Desperados III

I went into Desperados III hoping for a solid real-time tactics game, and what I got was one of the most polished, clever and deeply satisfying stealth experiences I’ve ever played. If you enjoy games where every move matters, where planning feels like solving a lethal puzzle, and where a single well-executed plan makes you feel like a genius, this game is an absolute gem. What I loved First and foremost, the gameplay is brilliant. You control a band of five wildly different outlaws, each with their own skills that complement one another beautifully. John Cooper can toss a coin to distract guards and take them down up close, while Doc McCoy snipes from afar and uses knock-out gas. Kate can blind enemies and slip away in disguise, Isabelle uses voodoo mind control, and the burly Hector lays traps and carries heavy loads. Learning how to weave their abilities together is endlessly rewarding. The standout feature is Showdown Mode, which lets you freeze time, queue up actions across multiple characters, and then unleash them all at once. Setting up a perfectly synchronised takedown of three guards in different directions never gets old. It turns frustration into creativity, and it makes even the most daunting enemy patrols feel like puzzles waiting to be cracked. The level design is some of the best in the genre. Every map is a sprawling, hand-crafted sandbox packed with multiple routes, hidden secrets and verticality. Whether you’re infiltrating a lavish riverboat, a dusty frontier town or a swampy bayou, the environments are gorgeous, full of atmosphere and reward experimentation. The game respects your intelligence and rarely forces you into a single solution. I also need to praise the presentation. The voice acting is top-notch, the soundtrack sets the perfect western mood, and the story, while not groundbreaking, is delivered with style and a welcome dose of dark humour. It strikes a wonderful balance between serious revenge tale and playful spaghetti western. Any dislikes? Honestly, very little. The difficulty can spike occasionally, and a few missions lean a bit too heavily on trial and error. But the generous quick-save system means you can experiment freely without punishing consequences. If anything, those tough moments just make eventual success feel even more earned. Verdict I cannot recommend Desperados III highly enough. It’s a masterpiece of the real-time tactics genre that will challenge your mind, reward your patience and leave you grinning when a perfect plan comes together. Whether you’re a fan of the classics like Commandos or a newcomer looking for something refreshingly intelligent, this is a must-play. It’s easily one of my favourite games in years, and I’m already looking forward to replaying it on a higher difficulty. Don’t miss it.

Shadow Tactics, Desperados III, every Mimimi game made me lose track of time.