Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

In short, I enjoyed this game a lot but I think it might not be for everyone. I started this game a few years back but dropped it part way through. Recently, I came back to it to give it another go and I really enjoyed it. The thing is, this game is a stealth game, and it is nothing else. While you can technically fight head on, this game accommodates open combat even less than series like Dishonored, Metal Gear Solid, Sniper Elite, and so on. The penalties for being noticed are harsh and you'll probably just want to reload upon being found. And as a game where you click to tell characters what to do, there isn't the joy of traversal or directly controlling your character like in games such as Dishonored. I enjoyed this game a lot, but the joy from this game comes from stealth in a much purer form, and if you're not a fan of stealth games, or are not in the mood for this particular style of stealth game, this game doesn't have anything else to offer. Understanding what to expect when I came back to this game allowed me to fully appreciate it for what it is. Ultimately I thought this was a great game. I really liked the party of different characters, each with their own flavour of stealth. For example, one character's a sniper, one character focuses on traps, and one character can use disguises to hide in plain sight, bringing a sort of Hitman-like playstyle. Different combinations of characters being available for each mission gave each mission a different feel. I should say this is also a relatively hard stealth game. The difficulty ramps up steadily but quite steeply, and the last third or so of the game often had me staring at the screen and stroking my chin trying to think of what to do next for much longer than most stealth games, even on harder difficulties. This game doesn't require you to be a genius or to flawlessly control 5 characters simultaneously or anything--I don't want to make this game sound harder than it is, and it's not intimidatingly hard--but it is a Thinker. You have to plan each manoeuvre. I'm glad I came back to this and it is a solidly above-average stealth game, and if you're a fan of stealth games, this is definitely worth trying. Just be mindful of what it is when going in to it.

Quick fun ninja strategy game. Every level is gradually solving a puzzle.

I liked it. Nice mechanics and eye-catching artwork. The story could use some more character development, but it was good nonetheless.