Like party members in a good RPG, they engage in one-on-one discussions throughout the 13 missions that reveal details of their pasts and convictions, while adding layered relationships that give you an idea of what each of the five heroes think of the other four. Each of the main protagonists is ably voiced (though Yuki can be a bit grating and has an inexplicably British accent, when the rest of the cast sound clearly Japanese), and has a complex and interesting personality that evolves over the course of the story. Shadow Tactics spins a tale of honor, family, duty, betrayal, and redemption in Japan’s Edo period. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the story though.
Given how the characters and environments are so lovingly-crafted, I’m not sure why more camera options were not included. To make matters worse, having the camera positioned incorrectly can lead to your clicks being misinterpreted, sending a character stumbling right out in front of a guard instead of hiding behind the low wall like you wanted them to. “And the only options for controlling this rotation are pressing Q and E for a fixed angle, clumsy, 45 degree swing in either direction, or holding alt and using the mouse, which is so over-sensitive that I activated sniper mode on my gaming mouse just to get the kind of fine control I needed. I never felt like I was doing the exact same thing with the exact same tools and obstacles in any two levels. Missions that take place at night reduce enemy sight distance, but also feature torches that can allow enemies to spot you from very far away if you pass into their radius.
Some missions feature snow, for instance, which leaves footprints that guards can spot and follow to your hiding spot…or the trap you set deliberately at the end of the trail. There are also varied objectives and unique mechanics for each. Chopping Down a Brick WallEach level generally gives you a different roster of characters (until some of the later ones, where you control all five), which encourages you to think through all the possible ability combinations.
The clever level design encourages looking at the entire map as one, big logic puzzle to be chipped away at little by little. I usually really enjoyed analyzing heavily-defended areas to find where some combination of skills could spark a domino effect to wipe out an entire garrison. Play Queueing up actions for multiple characters, then executing them all at once, I often cleared entire areas of enemies before they had time to react. Other times, using them both in tandem allowed me to achieve what neither could alone, which created some great “Eureka!” moments. There were clearly times that called for Mugen, a samurai who can take out a cluster of enemies in a katana flurry, and times when it was a job for Yuki, a young thief who can lure solo enemies into traps. But its needle-sharp stealth systems, cast of memorable characters with diverse abilities and personalities, and an uncommonly grounded saga set in a stylized feudal Japan left me with a sense of true accomplishment and a role in a well-told story.Each of Shadow Tactics’ five characters has a particular set of skills that make them suited to different sneaky deeds, like hunkering down in bushes, isolating and executing enemies, and hiding the evidence before anyone notices. It has its share of blemishes, most prominent of which being camera controls that made me want to flip an entire hibachi table.
It’s rare to find a game that excels in the pillars of mechanics, storytelling, and art as consistently as Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun.
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