Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun last edited by fisk0 on 11/12/18 06:52AM View full history Overview A game that challenges the player to use clever strategy and stealth, commanding up to five units from an isometric viewpoint to infiltrate a series of bases and uncover a conspiracy that threatens to destabilize Japan.
Tomb Raider Games
Games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first, shall we? Of course, most Tomb Raider games, whether they be those from ten-year-old consoles or earlier games in the reboot series, will be somewhat similar to Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
![Games Like Shadow Tactics Games Like Shadow Tactics](http://gameranx.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Shadow-Tactics_20170804192705.jpg)
Which one you choose to go for first depends on what you enjoy most about the latest game. Rise of the Tomb Raider, the previous game in the reboot series, sticks closest to the semi-open world structure that sees you move between larger areas while still being on a linear overall path. The further you go back, the more linear the experience you’ll get, but they all feature the raiding of tombs and puzzle solving that you likely love about Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
If you’re looking for something in the same world, however, but with different gameplay, the likes of Lara Croft GO and Lara Croft & The Temple of Osiris are great options. GO is a turn-based puzzle game that sees you try to navigate a board while avoiding obstacles and enemies, whereas The Temple of Osiris is an isometric arcade action game that features co-op play.
Uncharted Series
Games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Parallels are often drawn between Tomb Raider and Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series, and they’re understandable. Both series follow a charismatic adventurer who is set on finding every secret the world has to offer. However, treasure hunting isn’t their only focus; both of them are more than skilled in combat and climbing.
The structure of the recent Uncharted games, particularly Lost Legacy and A Thief’s End are also very similar to Shadow of the Tomb Raider. They’re linear, narrative-driven adventures for the most part, but many of the individual areas that you’re funneled into open up and offer opportunities for exploration. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is probably slightly more open and expansive, but the puzzle solving, combat, and story focus are key components of both games.
God of War
Games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Before earlier this year, the God of War series would never have been mentioned when talking about games that are similar to Tomb Raider. However, the dramatic switch in focus that Kratos’ most recent journey took made them very similar, structure wise.
Of course, the realm-hopping story of God of War is more far-reaching at times, delving deep into Norse mythology and the creatures that come with it, but it’s still about one (or two) characters’ journey, as Shadow of the Tomb Raider is. The structure of the two games’ worlds are also similar.
Both are semi-open, with you being able to explore most of it at your will, but you’re introduced to parts of it as the story progresses. What you can see and where you can go is somewhat dictated by the progression of the story. God of War is also more action-orientated than Shadow, with the ever-satisfying Leviathan Axe being Kratos’ weapon of choice, but the overall structure of the game closely matches that of Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
Strange Brigade
Games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider
![Games like shadow tactics blade of the shogun Games like shadow tactics blade of the shogun](http://scientificgamer.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/st_camp.jpg)
Strange Brigade is an odd mix of throwbacks to cheesy action movies of old and modern video game ideas. Narrated by a British man who endlessly rolls his Rs and comments on what a good job you’re doing, it sees you join a gang of treasure hunters who set out to dispel the other-worldly threat that’s bringing about Egypt’s demise. It’s designed to be played in co-op, but it works well on you’re own, taking on zombies and solving puzzles as you explore the caves and tombs of the great Pyramid’s surroundings.
Each level sees you move between areas as you take out waves of enemies. The areas are huge, but you’re free to explore all the paths to discover all of the secrets. There are also puzzles and collectibles galore, just like in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, they’re just not as complex. Still, Strange Brigade is a fun, action-packed romp that’ll remind you of the earlier Tomb Raider games and The Mummy movies.
Far Cry 5
Games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Of course, there’s one glaring difference between the Far Cry series and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the former features an entirely open world. While Shadow of the Tomb Raider gives you opportunities to explore its world, it’s not as free and expansive as the likes of Far Cry 5’s Hope County, Montana. That being said, the combat situations play out in a similar way in both titles. There are fewer explosions and helicopter crashes in Shadow, but taking out groups of enemies requires planning and intelligence in both, yet taking on bad guys head on is still an option. You’ll have far more freedom in Far Cry, but how you play Shadow can carry over to Ubisoft’s series well.
The same can be said of some of Ubisoft’s other open world games. The Assassin’s Creed series is as lore and exploration filled as Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and stealth is once again a vital part of combat, but its open world requires a different approach to Lara’s recent adventure.
If only a new Prince of Persia game was in the works, because then we’d have the perfect game to recommend.
A winning premise of cleverly combined genres let down by a series of irritating design issues.
There's not much more satisfying than seeing a good team come together, something Shadow Tactics developer Mimimi no doubt understands. Shadow Tactics is a strategy/stealth hybrid set in feudal Japan that follows in the footsteps of the long lost but fondly remembered Commandos games.
Shadow Tactics
- Developer: Mimimi
- Publisher: Daedalic
- Platform: Reviewed on PS4
- Availability: Out now on PC, PS4 and Xbox One
Players issue commands to five different characters, each with their own unique talents. Your bulky samurai can slay three opponents clustered together and carry two cadavers at once, your elderly peg-legged sniper whittles away the opposition from afar, your crafty orphan plants traps, your all-rounder soldier throws a mean shuriken, and your seductress gets dolled up in disguises to distract guards. Each hero is fairly limited on their own, but together they form quite the team.
As a result, Shadow Tactics doesn't feel like anything else out there. It's slower and more meticulous than most stealth games where you control a single entity, its real-time action sets it apart from any number of turn-based strategy affairs, and the laser focus on a tiny but talented crackerjack team feels worlds away from a typical RTS with its many moving gears colliding in all-out war. The merging of mechanics resembles the unholy spawn of Hotline Miami, The Lost Vikings, and Splinter Cell.
It's a winning combination that offers a unique blend of puzzles, action, and experimentation - with an emphasis on experimentation. Unlike most stealth or strategy games, Shadow Tactics is designed to make you fail to a ludicrous degree. A shame, then, that the consequence for failure can be so harsh. Every time you're caught throngs of guards swarm the stage, punishing imprecision at the drop of a hat. Unlike most modern stealth games where things arguably get more exciting once you've messed up, Shadow Tactics opts for a more ruthless approach. More often than not, once enemies open fire the jig is up. Failure's part of the process, something to be endured rather than seen through.
This focus on defeat works because when a plan eventually comes together it feels great. This happens most in what's called Master Mode, a feature wherein you can issue commands to each character that's only to be executed when you give the signal. Chances are your timing or positioning will be off and some component of the plan will fail, but when every piece of scripting hits its mark and your ragtag crew of bandits Mission Impossibles their way through a fortified fortress, simultaneously stabbing, blinding, and distracting guards, there's nothing quite like it. You didn't just solve a puzzle, you choreographed a clean, classy heist, you criminal mastermind you.
It's a shame then that much of the game can be conquered without calling upon your wits. For the most part, you can thin out the herd by resorting to the same handful of basic tactics that you learn in the beginning. The first time one character creates a diversion while the other two stab guards in the back, it feels fantastic. But by the 50th time, it loses a bit of its lustre. It's hard to say if that's the game's fault or my own for not being cunning enough to orchestrate more creative plans, but many of Shadow Tactics' challenges can be bested by playing in the dullest, most conservative way.
This doesn't ruin Shadow Tactics, but it does make it rather monotonous at times. There are too many banal, brute force solutions to Shadow Tactics' challenges, and unless you're going for all the game's optional badges, there's not much incentive to deviate from the boring but effective solutions. I suspect high level players will have to get fairly canny to conquer Shadow Tactics' most devious challenges, but on an initial playthrough there are too many bland sections where it's overly tempting to simply stick with what you know.
Perhaps the biggest missed trick here is that Master Mode, lovely and exciting as it is, only allows you to issue one command to each teammate. In other words, you can tell your squadmates to kill a guard, but not to retreat to cover after the fact. Having to manually move everyone to safety afterwards is both an inconvenient chore and an irritating, artificial restriction on the types of assaults available. Perhaps being able to preemptively issue commands to kill then hide would shift the difficulty setting too much, but it would go a long way towards putting Shadow Tactics' best feature on centre stage.
As is, Shadow Tactics' biggest problem is the amount of drudgery involved in executing a plan. Part of this is due to the fact that this is a console port of a game designed with a mouse and keyboard in mind, but much of it simply seems awkwardly dragged out. To wit: there's no way to undo one squad command in Master Mode without forfeiting the whole plan and having to manually reassign each order. The game feels like setting up dominos then cathartically knocking them over, which is how a tactics game should feel, but it would be nice if the dominoes were a little less cumbersome to set up.
Shadow Tactics has a lovely premise and a lot of clever puzzles, but a few irritating design decisions hold it back from truly being the ultimate team-based infiltration game it so wants to be. It's almost there though. Bringing back such a genre hybrid in this day and age - and on consoles no less - is still cause for celebration. Shadow Tactics is a little too long in the tooth to stay fresh during the entirety of its two dozen hour campaign, but it hits notes other games don't. In an age where every AAA stealth game is gradually turning into a homogenous pool of third-person cover-cowering vent-crawling affairs, Shadow Tactics is on an invigoratingly different trajectory. Mimimi's attempt to resurrect this style of game isn't quite the flawless masterplan that goes off without a hitch, but it's still a refreshing refinement of a long lost art.
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