Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
Developer(s)	Mimimi Productions
Publisher(s)	Daedalic Entertainment Kalypso Media (console)[1]
Director(s)	Dominik Abé
Designer(s)	Martin Hamberger Moritz Wagner Felix Friedlein
Programmer(s)	Dominik Abé
Artist(s)	Bianca Dörr
Writer(s)	Martin Hamberger Dennis Huszak
Composer(s)	Filippo Beck Peccoz
Engine	Unity
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release	WW: December 6, 2016 PlayStation 4, Xbox One EU: July 28, 2017 NA: August 1, 2017
Genre(s)	Real-time tactics
Mode(s)	Single-player

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a stealth-oriented video game developed by Mimimi Productions and published by Daedalic Entertainment. The gameplay is similar to that of the Commandos and Desperados series. It was released on December 6, 2016 for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux,^[2][3] and in July 2017 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.^[4] The game received three German Developer Awards (best German game, best PC/console game, best game design).

Plot[]

The game is set in feudal Japan. The shogun has unified Japan after years of war. However, a mysterious warlord known only as "Kage-sama" has emerged, jeopardizing the country's stability. The Shogun turns to Oshiro Mugen, a samurai in his service, and assigns him to uncover Kage-sama's true identity and bring him to justice. Mugen subsequently recruits four other allies to assist him: Hayato, a cynical ninja; Yuki, a clever, inquisitive young outcast and thief; Aiko, a female ninja and Mugen's paramour; and Takuma, an eldery sharpshooter and alchemist.

The group investigates the corrupt daimyo Lord Yabu, suspecting him of being Kage-sama due to his involvement in the production and smuggling of illegal weapons, but when Mugen decides to have him assassinated without the Shogun's permission, it triggers a rebellion of soldiers loyal to the Shogun's former ally, General Okkoto. The Shogun reprimands Mugen for acting rashly, but allows him nonetheless to deal with Okkoto. Defeated, the general commits seppuku with Mugen's help after providing the group with a map that leads to a secret encampment in the marshlands where Kage-sama is hiding.

The group goes to apprehend Kage-sama, but quickly learn that their target is a decoy and the "encampment" is a trap: the true Kage-sama is none other than Lord Noboru, the Shogun's younger brother and right-hand man. Noboru reveals that he opposes his brother's peaceful rule, fearing that it will make warriors like him obsolete. He intends to seize power and plunge Japan back into endless war. Holding Mugen's companions hostage, Noboru forces the samurai to lead him to the secret refuge of Ryunosuke, the Shogun's heir, and Noboru's son Masaru stabs Ryunosuke dead. Mugen's companions escape captivity, but a guilt-ridden and dishonored Mugen commits suicide, though not before Aiko tells him that she is bearing his child.

After learning that Mugen's companions have survived, Noboru convinces the Shogun that they killed his son; to clear their names, the group abducts Masaru from a bathhouse in Kyoto and sneak their way past the Shogun's men to deliver him personally to their superior. Masaru tries to lie, but the Shogun, noting that only he and Mugen knew about his son's hiding place, forces him to tell the truth. Leaving Masaru to be put to death for his crimes, the group infiltrates Noboru's castle. When they corner Noboru, he attempts suicide. The player can choose to let him do it, or execute him themselves.

Having avenged Mugen, the four comrades are released from their service to the Shogun and go their separate ways. Aiko later gives birth to Mugen's son, whom the Shogun adopts as his heir, allowing his legacy to endure.

Aiko's Choice (DLC)[]

The events in Aiko's Choice take place just before the group departs to apprehend Kage-sama at his hideout in the marshlands (mission 9).

While the shogun's agents are in their hideout plotting their attack on Kage-sama's hideout, they are raided by soldiers led by one Lady Chiyo. Lady Chiyo is Aiko's old mentor, and she is now working for Kage-sama. Chiyo takes Takuma and Yuki away with her, and orders her men to execute Aiko, Mugen, and Hayato. The three manage to escape and rescue Yuki, but Takuma has been taken away on a Portuguese ship.

Aiko and her friends track down the Portuguese ship to a smuggler's island hideout. They destroy a number of gunpowder crates destined for Kage-sama, and rescue Takuma. Aiko remarks at how curiously lax security at the hideout is, considering how familiar Lady Chiyo is with Aiko's abilities. Aiko discovers that Lady Chiyo has restarted her school for female ninjas at the old compound of the Sakura clan where Aiko was trained. Aiko and her friends infiltrate the school and assassinate Lady Chiyo.

In the epilogue, Lady Chiyo meets with Aiko out in the wilderness. Lady Chiyo expected Aiko to come after her and feigned her own death, which was in fact her objective all along. Lady Chiyo doesn't want to work for Kage-sama, so she manipulated Aiko into coming after her, and by faking her death, she can disappear into peaceful retirement. Lady Chiyo apologizes for the pain she caused for Aiko and her friends. At this point, Aiko can choose to kill Lady Chiyo or let her go in peace.

Gameplay[]

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a stealth-oriented real-time tactics game, inspired by the Commandos and Desperados game series. The player commands a small team and performs various acts of espionage, sabotage and assassination, such as infiltrating heavily guarded fortresses and eliminating enemies from within, killing/capturing special targets, stealing important documents, overhearing conversations to collect information, or rescuing other characters. Enemy guards have a visible cone of vision which the heroes must evade to remain undetected. Missions generally require the player to methodically eliminate enemies between them and the objective without raising the alarm; players can lure guards into ambushes, kill them with traps or staged accidents, or simply knock them out for a small amount of time. The heroes can move the bodies of slain or unconscious guards to hide them in bushes, empty rooms, barrels and wells so that they won't be found. If a hero is spotted or a dead body is discovered by the enemy, the alarm will be raised and additional patrols will be deployed to secure the area. In addition to guards, heroes must also watch out for hostile civilians, who can't attack but will alert any nearby guards of their presence, as well as birds and standing water, which make noise that guards can hear. Some missions incorporate environmental elements such as snow and darkness, which alter normal enemy behavior.

Each mission also includes a set of "badges" for the player to earn. Two are for finishing the mission under a set period of time and for completing it on "Hardcore", the most difficult mode. Other badges are awarded for feats such as performing unique kills, not harming enemies, or not using certain skills.

Heroes[]

All the heroes have a "healing" skill that restores health but can only be used once, and a matchlock pistol with limited ammunition (Mugen has a more powerful "hand cannon" that can kill samurai). Beyond that, each hero has unique abilities:

• Hayato has a shuriken with which he can kill enemies (except samurai) at a distance with little noise. He can also throw rocks to distract enemies. Like Yuki and Aiko, he can climb vines, jump from rooftops, and use a grappling hook wherever a hook-ring is present.
• Mugen has a "Storm Wind" area attack that can kill multiple enemies except samurai. He can also lure guards from their posts with a bottle of sake, but straw hat guards and samurai will ignore it. Mugen is the only character who can efficiently kill enemy samurai in a head-on confrontation, either with his sword or his especially powerful pistol.
• Yuki can lay a trap that kills anyone who steps on it, except for samurai, who walks into it. She also has a flute with which she can lure nearby guards to her position.
• Aiko can steal clothes and disguise herself as a priestess or a geisha, allowing her to walk freely around the map (although samurai can see through her disguise). She can distract enemy guards with casual banter while disguised, and also throw sneezing powder that temporarily shrinks a guard's cone of vision.
• Takuma has a scoped rifle with which he can kill enemies at great distance and with no noise, but his ammunition is limited. He also has a pet tanuki which he can send to distract enemy guards by growling, and carries grenades that can stun or kill enemies. Like Mugen, he cannot swim or climb walls, and his wooden leg makes noise when he runs.

Reception[]

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator website Metacritic.^[5] Rock, Paper, Shotgun found the game better than Commandos 2 and Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive.^[13]

Spin-offs and other media[]

A board game version of the PC game published by Antler Games was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in 2019.^[14][15]

A standalone expansion for the game titled Aiko's Choice was released in December 2021.^[16] The DLC has five missions but adds no new gameplay features.

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun at IMDb
• Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun at MobyGames