. Then they invade Noboru's fortress and kill him too. After avenging Mugen, they part ways.
Characters
All characters except Takuma have a melee attack that allows them to kill or knock opponents out, and can carry or drag lifeless bodies to hide them - Mugen even two at a time while running. In addition, everyone has a (albeit very loud) firearm with limited ammunition and bandages for treating wounds. All characters can sneak, sprint, and climb ladders. The agile characters Hayato, Yuki and Aiko can also swim, climb in some places and jump over narrow spaces and down from elevated positions.
- Hayato: A ninja from Iga Province . He can kill opponents in close combat very quickly with his Ninjatō or from a distance with his Shuriken and distract him with thrown stones.
- Yuki: A thief and the youngest member of the group. She can lure opponents with her flute, set a deadly trap, kill opponents with her knife and pickpockets.
- Mugen: A samurai . With his katana he can kill three opponents at the same time during his sword wind attack and lure enemies away with his sake bottle. He is the only member of the group who can kill another samurai alone in close combat, and his blunderbuss is the only firearm that can kill samurai from a distance. However, in his heavy armor, he can only run slowly.
- Aiko: A kunoichi . She can take out opponents with her hairpin or blind them with sneezing powder so that they see little for a short time, dress up and - if disguised - distract guards with conversations.
- Takuma: A sniper and the oldest member of the group. In addition to his sniper rifle with limited ammunition, he has bombs that can either kill or stun, and a trained tanuki that can distract opponents. He can only run slowly and makes loud noises through his wooden leg.
reception
Reviews
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The game received mostly positive reviews. Metacritic gave the PC version a rating of 85 points based on 40 reviews. GameRankings got a rating of 84.35 percent based on 17 reviews.
Many reviewers make comparisons to the titles in the Commandos and Desperados series. They all agree that Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a worthy continuation of this tradition and has taken up the tried and tested mechanics and modernized it sensibly.
Manuel Fritsch from Gamestar feels reminded of the genre classics Commandos and Desperados "from the first minute of the game" and has been robbed of "more than an hour of sleep". Because "Shadow Tactics is not a Commandos clone, but the consistent continuation and further development of the concept that many players have missed." The game could inspire both genre veterans and beginners with a "cool ninja setting, demanding level of difficulty and useful comfort functions". The author praises the "beautiful mission areas designed with great attention to detail", which bring "a lot of variety both visually and playfully". He also likes the badges that can be obtained in each mission for certain achievements, because they "have a high appeal and replay value". He draws the conclusion "Old school stealth tactic game in a modern guise, which motivates with great level design and promotes strategic finesse" with a rating of 86%.
Jörg Luibl from 4Players sees the game as a convincing contribution in the tradition of the Commandos series. Especially the "great AI with diverse behavioral patterns" make the missions challenging. The terrain is also "pleasantly spacious", including the vertical plane, and "thematically varied" in the various missions. Nevertheless, the author regrets "that a special way of playing with the exception of unlocked trophies has no consequences" and that there are "no cooperative acrobatics" apart from the climbing and jumping opportunities of individual characters. Overall, however, the author says "Look forward to exciting infiltration in a picturesque top view with great AI and challenging missions." with a rating of 85%.
Felix Schütz from PC Games sees his expectations of the game clearly exceeded. The game can be very frustrating, but it can also be all the more rewarding when a plan finally works. The "beautiful mission and level design and the sympathetic hero troop" would have kept him well motivated until the end. The technical implementation, the graphics and "especially the level design" were well done, but "the 3D environment in certain situations with several height levels and interactive objects that are close together also causes problems", since unwanted actions are accidentally triggered. In addition, the author would have wished for more enemy types and modeled interiors, so that "some potential remains untapped". Nevertheless, his conclusion remains "Anyone who likes commandos and desperados and has longed for a really good spiritual successor cannot avoid this surprise hit."
Markus Grundmann from Eurogamer sees the game as a promising attempt to revive the genre of real-time tactics popularized by Commandos . The level of difficulty is very demanding. "Like Commandos, Shadow Tactics can be quite tricky even on the easiest level of difficulty", because the game "knows how to use limits at the highest level in order to drive the player to maximum performance." But in the end, it is incredibly satisfying when, after persistent planning, "a pleasant feeling of 'I love it when a plan works'" spreads. Fortunately, it "doesn't feel like a puzzle with only one possible solution." There are only small things to complain about, for example the "quite useless" possibility to knock opponents unconscious instead of killing them. The rating is therefore "No homage, but a contemporary and excellent implementation of the Commandos formula with an atmospheric Japan setting."
PC Gamer's Fraser Brown thinks the enemy's routine is a "giant clockwork puzzle, all sorted and repeated." The fun starts with creating chaos with a "toy box full of skills" to experiment with until finally the "best parts of unsuccessful attempts" result in a working solution. The mission design is also convincing, as these are essentially "sandboxes rich in possible solutions". And the unlockable badge is its "additional incentive to experiment". Overall, the game is an "extraordinary contribution to the genre", it is "tricky, complex without being too complicated" and gets a rating of 92%.
IGN's TJ Hafer praises the clever mission design, which "encourages the entire map to be viewed as one large, logical puzzle that is dismantled piece by piece". The variation in the various missions is also so varied that he "never had the feeling of doing the same thing with the same tools in two missions". And also the genre-untypical "attention to characters and story" contribute to an "entertaining and mentally challenging" journey through 17th century Japan. However, the chamber operation is fiddly. Due to the limited possibilities of camera alignment and without the possibility of making obscuring objects transparent, "constant realignment of the camera is necessary in order to see what you are doing." Overall, the author concludes, "Developer Mimimi put together one of the most punishing and clever isometric stealth games I've ever stumbled through."
Gamespot's Daniel Starkey says, "Shadow Tactics understands what makes stealth games so special." The maps are "dense, beautiful areas" through which you work your way. Bit by bit, you work your way through "complex patterns against seemingly insurmountable resistance." The shadow mode in particular leads to experiencing "glorious moments in which all the hard work, the observations and the attention to detail pay off." The scenery of the missions, from "windswept snow landscapes to the mighty castles of the Edo period", looks beautiful and also contains specific mechanics that change the stealth rules. However, even though all the pieces fit together seamlessly, it often feels like there is only one right solution. Ultimately, "the basic ideas are masterfully executed, which makes it one of the best stealth games of recent times."
Awards
At the German Computer Game Award, Shadow Tactics was awarded for the best game design, but the developer did not accept the award due to irregularities in the voting. It also received the awards for the best game design, for the best PC / console game and for the best German game at the German Developer Award .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Metacritic to Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. Retrieved January 13, 2020 .
- ↑ a b gamerankings.com: Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. Retrieved February 18, 2018 .
- ^ Moby Games on Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. Retrieved January 13, 2020 .
- ↑ a b Gamestar Test by Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. Retrieved January 13, 2020 (German).
- ↑ a b 4Players Test by Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. Retrieved January 13, 2020 (German).
- ↑ a b PC Games Test by Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. Retrieved January 13, 2020 (German).
- ↑ a b IGN test from Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. Retrieved January 13, 2020 .
- ↑ a b Gamespot test by Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. Retrieved January 13, 2020 .
- ↑ a b Eurogamer Test by Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. Retrieved January 13, 2020 (German).
- ↑ a b PC Gamer Review by Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. Retrieved January 13, 2020 .
- ↑ gamestar.de: Scandal at the German Computer Game Award - developers of Shadow Tactics reject the award. April 26, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017 .
- ↑ German Developer Award 2016 - Winner. Retrieved January 17, 2020 .
