Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun’s uncommon attentiveness to characters and story elevate what is already a really entertaining and mentally stimulating quest across 17th-Century Japan. The near-constant annoyance of the camera definitely hindered my feeling of being a zen ninja assassin. Overall though, developer Mimimi has put together one of the most punishing and clever top-down stealth games I’ve ever skulked through.

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a real-time tactical stealth game with gorgeous levels and clever mechanics.

A winning premise of cleverly combined genres let down by a series of irritating design issues.

Shadow Tactics’ impressive missions, laden toy box and likeable cast make it one of the greatest stealth games of the last decade.

Shadow Tactics is a return to form for a genre that hasn't received nearly enough love

I've spent a few work nights staying up way too late playing, just to see what it would throw at me next. With the replayability built into each mission, I can imagine a few more of those nights on the horizon.

A welcome return to a type of stealth-strategy that hasn't been seen on PlayStation for many a moon. The period setting forms a great backdrop for the action, missions are steeped in atmosphere, and the central characters are just plain cool. Lack of co-op is a missed opportunity, but the addictive challenge badges will keep you coming back for more. Shadow Tactics: Blade of the Shogun is a serious tactical treat..

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a fantastic real-time tactics adventure that wows with top-notch gameplay, fantastic looks, and a set of delectable missions that challenge you to get into your ninja groove and bring the best out of a team of shadowy assassins. The signature shadow mechanic is a delight to use, and the cherry on top of an impressively flexible core combat system, whilst large missions give you endless opportunity to get creative.Oh, and it all looks and plays wonderfully well on Switch 2. With mouse mode, improved loading times, and solid performance to boot, there's precious little to criticise with this all-timer. Now, give us Desperados 3 and Shadow Gambit!

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a fantastic return to form for the real-time tactics genre, with a particular emphasis on stealth based gameplay. Reminiscent of Commandos, it offers a fantastic tactical approach in a brilliantly designed world that will do more than enough to grab anybody’s attention. Not without its difficulty, it's never too hard that it's unfair.

Shadow Tactics is a fantastic old-school stealth tactics game that rewards thoughtful play and is incredibly replayable. If you don’t own it elsewhere and want a portable version, it’s worth picking up on the Switch 2. If portability doesn’t matter to you, it’s still absolutely worth playing—you might just want to choose a different platform.