Mini Review: Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (Switch 2 Edition)

Developer – Mimimi Games

Publisher – Daedalic Entertainment

Platforms – Nintendo Switch 2 (Reviewed)

Review copy given by publisher

At long last Shadow Tactics Blades of the Shogun has made its way to the Nintendo Switch 2! For those of you that enjoy isometric stealth strategy games are in for a treat as Shadow Tactics is considered one of the better entries in the genre on modern consoles. While the controls are serviceable on controller for consoles, Shadow Tactics really shines on the Switch 2 thanks to the mouse controls, so wether you are on the go or sitting at your desk you can have a great experience.

If you are a fan of the game and just wondering if this edition is worth having on the Switch, you can stop reading now and feel confident you are getting a great port. The game runs well, the controls are intuitive, and you get the full package here. So if you are looking for  another way to experience Shadow Tactics, this is a great way to dive back in.

For those of you new to the game, welcome, you are in for a treat! I will start off by saying that this is not an action packed or easy experience. Yes, you can kill enemies and wipe out the entire level especially on the base difficulty, but the beauty of Shadow Tactics is you can choose your own path in completing the objective. With the proper planning, patience, and a lot of reloading, you can stealth your way through entire maps without ever drawing blood. There are even special side objectives that you can unlock after your playthrough to provide even more challenges.

The game is broken up into individual missions that you can select and the first serves as the tutorial mission that guides you on the basics of the game and introduces you to several of our playable characters. Each mission has a defined cast of characters that you use throughout that mission. There are 5 playable characters in all which include a ninja, a samurai, a musket sniper, a thief, and a spy. Each have their own unique abilities that can be used to complete your objectives. For instance, the samurai can take on enemy samurai in a 1:1 fight. The ninja can use deadly shurikens to silently take out enemies from afar, and the thief can lure enemies into deadly traps. 

Each mission gets procedurally more difficult as they progress and add additional levels of complexity through environmental factors, bigger patrols of enemies, more varied visual fields, and stronger enemy types. Luckily, through manipulating these things you can find your way around these complex puzzles to complete your objectives. That is really the idea behind the game, these missions are massive puzzles, with a lot of moving pieces, and you are given the tools to solve the puzzles and it’s up to you to figure out how to effectively navigate how it works best for you. This is also the beauty of the game, it really is up to you and how you want to play. I never felt pigeon holed into one answer, you can even choose to vary your approach as you proceed.

Overall, there are 13 fully laid out missions that on average can take about an hour to several hours each for your first play-through. In the DLC, this includes 3 more main missions with 3 mini missions. A completionist can play through multiple times trying to achieve all the different bonus objectives and difficulties and easily rack up 50+ hours with the game. As I said, this is a slow burn, you aren’t going to be running through slashing all the enemies in your way to complete the game. Think of it more like chess. If this sounds appealing to you, you will find a lot here and it’s definitely worth the money!