I had the utmost pleasure of playing the game before the release (in order to write an extensive review in the upcoming days), therefore I'd like to share my experiences with the subreddit.
Before I start - I'm currently beginning Mission #5 (there's thirteen of them), so whatever I saw will be up to that point.
Last time we had a chance of playing a game similar in scope was Commandos 2 on PS2, and that version of the game got a lot of flak regarding the control scheme transfer from PC to console. I was a bit worried starting Shadow Tactics having that in mind, but after the first mission I had to say - everything is in order.
True, I had to get used to some of the ins and outs, but playing patiently gives the best results. It's a game where you have to consider your every move carefully, check the view cones of every enemy within your operational radius and then strike - you can always hope for the best, but a careful plan will always yield better results. It's a perfect game for unwinding but making your brain cells work extra hard, where every kill is a step further towards your ultimate goal.
The setting is Japan during early Edo period (1603+). Unity engine gets bad rep nowadays, but here it's the beating heart of beautiful vistas, gorgeous architecture and painstakingly crafted locations. Apart from enemy soldiers (different types with different behaviour) we also get to see civilians going about their lives - we have to be mindful, as they will quickly run and sound the alarm when they see us. You can stab them without repercussions, but I tend to either knock them out (they will wake up after awhile and run to their home, probably thinking WTF just happened) or avoid altogether.
You have five different characters to play with - they are introduced gradually in the story and they are picked for you for the particular mission. You have ninjas (shinobi/kunoichis) that are nimble, use shurikens (Hayato), deadly traps and lures (Yuki) or can dress up to outwit the soldiers (Aiko). The barbarian of the group is Mugen (samurai, can kill a group of people in one swoop) and you have the marksman Takuma ("sniper rifle", bombs, trained tanuki). It's fun to see them react to their abilities, as well as discover ways to utilise their skills in the most creative and effective way. Remember, saving is just pressing the touchpad and you always have the last three saves to go back to!
Every map is like a giant diorama, full of details, several ways to approach your target and secrets to discover. After finishing the mission you get to see some extra objectives if you want an additional challenge - Mission #4 took me more than two hours and the speedrun is set to twenty something minutes! You can also ignore some of the optional stuff to do on the map and have more enemies present this way (there's also three difficulty levels, I'm playing on Normal and it's fine).
I'm really pleasantly surprised - it's been over 15 years since I played Commandos 2 on PC and with Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun I get the same vibes all over again - definitely worth checking out! Got really good reviews on PC last year as well, so I think it's gonna be riding high in my regard until the very end.
As of now, I'd have to issues giving it 9/10 (some really minor technical issues regarding AI, but nothing game-breaking). Still, I'll play it more to have a proper gander.
If by any chance you got to the end of my babbling, here's a gameplay trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0kYPEMR69k
Fire away the questions - I'm going to sleep soon but I'll try to get them as soon as I can.
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