All of this is done with great voice acting, whether you’re playing in English or Japanese. While the overall plot isn’t particularly compelling, there’s also an interesting reveal of Aiko’s character, who changes the setting of both campaigns and provides a bit of a silver lining to its greatest tragedy. It has the same kind of vibe as DLC for Mass Effect 3’s Citadel, meeting your friends one last time before they embark on what turns out to be a particularly expensive mission in the initial campaign. Finally among them came the iconic choice, which was a small but personally meaningful moment for Aiko, as well as a moving and somewhat tragic farewell to our small conservatory group. They weren’t particularly difficult and took me only 15 to 20 minutes to complete, a great contrast to the three hours or so of each extended major infiltration. Shorter missions, alternating in between are fun little breaks that give the story and characters more time to breathe. But I find it a bit odd that Kalypso would release Aiko’s Choice as a standalone game if that’s to be expected. You can choose a number of reels that remind you of how certain character abilities work, and there is a fair warning that you should play at least the first few levels of the base game before you start doing familiar with the fundamentals. Whether I’m rescuing a captured party member or sneaking into a remote temple, my difficulty level is on par with some of the maps in the original game’s third. While there are no new areas in Aiko’s Choice that make you feel uncomfortable, they certainly won’t hesitate to throw you in the dark. This is definitely not a walk in the cherry blossom garden. It’s worth noting, though, against anyone considering joining without having played Blades of the Shogun before.
Read the full Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun review here. All in all, though, developer Mimimi has put together one of the smartest and most punishing top-down stealth games I’ve come across.
The camera’s near-constant annoyance certainly got in the way of my feeling of being a zen ninja assassin.
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun’s rare attention to characters and story elevates what was already a truly enjoyable and mentally stimulating quest across 17th-century Japan. What We Said About Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun These situations are difficult, but the solutions are never ludicrous. I also didn’t run into any of the insurmountable, confusing situations like in the original campaign where I felt like I had to do something really cheesy or confusing to progress. But Aiko’s Choice also feels more accurate and less frustrating, thanks in part to a timer that reminds you if you’ve gone too long without saving. The basic process hasn’t really changed from the original game that I loved, and if you’re new to it, you should check out my review from 2016 to see exactly why it works so well. And these missions will start from places where the original game was inherently difficult to leave behind in enhancing the challenge, so expect a good fight.Īll five members of Blades of the Shogun’s memorable party are back, using their unique set of abilities in tandem to take on diverse groups of enemies that are devilishly intelligent. Through three powerful, dazzling new levels and three smaller alternate levels, this side story takes us back to Japan’s Edo period to sneak, slash, and trace our way through the Expertly crafted outposts and fortresses. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, and that’s all I really needed. Aiko’s Choice is a compact, powerful standalone expansion for 2016’s special tactical stealth adventure.